Re: Would "sitting down with Dalai Lama" solve the human right issue

On Apr 12, 2:56=A0am, Mel Rowing <mel.row...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> On Apr 11, 6:08=A0pm, "fyfp...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
" <fyfp...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
> > I could understand if the Western leaders called on the Chinese
> > government to adopt a Western-styled democracy as Western democracy
> > has indeed brought a lot of freedom to the people in the West. =A0But
I
> > am appalled by the rallying cry for the return to =A0theocratic
> > authoritarianism. =A0And the people who are doing that are not the
> > people in traditional cultures but in modern cultures that went
> > through Renaissance many years ago.
>
> This is true.
>
> However, it not for us in the democratic west anymore than it is for
> you in autocratic China to prescribe whether or not or why the
> Tibetian people would wish to return to what you call feudalism
> (though it was know such thing) or "theocratic authoritarianism" is a
> matter for them and only them. We in the west subscribe to a principle
> known as self determination.
>
> For example it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that part of our
> United Kingdom splits away from the rest. If and when this happens
> there will be no violence, no bloodshed, no imprisonments. Once the
> people of Scotland, through the ballot box, show their desire to go it
> alone then it will happen the only delay will be to allow arrangements
> to be made for the transition.
>
> That's the basic difference between the west and China. You are
> unfamiliar with the ballot box. Your government doesn't trust the
> peoples of China to determine their own fate, doesn't recognise
> freedom even if that includes freedom to make a mistake or a backward
> step. It's regretable that one of the oldest civilisations on earth is
> in this respect so =A0backward =A0and can never take its place in a free
> world.
>
> If there is doubt as to whether Tibetians as a whole =A0wish to remain
> part of China and/or whether in fact they wish the Dalai Lama to
> return as their leader either in a spiritual or overall sense then the
> way to test it is to hand. Unfortunately it will not be tested and the
> reason it will not be tested is through fear. If the Tibetians were to
> secure autonomy within China or especially independence then what
> would be the effect on other Chinese provinces?
>
> You see despite the economic advances of recent years the Chinese as a
> whole don't enjoy self determination. The mandarins that once upon a
> day administered a real feudal system have just joined the party and
> changed into pyjama suits.

I am not sure if that "self-determination" in your terminology is
really self-determining at all or a process by which individual
interest groups manage to win out in the power struggle and do so at
the cost of those who could not afford this luxury named self-
determination.