The Conscience of Human Decency is Facing Challenge -- Speak out on
Tibet / IHT
International Herald Tribune
Speak out on Tibet
Monday, March 24, 2008
China has cracked down on Tibet and neighboring provinces. It sent more
troops into restive regions and made scores of arrests in Lhasa. It
acknowledged firing on demonstrators in Sichuan. Yet, the response of
the international community - and of the International Olympic Committee
- has been tepid. Beijing must be called to account, especially since it
will be the host to the 2008 Games.
China has blocked most news coverage despite a pledge to give freer
access to journalists in the run-up to the Olympics. Tibetan exile
groups say as many as 100 people died in violence that followed a week
of peaceful protests. Beijing puts the toll at about 20.
The U.S. State Department says Tibet - taken by force by China in 1951 -
is "one of China's poorest regions." Authorities have increased controls
over the practice of Buddhism and committed serious human rights abuses.
The Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, has shown remarkable
restraint against what he calls "cultural genocide." Despite the
bloodshed, he reaffirmed a commitment to nonviolence and greater
autonomy - rather than independence - for Tibet. In return, Beijing
called him a "devil."
But China's authoritarianism is backfiring, fueling resentment that
exploded in Lhasa and radicalizing Tibetans, who increasingly demand
independence.
The United States and other major countries must go beyond anemic
statements urging Chinese restraint. They must make it clear that such
repression violates the promise Beijing made to improve its human rights
record when it won the Olympics bid. It mocks the Olympic Charter, which
extols "human dignity." It mocks the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, which recognizes "equal and inalienable rights of all."
The West should keep pressing Beijing to begin serious talks with the
Dalai Lama and instruct the UN Human Rights Council to begin a probe in
Tibet. The White House says President George W. Bush is trying to
influence Beijing. So far, we see no positive results.
Inexcusably, the International Olympic Committee has done little to
defend its values and has stuck with plans to have the Olympic torch
pass through Lhasa.
Boycotting the Games doesn't work; we know that from experience. But the
idea of Bernard Kouchner, France's foreign minister, about not attending
the opening ceremony is worth considering. What message does it send if
dignitaries lend their prestige to China's coming out party as if
nothing happened in Tibet?
International Herald Tribune Copyright
www.iht.com
|
