Tibet: When "Sustainable" Development Goes Awry
by Alex Pasternack, Beijing, China on 03.25.08
Though the government’s news black-out has kept information scarce about what’s really happening in Tibet—making it more difficult than usual, for instance, for your correspondent to do research—certain things are clear.
Many, including the Chinese government, have described the unrest as largely politically motivated, a “surprise” attack by the “Dalai clique” and his “splittists.” Some have harped on the issue of religious freedom. But from watching just state television’s depiction of the violence in Lhasa and elsewhere, one sees something else in these ragtag groups of rioters who assembled on the anniversary of a 1959 uprising: sheer anger.
It’s not hard to see where Chinese Tibetans' anger comes from. Consider that as Chinese modernization threatens Tibet's culture and ecology, it is also failing to deliver on its economic promises. The cost of food is soaring, for instance, as wages remain steady. It is a sad twist that rising food prices are a result of the global warming that is melting glaciers on the Tibetan plateau (a connection that Chinese officials admit). It would be wrong to call these environmental protests. But to ignore the impact of Tibet's environmental problems on its fragile political and economic situation would be even worse.
Tibetans' resentment toward Han Chinese (who make up 90 percent of the region’s population) isn't just political. It was the product of the frustration of a disenfranchised group whose land and culture have been tarnished by the force of China’s modernization. It was a sobering example of the link between damaged environments and broken policies, scary evidence of development gone bad.
The most obvious example is the impact of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, which opened in 2006 and continues to be described as both as an economic necessity and an ecological danger. With the railway has come the tourists and workers who are mining Tibet, figuratively and literally. (The train is also considered crucial for quicker ferrying of soldiers to China's most delicate province.) The Tibetan government in exile has a long list of environmental grievances, including the desecration of sacred land. In a highly symbolic move, last year the government paved a road to Mount Everest (from which it has lately restricted climbers, citing "environmental reasons" ahead of the politically sensitive Olympic torch relay on the mountain). And then there are those melting glaciers on the Tibetan plateau, which regulate water supplies, and in turn, food costs, for hundreds of millions in Asia.
Local culture is also part of the environment, and it’s falling to pieces. In a good article at the Guardian, Pankaj Mishra argues that communism is a straw man in the Western imagination of Tibet; the real threat to Tibetans is the “capitalist modernity” that China has ferried in to Tibet like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. And they’re definitely not alone.
Tibetans are not much more politically impotent than the hundreds of millions of hapless Chinese uprooted by China's Faustian pact with consumer capitalism. The Tibetans share their frustration with farmers and tribal peoples in the Indian states of West Bengal and Orissa, who, though apparently inhabiting the world's largest democracy, confront a murderous axis of politicians, businessmen, and militias determined to corral their ancestral lands into a global network of profit...
Deng Xiaoping's post-Tiananmen gamble - that people intoxicated with prosperity will not demand political change - failed in Tibet. Like predominantly rural ethnic minorities elsewhere, Tibetans lack the temperament or training needed for a fervent belief in the utopia of modernity - a consumer lifestyle in urban centres - promised by China.
Whether or not ethnic minorities "are ready" for urban modernity, the fact is that Deng's promise of economic development isn't exactly working on the country's ethnic majority either. Outside of Tibet and its cultural and ecological concerns, the country already sees thousands of protests a year over official land seizure, corruption and pollution. And those are only the protests on the books.
It’s worth noting, as Mishra does, that China’s brand of capitalist modernity is not much different from that of 19th century U.S., as it made its own expansions westward into Indian American territory. One difference now may be that China’s own modern foray westward is underwritten not only by a secretive government eager to bring up the standard of living for millions, but by the world’s most powerful engine of development: globalization.
And then there’s the issue of simple information. Before the problems can be fixed, the basic facts need to be known. But the facts have been drowned out by the Chinese officials and netizens who have rallied against foreign media for coverage they call biased. And it may be, but the government’s prevention of foreign reporters from going to Tibet only hinders fair and balanced coverage. A government may complain about media bias, but it can do little about bias as long as it wages its own attacks on the truth. And as long as the government ignores reality, the real problems in Tibet aren't going anywhere, no matter how much police or propaganda or nationalist sentiment are thrown at them.
The same rule applies to environmental protection. Yes, the truth can be hard to swallow, especially for a government keen on keeping an already angry populace at bay. But green campaigners and officials alike know that without good environmental reporting, without accurate statistics or a willingness to accept the truth, environmental clean-up is impossible. Rather than constant complaints over the ways that China is polluting the world, for instance, we need more careful reporting on how that pollution comes about, and thus how it might most effectively be stopped.
Calls for Tibetan independence, despite Bjork, are not realistic. Instead, we might recognize that China is not leaving Tibet anytime soon, and that Tibet does need China’s help and involvement to continue to develop. But development that doesn’t respect the freedoms and rights of locals to exercise their political rights, practice their own culture and enjoy their local environment is barely development at all.
See also (blocked in China): Tibet Environmental Watch and "Chinese Development in Tibet: A Tibetan Perspective"
I think that the overall situation concerning the Beijing Olympics is deplorable. The continued destruction of Tibetan culture, environmental degradation, and repression of freedom and dissent within China cannot foster the spirit of goodwill and global reconciliation that is the spirit of the Olympic Games. A resolution was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last August to boycott the Beijing Olympics, and it was redirected to Speaker Pelosi after the recent crackdown in Tibet. Pelosi made a trip last week to Dharamsala, India to meet with the Dalai Lama. I believe that right now is a very good time to write to Speaker Pelosi and voice your support for a U.S. boycott of the 2008 Olympic Games. Pelosi called the current situation in Tibet a "challenge of conscience," and, tarnished though the U.S. record on human rights may be in various instances, we have the opportunity to do something that no military operation, trade pact, or diplomatic conference can do--send a clear message to China that the Chinese people, whether Han, Tibetan, Uighur, or otherwise, deserve the liberty to determine their own fate, to have access to knowledge, and to have clean air and water. As atrocious as the Chinese-sponsored genocide in Darfur is, I'm willing to bet that the majority of the Chinese population hasn't an inkling of what their government is doing there. Failure to boycott the Beijing Olympics will be tantamount to the tacit approval of Nazi Germany the world made when it failed to boycott the Berlin Olympics in 1936.
Plz not again put pressure on Beijing, we just need to hold a great game and let the whole world c the new China, --we are changing, being more open and more fair. but, dont forget this time the TB crisis is not our government's problem, and any government in the world would do the same thing: to keep the safety and protect their ppl: the Han and the minority ppl. and agian, As i just said, China is changing, we got more rights than be4. this time is no more like 1989, the Policemen bearly fight back! for accepting this orders bounds of polices injured, the military didnt come into the city, too. I think this time our government didnt make it that far.
at last, if u didnt c the truth, dont speak 2 much, living in China is not that horrible, though we have our own problemes, if u really want to know China, plz come, we always welcome all friends from every corner of the world.
Tibet's problem is it's lack of political autonomy. Sustainability is important, but freedom and self expression are essential in order to develop true sustainability on a number of fronts - including social sustainability. No one should be oppressed.
Tibet used to be rather sustainable, in part due to the abject poverty of the people, limited technological and energy reserves. Chinese industrialized development is not in the least sustainable, not as currently practiced.
You welcome "friends" but not objective reporters.
Nancy Pelosi Succeed To Write Her Name Into Olympic History, With Her HUGE Hypocrisy
Author : Richard Branson
On March 14, 2008
Hundreds of people came out at Lhasa, Tibet. Suddenly, these people act brutally, throwing stones, set up fire on houses, stores, vehicles, and hitting people.
These coordinated brutal attackers are demanding a free Tibet from China. Only in a couple of hours, Tibet is on fire. Rescue forces and policemen are unable to control these rioters.
Less than 100 people or maybe more died before the security forces succeed to control the chaos. Among the victims are an 8 month-old-baby and 4 girls working as shopkeepers, who were burnt to death.
On March 21, 2008 ( 07 DAYS LATER )
Nancy Pelosi, a US House Speaker rush to meet the spiritual leader of Tibet, Dalai Lama, who was accused by China as the planner of the brutal attack. There, Pelosi gave Dalai Lama a moral support, and condemn China who used forces to control the situation.
Then to provoke the world peaceful community, in front of a crowd of thousands Tibetans including monks and schoolchildren, Nancy Pelosi said “If freedom loving people throughout the world do not speak out against China’s oppression in Tibet, we have lost all moral authority to speak on behalf of human rights anywhere in the world”.
Most of media all over the world quickly quoted what she said, exactly the way she has planned. Many western media found that they have no other option than to bias the truth about the Tibet chaos, in order to make it suitable with Pelosi’s statement. Some of them even cut part of the image to mislead public, some used the real picture with mislead information, some even use videos taken from Nepal to mislead the truth.
Several foreigners touring at Tibet when the chaos happened has turn out their voice about media bias, urging people to see the whole picture. But their voice has been turned down by many media, leaving only small room for them.
On March 23, 2008 ( 02 DAYS LATER )
Four US soldiers died by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, making the death toll 4000 since Iraq war. Meanwhile, a British agency estimated that about one million civilians has been died since the war. Mr. Bush quickly show up and offer condolences to the troops family. Nancy Pelosi didn’t even show up. She didn’t even speak out about human rights in Iraq. She doesn’t even send any condolences.
People across the world, including those freedom loving people in America, who expects her to take her huge part to stop Iraq war, are very disappointed. She doesn’t even do something significant at the fifth anniversary of Iraq war at March 20, 2008.
Many people are shocked with her HUGE hypocrisy, when they compare what Pelosi rush to do in Tibet chaos and Iraq war. Facing 4000 deaths on her own side and about one millions civilian death in Iraq, the human-right-police should said something like “If freedom loving people throughout the world do not speak out against Iraq war, we have lost all moral authority to speak on behalf of human rights anywhere in the world”
Nancy Pelosi has succeed to write her name in Olympic history, with her HUGE hypocrisy. Meanwhile, China will be recorded in the history who try to do the best to hold the Olympic Games. What makes difference is one get respect, the others don’t.
The consequence of her statement had move many freedom loving people throughout the world to attack the Olympic. It started happening when Tibetan protesters disrupt Olympic Flame ceremony on March 25, at Olympia, Greece. Along the way, there will be many protesters who try to disrupt the Olympic, or hold a peaceful demonstration. But the world history will record that all of this peaceful attack can only be related to one person, Nancy Pelosi.
Do the Chinese media as the victim has the courage to publish this article ? Do the western un-censored media has the courage to publish this article ? We will see in the few days.
To conclude the whole article, I found the best quotation at a Hollywood film, starred by Bruce Willis, “Tears of the Sun”. Here is the quotation “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”.
of course this is not the right time to visit China. do you think the brithish gov would welcome foreigners to come when north-Ireland was fighting against them？plz dont stick on the word, the Chinese ppl is hospitable, true.
The British government never excluded foreigners during the many decades of conflict over Northern Ireland. Journalists and the media were not expelled and were allowed to visit Belfast, alone, and for longer than 2 days. Of course, they did so at their own risk, as do reporters in Iraq and as reporters would be doing if they were being allowed into Tibet regularly. And that is the big difference here--the availability of information and the freedom that represents. An open, critical, and unfettered media is the watchdog of a truly free society.
Richard Branson sounds suspiciously like the propaganda of the Chinese government. My bullsh*t-meter is set on "HIGH."
Zhao Ziyang and Hu Yaobang were Chinese Communist party leaders who wanted freedom for all citizens of China-including the Tibetans, and the people who demonstrated in Tianenmen Square and who were killed or jailed for it. They were kicked out of their leadership roles by the hardliners, kept incommunicado, and placed under house arrest for the remainder of their lives.
The Olympic torch was lit recently in China, but it isn't the torch the Chinese people wanted. Their torch was held aloft by their statue of the Goddess of Liberty, the one that they built. That torch was torn down, and the people were attacked and killed or jailed by the "People's" army in Tiananmen square in 1989.
Young adults in China today know nothing of this, because the Chinese government propaganda machine has vilified the hundred thousand patriots who demonstrated for freedom that day, and dismissed them as a few anti-social hooligans. This process is, of course, taking place today in China, only it is currently directed against the Tibetan demonstrators and the Dalai Lama. If the Tiananmen Square demonstrators had been successful in reforming the Chinese government, I doubt if there would have been the demonstrations in Tibet, because the people of Tibet would probably have had far fewer grievances.
You can see a photo of the "Goddess of Liberty" and read about the Tiananmen Square massacre on Wikipedia- just Google: Wikipedia Tiananmen Square Massacre
Now the Chinese government, run by the very same people who conducted the Tiananmen Square Massacre and then lied about it, asks us to believe that the pacifistic Buddhist monks of Tibet are preparing to become suicide bombers.
I see that Hu Jintao has been swotting up on Mein Kampf by Adolph Hitler, with particular attention to "The Big Lie." Read all about it by Googling: Wikipedia the big lie .