The following is a excerpt from a Q & A session with Ms. Tsering Tsomo, a former member of the Tibetan Parliament who is presenly residing in Canada
She reflects on the current effects of the media and activism groups towards Chinese policies in Tibet.
Q: How has activism groups such as SFT affected Chinese policies towards Tibet?
A: My first reponse is that it has certainly made a difference. Whether that difference and sensitivity to the Tibet issue has resulted in any concrete change in Chinese government's policies toward Tibet is rather difficult to state without some anaylsis. However, if we take for example the World Bank proposal to fund a project in Amdo last year, including SFT, I certainly think it does make a difference.
Q: Is the Chinese government and its leadership aware of concerns raised by the support groups?
A: Yes. That has been made amply clear to them, especially during their overseas vists to the West where support groups have made it clear through demonstrations, protests, letter writing campaigns, used the media, etc. Additionally, even if they have not ben able to make any direct impact on Chinese policies towards Tibet, they have done so indirectly through pressuring their own leadership, governments, and companies, making them accountable, asking them to ask the questions from their Chinese counterparts.
Q: Do you feel that activism groups such as SFT has "commercialized" the Tibetan cause? On one hand, they need to raise money to create and spread awareness, but where does the line stop before it becomes propaganda-ish and commericalized?
A: I think you've answered the question in your second part of your question. If you've got to do activities, we need he finances, the resources to do it. I think many of the SFT activists volunteer their time, energy, and resources; to expect more from students would not be fair. However, as you say, it's a fine line before it vecomes commercialized and propaganda-ish. I think I will leave that to the individual to decide. I personally feel there's not enough about Tibet in the media, more awareness needs to still be created about Tibet even on university campuses.
Q: We're hearing less in the media about current news relating to Tibet. How long do you think issues in regards to Tibet will recapture public interests again?
A: It is indeed a pity that we always have to depend on the media to garner attention for issues in Tibet. In fact, in the aftermath of September 11, things may be worse off in Tibet. I've been reading news of the Chiense government's efforts to label all groups seeking self-determination to be terrorists...
It appears that unless the Tibetans do something to capture media attention, we will continue to be a non-issue for the media. I know the media and its coverage of issues does make a difference. But for support groups and Tibetans, we've got to continue to create awareness even if we don't get too much response from the media. -L. Lee
NEWSLETTER
January 2002; Issue #2
You Decide
Chadrel Rinpoche is a 62- year old monk who was the Head of the Search Committee to identify the next Panchen Llama; he has not been seen since the expiration of his six-year prison term in May of 2001. He was first arrested for "colluding with separatist forces," "conspiring to split the country," and "leadking state secrets" in 1995, three days after the successor to the Pachen Llama was announced.
Reportedly, Chadrel Rinpoche was hospitalized shortly after his closed sentencing hearing and trial, then held in Trochu County in a secret compound in Chuandong No. 3 Prison where extremely volatile dissidents are kept. In poor health, he went on a hunger strike to protest being denied visitors or contact with the outside .
It is feared that he died in Chinese custody. There is still no inofrmation as to his whereabouts. - A. Boone
Imagine you are 12 years old again... That's fun, unless you are Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama and the youngest political prisoner in t he world. This future Tibetan religious leader, second only to the Dalai lama, has been missing since 1995 when he and his family were kidnapped by the Chinese government from their home in Tibet.
According to Tibetan belief, this little boy is the reincarnate of the 10th Panchen Lama who died in 1989. How do they determine this correlation?
When a high Tibetan official dies, search parties are sent out to examine children born soon after a high lama's death. Correlations between the child and natural events at the time of the child's birth, unusual intelligence, or memories of monastic life are auspicious signs or reincarnation.
So why is this little boy such a threat to the Chinese governement? Ever since the Chinese invaded Tibet in 1950, Chinese officials have taken extreme measures to demolish and imprison any persons, structures, or institutions representing the Tibetan people and its culture. Althought the Chinese government sacrilegiously denounces the official Panchen Lama saying the Tibetans draw names out of a gold urn to determine their leader, they still refuse to release information on the whereabouts of the Panchen Lama.
In many ways the Panchen Lama represents the pending fate of all of Tibet. Will Tibetans preserve their ancient culture for future generatons, or will the Chinese government further force its own agenda onto the Tibetans? Will Tibetans be released from Chinese control and given the fundamental religious and political freedom deserved by all people? These questions should be weighing on the shoulders of the entire world. As long as we inhavit this earth, we must all claim responsibility for the well being of humanity. The fate of the Panchen Lama, as well as Tibet, is netither out of our interests as human beings, nor is it out of our control. -C. Carlson
The BP pipeline project in Tibet is a horrible mistake because the main reasons for British Petroleum's involvement in this project is to capitalize from the suffering of millions of native Tibetans in the area.
This project is harmful because it will:
- employ a sizeable and disproportionate number of Chinese and other non-Tibetans. This fuels the argument that the Chinese government is slowly relocating ethnic Hans (more commonly known as Chinese... Tibetans are Chinse too, but not Han Chinese) into Tibet. The Chinese government contends that a sizeable amount of engineering and contruction require educated and skilled labourers.
- deplete natural resources with little benefit to the Tibetan people. Let's not forget the three-gorge dam project and exploitative mining of iron/copper/metal ores inthe region.
- consolidate the Chinese control and occupation o Tibet as well as increase the Chinese governament's reasons for maintaing control.
- facilitate the transfer of Chinese settlers or workers to Tibetan areas.
- negatively affect the sustainability of Tibet's ecosystems.
- employ only a few Tibetans in unskilled labour positions. -Compiled by L. Lee
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