On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:34:09 +0800, Zhang Pu <jiupu.zhang@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:
>> ---------------------------
>>
>> 1. They was some kind of gathering, although the purpose was not
>> clear. The number was
>> also not clear. click the link above to see the picture.)
>>
>> 2. Did monks participate? Not according to the picture. Were they
>> blocked as claimed by
>> certain Miguel and Clara? Who knows?
>
>By now, you should have known there were monks involved in the protest.
>
>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23640421#23632331
The attribution as to location did not occur until it became clear
that the riot videos were in INDIA (Dehra) on account of Indian police
making the arrests. The buildings in the opening shots also appeared
unusual and not typically Tibetan. Dehra is more typical of Indian
hill station type towns. Ulrike's photos showed low two storey
buildings built with unplastered black bricks, typical older Tibetan.
More modern buildings in Lhasa I had seen in photos are like modern
commercial buildings anywhere else in China. Any photo of Lhasa would
show extraorinarily clear air with mountains in the background. The
mountains are unavoidable and dominate the landscape. There's a lot of
vegetation in the video.
The MSNBC story is poorly edited as the news read referred to events
in China while the video was of India. Most people would have easily
confused the India video as events happening in Tibet. You (Zhang)took
their bait.
If you look closely at the "monks" the color is similar to the saffron
colored robes Buddhist monks wear. But they are not the same and
monks do not wear baseball hats. The clothes these activists wear are
activity type clothes unlike the loose robes of real monks. To the
uninformed the first impression would be that monks were being beaten
by police, never mind that they were Indian police. Read the readers'
feedback in ulrike's blog and this will confirm the unthinking
acceptance as truth what are actually lies. Its a good con.
>
>And there is a riot, according to Xinhua News:
>
>http://news.hexun.com/2008-03-15/104482807.html
>---
>Posted via news://freenews.netfront.net
>Complaints to news@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
we go to Xinhua English
Dalai-backed violence scars Lhasa
www.chinaview.cn 2008-03-15
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/15/content_7792827.htm
by Xinhua writers Lou Chen, Yi Ling
LHASA, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The outbreak of violence died down in
Lhasa Friday night, after a tumultuous day that saw windows smashed,
shops robbed, mosque burnt down and re****tedly many casualties.
Witnesses said the unrest started around 1:10 p.m. on Friday,
several people clashed with and stoned the local police around the
Ramogia Monastery in downtown Lhasa.
Rioters began gathering around 2 p.m. around the Ramogia
Monastery, and set fire to shops along two main streets in the
capital, and around Jokhang Temple, Ramogia Monastery and Chomsigkang
Market. At least five blazing spots were re****ted and dense smoke was
seen blanketing the area.
A number of shops, banks and hotels were burnt, causing blackouts
and interruption of communications in some areas. Shops close to the
Jokhang Temple and Ramogia Monastery were shut down.
A Tibetan government official told Xinhua that there had been
enough evidence to prove that the sabotage in Lhasa was "organized,
premeditated and masterminded" by the (article ends with incomplete
sentence)
===================
Peoples Daily cites Xinhua as its source
1. Tibet regional gov't: Sabotage in Lhasa masterminded by Dalai
clique
March 15, 2008
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90785/6373904.html
The government of Tibet Autonomous Region said Friday there had been
enough evidence to prove that the recent sabotage in Lhasa was
"organized, premeditated and masterminded" by the Dalai clique.
The violence, involving beating, sma****ng, looting and burning, has
disrupted the public order and jeopardized people's lives and
property, an official with the regional government said.
The sabotage has aroused indignation of and is strongly condemned by
the people of all ethnic groups in Tibet, he said in an interview with
Xinhua.
"The relevant departments of the regional government are taking
effective measures to properly handle the incident in line with the
law," he said.
"We are fully capable of maintaining social stability of Tibet and
safeguarding the safety of the people of all ethnic groups in Tibet
and their properties," said the official.
"The plots by the very few people against the stability and harmony of
Tibet run counter to the will of the people, and are doomed to fail,"
he said.
Shops were set on fire in violence in downtown Lhasa on Friday
afternoon. There were injuries re****ted in the violence and the
injured have been hospitalized.
Witnesses said a number of shops along two main streets in this
capital city and around Jokhang Temple, Ramogia Monastery, Chomsigkang
Market were set on fire around 2 p.m., sending out dense smoke. Some
vehicles were burnt down.
All shops close to the Jokhang Temple and Ramogia Monastery shut down
business.
According to sources, the public order has basically returned normal
in downtown Lhasa by press time, with electricity and
telecommunication resumed in many areas.
Source: Xinhua
2. Death toll rises to 10 in Lhasa riot
+ - 12:14, March 15, 2008
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90785/6374006.html
[ Related News
Lhasa water company dispels poison rumor
Seven confirmed dead in Lhasa riot
Tibetan gov't chairman condemns separatist sabotage by Dalai clique
No casualties re****ted with foreigners in Lhasa
Tibet regional gov't: Sabotage in Lhasa masterminded by Dalai clique]
Death toll from Friday's riot in Lhasa has increased from 7 to 10, the
Tibet regional government said Saturday morning.
"The victims are all innocent civilians, and they have been burnt to
death," said an official with the regional government.
The victims include two hotel employees and two shop owners, said the
official.
Source: Xinhua
================================
The data I wanted is the damage and the casualties.
From the 1st Peoples Daily re****t it is clear that the rioters were
from outside the monasteries. Monks were not involved. This is
consistent with both re****ts that cars and buildings were burnt. Monks
do not resort to such violent tactics to further their causes. It
goes against everything their religion stands for. Plus Tibet
Independence is a political issue they can only sup****t on a personal
level but never as their religion's or their monastery's objective.
Quite aside from the religious angle it is outright sedition and
treason. No monastery will ever go there.
I think it very fortunate that the police had surrounded the
monasteries as this would make it impossible for rioters to torch the
monasteries and blame the police. It would also not be possible for
the rioters to mingle among the monks and thereby force the police to
wade in to create a situation where Tibet Independence activists and
the Western media could claim police brutality on the monks. I don't
think the Tibet-Chinese authorities were smart enough to have forseen
the advantages of this tactic of isolating the monks in their
monasteries. But this ideeed turns out to be the most im****tant
outcome. The rioters cannot claim religious sup****t nor active
participation and violence from the monks.
Innocent civilians were killed, some burnt to death in their shops,
houses or cars. This is one of the consequences of the authorities
being unable to bring in overwhelming forces beforehand to intimidate
potential rioters in spite of foreknowledge of the date and intent to
create trouble. The activitists and foreign media insinuations would
then accuse China of unwarranted intimidation, of implied weaknesses
from authorities who fear matters getting out of hand. That the
Tibetan Provincial Government puppets would fall. That Chinese troops
would be called to save them - a Second Tibet Military Invasion. Let
your imagination run wild.
Now the consequences.
Neither the Tibet provincial government nor Beijing panicked. Why
should they? Even if all the young Tibetans revolted there is at most
half a million of them (16 to 30 age group)in all of Tibet and maybe a
few thousands in Lhasa. They're outnumbered in every category. Its
likely there were no more than a dozen really violent activists and
perhaps a hundred or two who were in it for the adrenalin. There is
no need to shoot any mob as re****ted by MSNBC and other western media.
Now they are in deep doggy doo because Lhasa is a pretty small place
in the middle of one humongous rock pile. There is nowhere to hide.
There's nothing to eat in that rockpile, so no escape by foot. There
is nowhere to get out except by air or by train. Going by car isn't
an option as all cars will be intercepted at road blocks.
Having burned shops, homes and cars. Having caused death to "innocent
civilians" the rioters have alienated the civilians in Lhasa be they
Chinese or Tibetan and few if any will harbor fugitive rioters. The
rioters are isolated. Its only a matter of time when they will be
caught. If Beijing and most Chinese cities are any guide there will
be video surveillance cameras in all public places from which to
reconstruct events and identify rioters. No one in China outside Lhasa
has any doubt that matters will be under control promptly.
So what does the Dalai Lama get out of this?
He's in a bind because he identified himself with the Anniversary of
his Exile and the planned protests to mark it. The protesters now
have proven to be violent criminals and have no connection with or
sup****t from Tibetan monasteries or monks. The DL has not been able to
stir up a popular Tibetan sympathy in sup****t of himself, against
Chinese "occupation" or for Tibet Independence. So that's what he is
left with, a call for violence with no political, social or religious
goal.
I am sure the DL did not encourage or condone the violence and
destruction. He had no control over what happened nor did he expect
it. But responsibility for the events comes with the territority. The
riots in INDIA (Dehra) will mean the Indian government will likely
proscribe future DL inspired activity. A fundamental condition of the
Tibet Government in Exile in Dhramsala is strictly no political
activism. The DL has a lot to explain this one. The DL's reputation is
tarnished and his latest actions dangerous to India. This is as good
an op****tunity to throw the DL out of India. The very goals the DL is
trying to achieve are now further away than ever. One expected outcome
will be India's restriction the stay of US based and foreign activists
tem****arily in India. The story will have to play out itself and it
isn't kind to the DL.
So what of China's image?
If the MSNBC re****t is any indication the western media will try their
best to put China in a bad light. Already they smudge the reference
to protests happening in India as eyewitness events happening in
Tibet. They glibly mouth re****ts of shooting into mobs, of mayhem,
without attributing an impeachable source. They are going to talk
themselves into ridiculous and untenable positions.
Let's wait for further developments.
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