D E C R U Z P U L I K O T T I L | opinion editor
WITH AP SOURCES
Chinese response to Tibetan demonstrations has escalated an already dangerous conflict.
Tensions reached the tipping point in the Chinese-occupied region of Tibet in the past few weeks after some demonstrators began burning Chinese-owned shops, restaurants, and other businesses.
Violence was also reported in other parts of China that have a large population of refugees from Tibet.
Demonstrators have been protesting in light of the anniversary of the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959 which forced the Dalai Lama into exile in India. China’s increased relationship with India has left the Tibetan exiles in India with growing resentment about the vanishing hope of a free Tibet.
The problems were even more pronounced due to the visibility of China on the world stage due to the Olympics. At the Olympic torch lighting ceremony in Athens, Greece was also tinged with controversy as a Tibetan protestor managed to disrupt the events. The Chinese government, through offi - cial media, accused the Dalai Lama of inciting Tibetan violence against Chinese people in Tibet and other provinces controled by the Chinese.
``The Dalai clique is scheming to take the Beijing Olympics hostage to force the Chinese government to make concessions to Tibet independence,’’ the People’s Daily, the main mouthpiece of the Communist Party, said. The spiritual leader of Tibet accused the Chinese government of making baseless accusations and called for violence against Chinese civilians to stop.
The Dalai Lama has made his distress over the situation clear; going as far as threatening to resign as head of the Tibetan government- in-exile should the riots persist. “We always respect Chinese people and their culture,” the Dalai Lama said. Meanwhile, the European Union is considering a boycott of the games and French president Nicolas Sarkozy suggested that he might have France skip the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games.
“Our Chinese friends must understand the worldwide concern that there is about the question of Tibet,” Sarkozy said, “And I will adapt my response to the evolutions in the situation that will come, I hope, as rapidly as possible.
In the meantime President George W. Bush has not made any plans to cancel the event in wake of the crackdown of protestors in Tibet. White House press secretary Dana Perino said the United States wants “everyone to refrain from violence” and China should “respect minority cultures, in particular, in this case, the Tibetan culture.” Chinese authorities have put the death toll resulting from the rioting at 22 while Tibetan authorities say that the number of people dead is at least 140.
Beijing has indicated that they will now be starting “patriotism” classes in troubled monasteries in order to reeducate monks who were involved in the rioting, continuing the tough stance of the government on Tibet. The chaos of the past few weeks has frustrated the Communist nation as it tries to enlarge its image on the global scene when the Olympics will be held in August. Thousands of Chinese troops and police are being deployed to contain the demonstrations. The government declared a ban on tour groups entering the area of Tibet as violence continued this week.
Foreign media groups have also been instructed to stay away, making it diffi cult to confi rm information.
