Although the Commies of China "announced" the conviction and
sentencing of 30 valiant freedom fighters for the attemped liberation
of Tibet, unauthorized sources say that more than 400 brave liberators
were convicted, without benefit of legal assistance, by a single
judge, and sentenced to torture, beatings, life in prison at hard
labor, and one meal per day. All this was accomplished in a single
afternoon.
Interviewed afterward by news re****ters from North Korea, Shunroku
Hata, Commander-in-Chief, China Expeditionary Army, said that the
conspirators should have been hung, "... or better still, summarily
shot out back of the courtroom."
General Shunroku denied re****ts that his forces had killed more than
4,000 "rioters," as he termed the now internationally famous Tibetan
Tigers.
"We killed or injured no one," he asserted. "Our soldiers are noble
and courteous and would not harm a fly," he said, quipping, " ...
human beings, maybe, but no flies!" He noted that some of his
triumphant troops were enjoying the company of selected Tibetan
"Comfort Ladies" for their exemplary work.
"Makes me wish I was a young trooper again," he said, adding that his
father, Gen. Heuma Hyummai, served with distinction fighting the
Japanese over the young women of Nanking during the Second World War.
--------------------------------
"Chinese Court Sentences 30 to Prison in Lhasa Rioting"
By Jill Drew
Wa****ngton Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, April 30, 2008; A14
BEIJING, April 29 -- A Chinese court Tuesday sentenced 30 people to
jail for alleged participation in last month's deadly rioting in
Lhasa, the first convictions following an aggressive hunt for the
leaders of anti-government protests that swept through Tibetan areas
on China's western plateau.
Those convicted will serve terms from three years to life in prison,
state news media re****ted. The re****ts said more than 200 people
attended the "open trial" in Lhasa, but it was unclear whether the
accused had legal representation. Foreign journalists are barred from
re****ting in Tibet.
Police in the Tibetan-inhabited Qinghai region re****ted, meanwhile,
that two people were killed in an exchange of gunfire as authorities
tried to arrest a Tibetan man accused of leading riots in the area
soon after the Lhasa disturbances. The official New China News Agency
said a Public Security Bureau officer, Lama Cedain, was shot and
killed as the alleged ringleader resisted arrest early Monday in Dari
county. Officers then shot and killed the fugitive, the agency said,
quoting the Public Security Bureau.
China's handling of the Tibetan unrest has drawn protests around the
world, most visibly along the route of the Olympic torch. The torch's
"journey of harmony" became an op****tunity for confrontation in some
of the 19 cities it visited this month on its way to Beijing for the
Summer Games.
Authorities in Tibet have moved swiftly to arrest hundreds suspected
of involvement in the protests and to conclude their trials as
officials prepare for the most controversial leg of the torch relay --
over Mount Everest, through Tibet and into its capital, Lhasa. Weather
permitting, the torchbearers should make their ascent in the next few
days. A small group of journalists allowed to cover the event arrived
at the Everest base camp Monday.
An American mountaineer caught with a "Free Tibet" banner last week on
the Nepal side of Everest has been de****ted, the Associated Press
re****ted. Citing trekking company officials, it also said Nepal had
imposed a near blackout on communications on its side of the mountain.
It is unclear how many others are awaiting trial in Lhasa. Jiang
Zaiping, deputy head of the Lhasa police, told Chinese re****ters last
week that 170 were on a "wanted list" and that 82 of those had been
arrested. Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region
government, told re****ters at a news conference in Beijing this month
that 403 people had been arrested in connection with the March 14
rioting.
Pro-Tibetan protests, some violent, broke out in several western
Chinese provinces after the Lhasa rioting, and exile groups say as
many as 2,300 people have been arrested. That figure could not be
independently verified.
In Lhasa, 22 people were killed in the rioting, according to the
government. It also says five hospitals, seven schools and 120 homes
were set afire and 908 stores were looted on March 14. Exile groups
say scores died in the rioting and subsequent crackdown.
The Intermediate People's Court of Lhasa handed down 30 sentences
Tuesday. Three people received life sentences, according to government
media. One was a monk, identified as Basang, who was charged with
leading 10 people, including five other monks, to destroy a local
government office, burn and loot 11 shops and attack police officers,
the New China News Agency re****ted. Two of the monks who were with him
got 20 years in prison; the three others got 15 years.
"It's impossible to say whether these are fair trials or not," said
Cheng Hai, a Beijing lawyer, one of 18 who signed an open letter April
2 offering their services to defend the accused. "I don't know if they
received enough legal assistance."
Another lawyer who signed the letter, Teng Biao, said officials
pressured them to withdraw the offer. Teng said the Justice and Public
Security bureaus in Beijing met with him after the letter was
submitted and told him: "The Tibet issue is very sensitive. Don't get
involved."
Also Tuesday, the advocacy group Human Rights Watch released a re****t
do***enting that Chinese lawyers who argue cases the government
considers politically sensitive or potentially embarrassing face
consequences including harassment, assault and loss of license.
Jiang Yu, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, dismissed the re****t,
saying the group is biased against China. She said the accused in
Tibet were dealt with according to the law "in a fair and just way."
Nicholas Bequelin, China researcher for Human Rights Watch, said
lawyers were pressured to stay away from the Tibet cases "to prevent
people from mounting a vigorous defense and to keep Chinese repression
in Tibet under wraps."
The Chinese government has insisted that its handling of the Tibetan
unrest is an internal matter and that outsiders led by the Dalai Lama,
the Tibetan spiritual leader, incited people to sabotage China's
hosting of the Olympics. Chinese officials recently announced that
they would contact the Dalai Lama's envoy to see if there was a basis
for discussions, but Jiang told re****ters Tuesday that "the specifics
of the contact and consultation are still to be further discussed."
A spokesman for the Dalai Lama, who has denied instigating protests
and has long said he is willing to accept Tibet as a part of China,
said the Chinese have made only spoken contact with the envoy.
Meanwhile, three pro-Tibet activists were denied entry to Hong Kong,
where the torch relay is set to resume on Friday. The Reuters news
agency re****ted that a senior official acknowledged the incident might
have hurt Hong Kong's image of openness but said the Chinese territory
should be judged by its positive overall record of allowing protests.
[Correspondent Edward Cody and researcher Liu Liu contributed to this
re****t.]
http://www.wa****ngtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/29/AR2008042900769.html
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