Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., March 16, 2008 Adar2 10, 5768 | | Israel Time: 18:37 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Last update - 11:59 16/03/2008 Dalai Lama: World must investigate possible cultural genocide in Tibet By Ofri Ilani, Haaretz Correspondent and News Agencies Tags: Tibet, China, Israel  The Dalai Lama said Sunday that the international community must investigate whether cultural genocide has been taking place in Tibet, two days after violent street protests against Chinese rule during which 100 people were reportedly killed. The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader added that China was relying on force to achieve peace. He said that the international community had the "moral responsibility" to remind China to be a good host for the Olympic Games, but added that China deserved to host the games. Advertisement "The Tibet nation is facing serious danger. Whether China admits or not, there is a problem," the Dalai Lama told a news conference at his base of Dharamsala in northern India. On Saturday, for about a quarter of an hour, a few dozen Tibetan exiles stood in the plaza of the Tel Aviv Cinematheque and sang a lament in memory of some 100 kinsmen who were reportedly killed by Chinese authorities during demonstrations in Tibet on Saturday. A few brought Buddhist prayer books. Most of the participants, who are attending an agricultural training program in the Arava, have never stepped foot in Tibet. They were born in India, in refugee camps for Tibetans in the north and south of the country. Saturday they came to Tel Aviv for an event organized by the Israeli Friends of the Tibetan People (IFTP) to mark the 49th anniversary of the March 10, 1959 uprising against the Chinese government. The event was planned a few months ago, but the suppression of the demonstrations in Tibet lent it special significance. For Tibetan student Sunam Yangchen, the anniversary is connected to her family history. In 1958, the Chinese authorities arrested her grandparents and her family was forced to flee to India. "They crossed the border on foot," Yangchen related. "We wander from country to country but we don't forget our culture." Yangchen was born in southern India. She has never been to Tibet but has never given up her dream of returning to her homeland. "Everything I know about Tibet I learned from my parents. I'd like to go back there," she says. For the past few years Yangchen has worked at Tibetan Buddhist Meditation and Study Center in Bangalore. Now she is training to become an agricultural counselor through the Arava Program. The program, operated in cooperation with IFTP, has trained more than 300 Tibetans so far. Yangchen says that news about events in Tibet comes from international news outlets. "It is hard to get information from Tibet," notes Lobsang Yeshi, a Tibetan who lives in Tel Aviv with his Israeli wife and was the organizer of the prayer gathering. "Even if you manage to make contact by phone or through the Internet, you usually can only ask general questions, like 'How are you?.' The Chinese Internet police monitor communications," Yeshi said. "The Olympic Games are the most shameful thing in the world," says Tenzin, another one of the organizers. "China enables genocide in Darfur, defends the oppression in Burma and beats down the Falun Gong," Tenzin says. The IFTP was founded in 1994 by Israelis who sought to help Tibetan refugees after visiting Tibet and northern India. The organization has about 1,000 members. "As Jews, we feel a need and a duty to help oppressed peoples in other places," says Meira Abulafia, one of IFTP's leaders. "After Israel obtained international support for its independence, the time has came for it to offer support to other oppressed people. The likelihood of [Tibetan] political independence is very small, but we still believe there is a chance for cultural autonomy." China cracks down on Tibetan protests as at least 100 people killed Chinese security forces swarmed Tibet's capital Saturday and tourists were ordered out as Beijing gambled that a crackdown on violent protests against Chinese rule will not bring an international boycott of this summer's Olympics. The tough response by the Chinese authorities came after fierce protests on Friday which contradicted China's claims of stability and tarnished a carefully nurtured image of national harmony as it readies to stage the Olympic Games in August. Official Tibetan judicial authorities gave protesters until Monday night to turn themselves in and benefit from leniency. "Criminals who do not surrender themselves by the deadline will be sternly punished according to the law," said a notice on the Tibetan government Web site. International pressure mounted on Beijing to show restraint. Australia, the United States and Europe urged China to find a peaceful outcome, while Taiwan, which China claims as its own, predictably condemned Beijing for launching a crackdown. Xinhua news agency said 10 "innocent civilians" had been shot or burned to death in the street clashes in the remote, mountain capital which has been sealed off. The dead included two people killed by shotguns. Xinhua said 12 police officers had been "gravely injured" and 22 buildings and dozens of vehicles were set on fire. A source close to the Tibetan government-in-exile, however, questioned the official death toll of 10. He said at least five Tibetan protesters had been shot dead by troops. The Tibetan government in exile, based in northern India, said there have been 30 confirmed deaths until Saturday, and over 100 unconfirmed deaths." The riots emerged from a volatile mix of pre-Olympics protests, diplomatic friction over Tibet and local discontent with the harsh ways of the region's Communist Party leadership. The protests, the worst since 1989 in the disputed region, have thrust China's role as Olympic host and its policy toward Tibet back into the international spotlight. A rash of angry blog posts appeared after the deaths were confirmed. Hollywood actor Richard Gere, a Buddhist and an activist for Tibetan causes, urged an Olympics boycott. International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge opposed a boycott, saying only the athletes would suffer. Accounts from the remote region were fragmentary and China restricts access for foreign media, making it difficult to independently verify the casualties and the scale of the protests and suppression. Yet the details emerging from witness accounts and government statements suggested Beijing was preparing a methodical campaign - one that if carefully modulated would minimize bloodshed and avoid wrecking Beijing's grand plans for the Olympics in August. Signs of violence persisted Saturday. Several witnesses reported hearing occasional sounds of gunfire. One Westerner who went to a rooftop in Lhasa's old city said he saw troops with automatic rifles moving through the streets firing, though did not see anyone shot. Even as Chinese forces appeared to reassert control in Lhasa, a second day of sympathy protests erupted in an important Tibetan town 1,200 kilometers away. Police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Buddhist monks and other Tibetans after they marched from the historic Labrang monastery and smashed windows in the county police headquarters in Xiahe, witnesses said. The China-installed governor of Tibet, besieged by reporters as he entered a legislative meeting in Beijing, vowed to deal harshly with the protesters in Lhasa, but said no shots had been fired and promised that calm will be restored very soon. "Beating, smashing, looting and burning - we absolutely condemn this sort of behavior," said Champa Phuntsok, an ethnic Tibetan. He blamed the protests on followers of the Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule and is still Tibet's widely revered spiritual leader. From Dharamsala, India, the Dalai Lama appealed to China not to use force. He said he was deeply concerned and urged Tibetans not to resort to violence. Preparing the Chinese public for tough measures, state-run television on the evening newscast showed footage of red-robed monks battering bus signs and Tibetans in street clothes hurling rocks and smashing shop windows as smoke billowed across Lhasa. "The plot by an extremely small number of people to damage Tibet's stability and harmony is unpopular and doomed to failure," a narrator said as the footage played. Chinese newspapers and Internet sites, all state-controlled, ran no reports on the violence except a brief Xinhua statement vowing to reassert order - a further sign the government was managing public expectations. Foreign tourists in Lhasa were told to leave, a hotel manager and travel guide said, with the guide adding that some were turned back at the airport. Tibet's latest unrest began Monday, the anniversary of the 1959 uprising, with protests by Buddhist monks demanding the release of other detained monks. Sporadic, largely peaceful protests and spiraling demands - including cries for Tibet's independence - continued throughout the week until Friday when police tried to stop a group of protesting monks. Related articles: China cracks down on Tibetan protests; at least 100 people killed in Tibet capital Monks' bodies strike at Beijing Olympics Bookmark to del.icio.us   Not even for Natalie A Haredi actor quits Natalie Portman's latest film due to rabbis' protests. Al-Jazeera boycott Al-Jazeera slams Israeli boycott as attack on free expression.   1.   Israel is no different than China in this matter 04:16  |  POP 16/03/08   2.   Ban Ki-Moon must condemn this disproportionate use of force!!!! 04:40  |  Hanan 16/03/08   3.   China Power 05:38  |  mag maung 16/03/08   4.   POP`d 06:04  |  Responder 16/03/08   5.   Demonstration here in Washington too. 06:15  |  US CITIZEN 16/03/08   6.   Where`s the condemnation of the Tibetan Terrorists? 06:20  |  Justice 16/03/08   7.   Joke world! 06:20  |  Niva dos santos 16/03/08   8.   POOP is no different than Duct, Creepfool, etc. 07:05  |  Dan 16/03/08   9.   When does hypocrisy end,when hypocrites end it. 07:48  |  YSL 16/03/08   10.   haha 08:07  |  Seraphim 16/03/08   11.   The enormous courage and determination of the protesters. 08:38  |  sandra chitayat 16/03/08   12.   response to mag maung... 08:42  |  sandra chitayat 16/03/08   13.   Tibetans come to Israel fro protection..not Muslim country 09:56  |  Stayin Alive 16/03/08   14.   Tibet was INDEPENDENT - What`s Palestine? 10:28  |  Nadav 16/03/08   15.   Free Tibet is a Good Thing 11:21  |  Michael J 16/03/08   16.   Jew in/and the Lotus - a great book related to this issue 11:37  |  yael 16/03/08   17.   WHERE is the Moslem front UNHR? Dr Dugan"humanitarian"in Chief 12:00  |  PETER SM 16/03/08   18.   Let`s Make A Deal 12:08  |  Yosemite 16/03/08   19.   Meanwhile Islamists doing TERROR in China as well 12:25  |  PETER SM 16/03/08   20.   Free Tibet, free Palestine 12:31  |  Dav 16/03/08   21.   Misleading comparison 13:00  |  ChanahS 16/03/08   22.   DAV Tibet never sent suicide bombers,Qassems or claimed all China 13:10  |  PETER SM 16/03/08   23.   China vs USA 13:13  |  Realistic 16/03/08   24.   Dolly Lama? 13:20  |  Cynical 16/03/08   25.   100 Dead = Cultural Genocide? 13:37  |  Statistician 16/03/08   26.   Uygurs in the same boat with Tibet 13:55  |  joki 16/03/08   27.   STATISTICIAN.Tibetan culture HAS been repressed 14:30  |  PETER SM 16/03/08   28.   JOKI"China calls plane incident a ?terror act? MSNBC 14:37  |  PETER SM 16/03/08   29.   I changed my mind: Olympics should be boycotted 14:54  |  Mark B. 16/03/08   30.   To Mark B 16:43  |  WhatsTheCriteria 16/03/08   31.   Justice (6) according all reports available violence on behalf of 16:44  |  Karl 16/03/08   32.   To WhatsTheCriteria 17:21  |  Mark B. 16/03/08   33.   USA vs China vs Isreal/Palestinian 18:16  |  us citizen 16/03/08

Today Online IAF resumes Gaza strikes, kills 3 Islamic Jihad men Responses: 120 Gideon Levy: Barak trying his best to ruin peace process Responses: 57 Netanyahu: Ch. 10 expose aims to prevent my rise to power Responses: 50 Obama asked to explain after his minister 'damns' America Responses: 34 Rosner's Domain If you marry them, you have a better chance of keeping them State Department: UN measures fuel anti-Semitism (WTR) Poll: Is the "road map" still relevant? Neocons and the cultural proclivity of Jews (WTR) General Fraser and the third whiner More Headlines 18:36 Netanyahu: I acted for the state, not at the expense of the state 18:35 Thousands evacuate Paris Book Fair following bomb alert 18:09 Merkel arrives in Israel to 'open new chapter' in bilateral ties 14:06 Syrian FM: Israel gained most from Mughniyah's assassination 17:56 Fischer: Bank of Israel to avoid meddling in int'l currency market 16:59 Obama asked to explain after his minister 'damns' America 14:02 Report: Eichmann intervened to save 800 Jews in Berlin in WW2 16:29 Cheney en route to Mideast for 9-day visit with regional leaders 17:06 Barak rethinking 'Iron Dome' defense system in face of Gaza rockets 18:08 Iran conservatives win parliament majority with 163 of 290 seats 11:19 IAF strike kills three Islamic Jihad militants in northern Gaza 16:10 Chief Israeli and Palestinian negotiators to meet this week Previous Editions Select Day 14 mar 13 mar 12 mar 11 mar 10 mar 09 mar 07 mar 06 mar 05 mar 04 mar 03 mar 02 mar

Special Offers Advertisement FAREWELL ISRAEL New Film The Coming War for Islamic Revival - View Movie Trailer READY FOR PURIM? BUT - Who Will Guard The Hamentasch? Free the Palestinians from: Corrupt Kleptocracy, Tyrannical Theocracy, Abysmal Anarchy Long-term Israel programs MASA is your gateway. More programs. More grants. NEW! Dan Boutique Jerusalem Hotel Hip Dan Hotel in Jerusalem. Attractive Introductory Rates 7589 rockets fired so far HELP US TO HELP THEM FREE JEWISH HISTORY COURSE Berel Wein's best selling lectures. 5000 Years in Five hours /CD/MP3 Marina Royale Herzelia Pituach Your Luxurious Suite While Staying in Israel Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved