2008 Tibetan unrest

Last updated

2008 Tibetan unrest
Tibetan Monks arrested in 2008 Zao Dai Bu De Xi Cang Seng Lu .jpg
Tibetan monks in Chinese custody, April 2008
Location
Caused byAlleged mistreatment of Tibetans by the Chinese government
Parties

Han and Hui communities
Tibetan demonstrators
Central Tibetan Administration (alleged; denied) [1]
Casualties
Death(s)23 (per government)
203-400 (per CTA and Dalai Lama)

The 2008 Tibetan unrest, also referred to as the 2008 Tibetan uprising in Tibetan media, [2] was a series of protests and demonstrations over the Chinese government's treatment and persecution of Tibetans. Protests in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, by monks and nuns on 10 March have been viewed as the start of the demonstrations. Numerous protests and demonstrations were held to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan Uprising Day, when the 14th Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet. [3] The protests and demonstrations spread spontaneously to a number of monasteries and throughout the Tibetan plateau, including into counties located outside the designated Tibet Autonomous Region. [2]

Contents

The arrest of monks at Labrang Monastery increased the tension of the situation. Clashes occurred between Tibetans and Chinese Han and Hui residents, resulting in Han and Hui stores and buildings being destroyed and numerous Chinese civilians being injured or killed. [4] [5] [6] [7]

The use of force by Chinese police and military forces during the unrest has been controversial, with some, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, deeming it excessive force. [8] [9] [4] [10] [11] The International Campaign for Tibet estimates a total of 235 protests occurred from 10 March until the end of October 2009. [12] The Chinese government's Xinhua News Agency estimated that 150 protests occurred between 10 March and 25 March. [13] [12] The Chinese government reported that 23 people were killed during the riots themselves, while the Central Tibetan Administration claimed 203 were killed in the aftermath alone, [14] and the Dalai Lama alleged 400 Tibetans were killed in total. Foreign journalists were expelled or forced to leave during the uprising anniversary. Amnesty International reported 1,000 Tibetan protestors remained "unaccounted for" by June 2008, [15] while the Central Tibetan Administration reported 5,600 arrests of Tibetans between March 2008 and January 2009, with 1,294 injuries within the same period.

Protests supporting Tibetans were held in cities in North America and Europe, [16] as well as in Beijing, Australia, [17] India, [18] and Nepal. [19] Many of the international protests also called for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics. On 24 March, the torch lighting ceremony in Greece was disrupted by activists, including some from Reporters Without Borders. At Chinese embassies, protests ranged from pelting the embassies with eggs and rocks [20] to protestors entering the premises and raising Tibetan flags, which was outlawed in Tibet by the Chinese government in 1959. [21] [22] [23] [24]

Protesters in Tibet that were arrested and detained claimed they were tortured and told to admit they were paid to protest by the 14th Dalai Lama. [9] The Chinese government stated the unrest was motivated by separatism and blamed the Dalai Lama for orchestrating it. [25] The Dalai Lama denied the accusation and said that the situation was caused by "deep seated disillusionment and despair" in Tibet, and invited Chinese officials to come to India with its evidence. [1] Representatives of the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama held talks on China's Tibet policies on 4 May and 1 July of the same year. [26] [27]

Background

Orange refers to Tibet's original land boundaries, subdivided into provinces by China and designated as Tibetan (and other ethnic minorities) autonomous areas. TAR-TAP-TAC.png
Orange refers to Tibet's original land boundaries, subdivided into provinces by China and designated as Tibetan (and other ethnic minorities) autonomous areas.

The protests erupted amidst growing frustrations with China's persecution of Tibetans and of Tibetan Buddhists, [28] [29] which Tibetans assert began after China's annexation in 1951. Unresolved situations remained regarding Tibet's three highest spiritual leaders - the 14th Dalai Lama and the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa both escaped to India, while the 11th Panchen Lama's location remains unknown. Photographs of the Dalai Lama remain outlawed, [30] as are Tibetan flags. Efforts at brokering agreements on behalf of Tibetans by the Dalai Lama with China had stalled. [31] The protests and uprisings in Tibet since 1950 include earlier mass protests in Lhasa—the 1959 Tibetan uprising, and the 1987 protests which were likewise led by monks from Sera monastery, Drepung monastery and Ganden monastery. [32] [33]

Of the 1989 bloody suppression in Lhasa, journalist Jim Yardley wrote:

"In the past China has not hesitated to crush major protests in Tibet or to jail disobedient monks. [Former] President Hu Jintao, who [was] also the general secretary of the Communist Party, served as party boss in Tibet during a violent crackdown in 1989. His support for the bloody suppression of unrest that year earned him the good will of Deng Xiaoping, then the paramount leader, and led directly to his elevation to the Politburo Standing Committee and eventually to China’s top leadership posts." [34]

The Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) proposed the Middle Way Approach to address the government of China's policies in Tibet. Specific agreements offered to China include the Five Point Peace Plan in 1987, the Strasbourg proposal in 1988, and the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy in 2008. [35] Tibetan loyalty to the Dalai Lama is considered disloyalty to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), [36] [10] [28] and is viewed by the Chinese government as a crime of separatism and a threat to China's national security and expansionism. Kelsang Dolma wrote, "when the 2008 Tibet protests erupted, fomented by discontent with decades-long repression, the CCP ruthlessly responded by killing and arbitrarily arresting protesters". [29]

As a policy begun by Chairman Mao in 1950, Beijing promotes settlements of Han Chinese within Tibet, which dilute Tibetan culture and identity, as the Dalai Lama and others have stated. [37] [38] The CTA also states, "[u]nder the guise of the economic and social development, Beijing encourages its population to migrate to Tibet with the clear aim to marginalize Tibetans from the economic, educational, political and social life of the region." [39] A railway link opened in 2006 delivers three thousand Han a day to the region. Within Lhasa, Tsering Woeser reports that Tibetans are discriminated against at spiritual sites, and residents were relocated to rural areas, as urban areas were redeveloped for Han residents and businesses. [40] [41] [39] Nomadic Tibetans are forced to build homes and borrow money for construction costs, [42] [30] while their grazing lands are redistributed, as reported by Free Tibet. [43]

China's policies which the Dalai Lama describes as "cultural genocide" [44] marginalize Tibetans and create simmering socio-economic issues in Lhasa. [45]

According to the Central Tibetan Administration, environmental concerns also motivated the protests. [28] Some of Asia's most important rivers flow from the Tibetan plateau, and "are being polluted and diminished by careless industrialisation and unplanned irrigation" as stated by the Dalai Lama. [37]

According to the Tibetan Independence Movement, Tibetans in Lhasa were angered by inflation that caused the prices of food and consumer goods to increase. [46] Prices also continued to rise in other parts of the country, [47] while Tibetan youth stated that equal access to jobs and education is another economic issue related to the mass settling of Han Chinese. [48]

Protests in Tibet

Lhasa

Tibet Autonomous Region China-Tibet.png
Tibet Autonomous Region

According to a report by the Human Rights Watch, a group of 300–400 protesting monks from Drepung monastery marched to Lhasa's center on 10 March in midday demanding religious freedom, and their route was blocked by police. [10] According to the report, monks were kicked and beaten with batons and 60 monks were arrested that day. [10] Journalist Barbara Demick's account of the demonstrations did not mention any violence occurring that day. [49]

The next day on 11 March as 300–400 monks from Sera monastery departed in a line to demand the release of the arrested Sera monks. An eyewitness told the BBC that around 300 monks from Sera monastery moved onto the street and were kicked and beat by 10 to 15 plainclothes Chinese police officers in what he described as "gratuitous violence". [50] Outside the monastery, the monks began a sitting protest and were surrounded by riot police and armed military units. Radio Free Asia reported that an eyewitness saw tear gas being fired into the crowd. [10] [51] The Human Rights Watch report stated hundreds of monks and nuns from Ganden Monastery and Mani Nunnery also began marching into Lhasa on 11 March. [10] According to the report, participants claimed that they were stopped by police and returned to their monastic centers, which were promptly cordoned off. [10]

On 14 March, a group of monks preparing to depart from Ramoche Temple in the center of Lhasa to demand the release of monks from Drepung and Sera were barred from leaving by police. They began throwing stones at the police, some of which were hard enough to break their shields. As the police withdrew, the enraged crowd began targeting ethnic Chinese passersby. [49] According to the Toronto Star , businesses that had Chinese markings were targeted to be burned, smashed or looted. [52] Fires were spread to buildings, and Han and Hui Chinese people were beaten, [53] while a building's fire killed four Han women and a Tibetan woman hiding in same building. [54]

When Chinese police and military units reentered Lhasa on 14 March, reports state tear gas canisters were launched and shootings began. Amnesty International reports that machine guns were used. [55] State hospitals were reported by Human Rights Watch as closed to protestors by Chinese authorities, and reports of wounded and killed Tibetans were suppressed. [10]

Police cars, fire engines and other official vehicles were reportedly set on fire. Reports state Tibetans attacked Han and Hui passerby using stones, and an eyewitness stated from their hotel window, "It seems like it's ethnic—like they want to kill anyone not Tibetan." The witness also said he saw a group of 20 armed men firing guns, and that he was unsure if they were police officers or armed rioters. [56] Chinese state media reported non-Tibetan-owned businesses and banks were robbed and houses were attacked and burned down, including government buildings and schools. Police used tear gas and cattle prods. According to Chinese state media, 18 civilians were killed by rioters. [57]

A crowd of 70-80 Tibetan youths tried to storm the Lhasa Great Mosque and set fire to the front gate. [57] Shops and restaurants in the Muslim quarter were destroyed. [53] A Chinese businessman reported that many Hui Muslim stores were burnt. Also burnt were stationery shops, banks, and a wholesale market at Tsomtsikhang, where many shops are owned by Han Chinese and Hui Muslims. [6]

Throughout Lhasa, raids, security sweeps and arrests by Chinese security forces reportedly continued for several days. Tsondru, a monk, is reported to have died after being thrown off a roof while under arrest by Chinese security forces. An early official statement by Tibet Autonomous Region Chairman Pema Trinley reported, "Only three law-breakers died during the pacification of the Lhasa unrest, no participation from the PLA" was revised to add that another person "jumped from a building" to avoid arrest. [58]

Amdo/Gansu

Gansu Province China-Gansu.png
Gansu Province

On 14 March, 200 Labrang Monastery monks led a crowd of 300 people in demonstrations outside of their monastery in Gansu. [59] The Guardian reported witness accounts of security vehicles being set on fire and Tibetan mob violence. [59]

On 15 March, 4,000 Tibetans gathered near the Labrang Monastery and clashed with Chinese forces. [60] [61] The clashes centered around the Gelug school's Labrang monastery, one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in Tibet. [61] Demonstrators marched through the streets of Xiahe. [62] There were reports of government offices being damaged by the protesters, as well as reports of police using tear gas and shooting at protesters. [61]

In Lanzhou on 16 March, 100 students participated in a sitting protest. [63]

In Machu on 16 March, rioters set a government building on fire, while clashes continued on 18 March.

In Hezou on 19 March, footage emerged showing protestors tearing Chinese flags and raising Tibetan flags in their place. [64]

China's Xinhua News Agency reported the cost of damage in Gansu at an estimated ¥230 million (US$32.7 million). [65]

The Tibetan government-in-exile stated that 19 Tibetans were shot and killed on 18 March. [66]

Amdo/Qinghai

Qinghai Province China-Qinghai.png
Qinghai Province

Chinese authorities arrested twelve Tibetan monks after an incident in the historic region of Rebkong, which is located in the Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai (known to Tibetans as Amdo). [62] Chinese security forces surrounded the Ditsa monastery in Bayan County. [62] [ dubious discuss ] Qinghai province borders the Tibet Autonomous Region.

On 19 March, Chinese forces cordoned off the village of Taktser, where the 14th Dalai Lama was born. [63]

In Tongren, demonstrations occurred at the Rongwo Monastery between 14 and 16 March.

In the capital city of Xining, a journalist with Neue Zürcher Zeitung reported that residents were receiving intimidating calls from the Public Security Bureau. A call received by a Tibetan professor was reported as having said "Take good care of yourself" in a threatening manner. [67]

During special classes for students in the region, videos of Tibetan demonstrators demolishing stores and attacking police were shown. The sessions have been deemed propaganda by some. Tibetan students at the Medical University of Xining held demonstrations to express their solidarity with the protestors, as well as a vigil for killed protestors in Lhasa. [67]

Passports belonging to Tibetans were confiscated to prevent returns to India and the delivery of reports on events to Tibetan exiles. Tourists and foreign residents were surveilled and informed about their possible expulsion in case they got involved in Tibetan protests. [67]

Kham & Amdo/Sichuan

Sichuan Province China-Sichuan.png
Sichuan Province

On 16 March, Tibetan monks and local residents clashed with police in Ngawa after monks held a protest at the traditional Tibetan grounds of Kham and Amdo. A witness told the BBC that approximately 17 Tibetans were killed, including a school girl. By 18 March, the town was "teeming with police and soldiers". [6]

The India-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy reported that at least seven people were shot. [68] There are other reports that police shot between 13 and 30 protesters after a police station was set on fire, reports of at least one policeman being killed, and the burning three or four police vans. Reports on the exact number of deaths were difficult due to the expulsion of journalists. [69] The Chinese government stated that it opened fire on protestors in self defense on 20 March, reporting that four were wounded. [63] [70]

In Ngawa Town, after days of protests by 3,000 monks and 300 nuns, 27 of the nuns at the Kirti monasteries and nunneries were arrested by Chinese police forces on 20 March. Photographs of killed protestors near Kirti were circulated. [63]

Neue Zürcher Zeitung reported that phone calls into the region from Zurich were intercepted, and exiled Tibetans were harassed during the calls. The arrested nuns were not heard from afterwards. During a telephone call, a nun stated she and the other nuns had no regrets, and that "the road of liberty is long and arduous". [71]

A wave of arrests occurred in Sertar on 21 March, where police shot and killed a protestor. Chinese army troops blocked roads in Sertar, and many Tibetans were arrested. The London-based Free Tibet Campaign reported that troops had been sent to the county after protesters used explosives to destroy a bridge near the village of Gudu. [72] [71]

Radio Free Asia reported demonstrations in Kardze on 23 April, and on 11–12 May when 14 of the nuns demanding the release of two arrested in April were beaten and detained. The report states nuns were from nearby nunneries, and armed Chinese forces continued to patrol the area. [73] Other protests were held in Chori.

The BBC reported that around 16 March, 600 monks from Lhasa were flown to Chengdu by Chinese security forces. [63]

Responses from Chinese government and Dalai Lama

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao blamed the Dalai Lama's supporters for the recent violence in Tibet, and asserted that security forces exercised restraint in their response. [74]

The Dalai Lama called for both sides to avoid using violence and called on Chinese leaders to "address the long simmering resentment of the Tibetan people through dialogue with the Tibetan people." [34] A spokesman for the 14th Dalai Lama said the Chinese government's accusations were "absolutely baseless". [34] The Dalai Lama has also stated that Tibetans are treated by China as second-class citizens in their own land, [74] which has caused simmering resentment, and has repeatedly denied any involvement in organizing or inciting the unrest, [75] and proposed to resign as the political leader if the violence continued. [44]

A reporter for The Economist, James Miles, when asked in an interview if the Dalai Lama was responsible for the riots, responded that he "didn't see any evidence of any organized activity", opining that "it's more likely that what we saw was inspired by a general desire of Tibetans both inside Tibet and among the Dalai Lama's followers, to take advantage of this Olympic year, but also inspired simply by all these festering grievances on the ground in Lhasa." [76] He noted in another report that the rioting "seemed to be primarily an eruption of ethnic hatred". [47]

On 1 April, rhetoric increased when the Chinese Public Security Ministry alleged that Tibet's supporters were planning suicide attacks, stating that searches of monasteries had turned up 176 guns, 13,013 bullets, 19,000 sticks of dynamite, 7,725 pounds of unspecified explosives, two hand grenades, and 350 knives. [77] Samdhong Rinpoche, prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, denied these allegations, stating "Tibetan exiles are one-hundred-percent committed to nonviolence. There is no question of suicide attacks. But we fear that Chinese might masquerade as Tibetans and plan such attacks to give bad publicity to Tibetans". [77]

On 14 April, Chinese forces claimed that they had found semi-automatic firearms hidden throughout a temple in Ngawa. [78] [79] Chinese police officers told Chinese reporters, "they were modified semi-automatic weapons." [78]

Riot actions

China responded by deploying the People's Armed Police. The BBC reported seeing over 400 troop carriers mobilizing into Tibet, [80] which would represent a deployment of up to 4,000 troops. The Chinese authorities ordered all Hong Kong and foreign journalists to leave Lhasa. [81] According to General Yang Deping, regular military troops from the People's Liberation Army were not deployed. [82]

Chinese authorities were also reportedly concerned that the Tibetan protests could "embolden activists in restive Xinjiang province" to organise street protests as well. [62] The Chinese government's People's Daily reported a statement by Gyaincain Norbu, which condemned the unrest, stating

"the rioters' acts not only harmed the interests of the nation and the people, but also violated the aim of Buddhism [...] We strongly condemn the crime of a tiny number of people to hurt the lives and properties of the people." [83]

In addition to sealing off monasteries, an eyewitness at Sera Monastery claimed, "they [Chinese authorities] were grabbing monks, kicking and beating them." [84] In Ngawa, police fired at the crowd after protestors reportedly burned down government buildings including the local police station, destroyed vehicles including police vehicles, stabbed police officers with swords, and attempted to take firearms from the police, during which the police fired warning shots to no avail. [70] The government stated that the police acted in self-defense. According to the Chinese government, four protesters were wounded, and 18 civilians, along with a police officer, were killed. The Tibetan government-in-exile claimed there were at least 99 deaths across the region. [85]

PRC and Dalai Lama dialogues

On March 19, Premier Wen Jiabao condemned the Dalai Lama's alleged role in the riot, but said the possibility for a dialogue remained open if he renounced Tibetan independence, and if he "recognizes Tibet and Taiwan as inalienable parts of the Chinese territory". [86] [87] The Dalai Lama has repeatedly stated he seeks autonomy, not independence, citing the need for Tibet to develop as a modern nation.

On May 4, two representatives of the PRC government, Zhu Weiqun and Sitar met with two representatives of the Dalai Lama, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. The two sides exchanged views and agreed that a further round of talks should be held at an appropriate time. [88]

Plans for the meeting had been announced by the Xinhua News Agency on April 25, [89] and was confirmed by the Dalai Lama's spokesman. [90]

This was the first high-level dialogue between the Dalai Lama's representatives and the PRC government since the March unrest, and was the continuation of a series of talks between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama's representatives, including his immediate family and close aides. [91] [92]

A second meeting was scheduled for June 11. However, due to the 2008 Sichuan earthquakes, the two sides agreed to postpone the meeting. [93] The second meeting was held on July 1. [27]

Casualties and fatalities

China's state media Xinhua News Agency reported on early Saturday, 15 March, that 10 people had been burned to death by Tibetans, including two hotel employees and two shop owners. [94] It also reported that the victims were all innocent civilians [95] and that most of them were business people. [96] The state-run People's Daily reported on 21 March that, according to the Tibet regional government, 18 civilians and 1 police officer had been confirmed dead in the unrest by the night of Friday, 14 March. It also reported the number of injured civilians rose to 382 from 325, 58 of whom were critically wounded. 241 police officers were injured, 23 of whom were critically wounded. [97]

On 17 March, Tibet Autonomous Region governor Champa Phuntsok announced that 16 had been confirmed dead over the weekend's violence and dozens injured. [98] Other sources published after the same press conference indicate that China put the death toll in Lhasa at 13. [99] [100] The Associated Press later reported that the Chinese government's official death toll from the previous week's rioting in Lhasa had risen to 22. [101] Accordingly, the death toll reported by Xinhua had risen to 19. [102]

The 14th Dalai Lama said China was causing a cultural genocide in Tibet, and the Central Tibetan Administration reported by 16 March to have confirmed at least 80 deaths of Tibetans, [103] then increased the death count by Chinese forces to more than 140 people, as reported on 5 April. [104] The Central Tibetan Administration's number of Tibetans killed since increased to 220, including subsequent deaths through to January 2009.

A month after the unrest began on 10 March, the Dalai Lama stated that since the beginning of the demonstrations in Tibet at least 400 people had been killed, and thousands of others arrested. [105]

Foreign tourists and Chinese eyewitnesses in Lhasa said "they saw and heard repeated gunfire there on Friday", 14 March. [40] Although Phuntsok claimed that Chinese police did not fire their guns or use anti-personnel weapons against the Tibetan protesters, additional reports from BBC, Central Tibetan Administration, Tibetan Review, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International contradict Puncog's claim and state "indiscriminate shootings" by Chinese forces occurred, and that leaked evidence of machine gun use has been documented. [9] [106] [107] [55] Puncog also states Tibetans wounded 61 police officers, including six seriously, [108] and reported that 13 civilians had been killed. [109] According to reporter James Miles, the police fatalities included both Tibetans and Han officers. [108]

A blockade by China of monasteries was reported by an Indian newspaper and Phayul, a news source affiliated with Central Tibetan Administration. The police had blocked off water, electricity, food and health facilities in Sera Monastery, Drepung monastery, Ganden monastery and at other monasteries active in the demonstrations. As a consequence, monks were suffering starvation, and on 25 March, one monk died from starvation at Ramoche Temple. [110] [111] [112]

On 28 March, the International Herald Tribune reported 5 female retail workers had been burned alive when Tibetan rioters set fire to the Yishion clothing store where they worked. The article noted one of them was Tibetan. [113]

On April 30, state press acknowledged that a pro-independence gunman and a police officer were killed in a gun battle. [114]

In October 2009, four Tibetans were executed in connection with their involvement with the unrest. [115]

Arrests and disappearances

Tibetans arrested by Chinese authorities. The signs list their crime and their name. Arrested Monks and lay Tibetans in 2008 Zao Dai Bu Cang Zu Seng Lu Yu Ping Min .jpg
Tibetans arrested by Chinese authorities. The signs list their crime and their name.

The BBC, sourcing information from a Human Rights Watch report, reported that "witnesses recounted that monks who initially tried to go through the police lines were thrown to the ground, kicked, and taken away." [9] [10] The arrest of 15 monks from Sera Monastery was confirmed by state-run China Tibet News, which added 13 of the monks were prosecuted. [10] The Human Rights Watch report stated that "up to 60 monks were arrested" on 10 March in Lhasa. [10]

The first non-monastic Tibetans were reportedly arrested in Barkhor Square on 11 March. [6]

In Aba Town, Free Tibet reported on 21 March that dozens of nuns from Mani Nunnery were arrested, while many more Tibetans in the area were reported as missing. [43]

Another report on the Kardze area from Radio Free Asia in May 2008 states at least 200 people were detained after 24 March, while 7 nuns were sentenced to prison and 107 nuns were detained. [73] The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy reported that three nuns from Dragkar Nunnery detained in Kardze were tortured, reportedly leading to the death and disappearance of one of the nuns. [116]

During a Chinese state sponsored tour for journalists on 7 April, two monks at Labrang Monastery that spoke out to reporters have since disappeared. [117]

Amnesty International reported in June 2008 that over 1,000 Tibetan protesters detained by Chinese authorities were "unaccounted for", [118] while more than 1,000 monks, nuns, students and citizens had disappeared by 2008. [117] [116] Another report from Amnesty International stated 5,600 Tibetans were arrested through to January 2009. [55]

By 5 April, the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy reported that the Chinese authorities had arrested over 2,300 Tibetans from various parts of Tibet, [119] and claimed that "Tibetans are sometimes secretly killed in detention". [120]

The TCHRD also reported that a 38-year-old Tibetan woman, who was involved in protests on 16 and 17 March in Ngaba County, died after reportedly being tortured in a Chinese prison. Following her release, the government hospital allegedly refused to admit her. [121]

According to a 10 October 2009 report by the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, at least 670 Tibetans had been imprisoned in 2009 for activities that included peaceful protest or leaking information to the outside world. [115] [122]

On 7 November, the state-run Lhasa Evening News reported a retired doctor was sentenced in Lhasa to 15 years imprisonment on espionage charges for passing information to the Central Tibetan Administration. The sentencing corresponds to the PRC's concealment of hospital records, as Human Rights Watch reported. [10]

Media coverage

Protest in San Francisco 2008 Olympic Torch Relay in SF - Embarcadero 03.JPG
Protest in San Francisco

During the protests and demonstrations, Chinese authorities prohibited foreign and Hong Kong media from entering Tibet and expelled those already there. [123] [124] Two German reporters, Georg Blume of Die Zeit and Kristin Kupfer of Profil , left Tibet on March 18 due to pressure from the authorities, and James Miles, a correspondent from The Economist, said that China "insisted however that when my permit did expire on the 19th that I had to leave. I asked for an extension and they said decisively no." [125] [126] Domestic Chinese media initially downplayed the riots, but this changed relatively quickly as they began to focus on the violence against Han citizens. [127] There was speculation that the violence would affect attendance at the 2008 Olympic Games, [128] particularly amid pressure for leaders to boycott the games, [129] but the calls for boycott went largely unheeded. [130] [131]

Tania Branigan of The Guardian reported the Chinese government blocked foreign broadcasters and websites, and denied journalists access to protest areas. Websites such as YouTube, The Guardian website, portions of the Yahoo! portal, and sections of The Times website had been restricted. [132]

The Chinese media accused Western media of reporting with inaccuracy and little independent cross-checking. The Chinese state-run newspaper China Daily accused Western media of deliberately misrepresenting the situation. Among these accusations involved CNN's use of a cropped picture that shows only a military truck but not rioters who were attacking it. [133] John Vause, who reported this story, responded to the criticism saying, "technically it was impossible to include the crashed car on the left". [133] The CNN image was later replaced with one that was cropped differently. On 24 March, the German TV news channel RTL Television disclosed that a photograph depicting rioters had been erroneously captioned. Separately, another German station, n-tv, admitted that it had mistakenly aired footage from Nepal during a story on Chinese riots. [134] The Agence France-Presse reported that Chinese students abroad had set up the website Anti-CNN to collect evidence of "one-sided and untrue" foreign reporting. Media accused of falsified reporting include CNN, Fox News, The Times , Sky News, Der Spiegel, and the BBC. Der Spiegel has rejected the accusations in an article. [135] [136] According to The New York Times, CNN apologized on May 18 over some comments made on April 9. [137]

Chinese TV channels aired footage of anti-Chinese riots in Lhasa and the aftermath which was broadcast for several hours. [138] China's Communist Party newspaper, the People's Daily , called on the government to "resolutely crush the 'Tibet independence' forces' conspiracy and sabotaging activities". [101] [139] The People's Daily also accused the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration of orchestrating the protests in its commentary. [101] Yahoo! China published "most wanted" posters across its homepage to assist Chinese police in apprehending protestors; 24 Tibetans are believed to have been arrested as a result. [140]

On 17 March, the Toronto Star reported the accounts of various Canadian witnesses who were caught up in the violence. [52] One Canadian witnessed an attack by a mob on a motorcyclist, others recounted how the violence of the riots forced them to escape with help from taxi drivers and guides, and another described how they intervened to save a Han Chinese man from a mob. [7]

Foreign reporter group

After expelling foreign journalists, the Chinese government selected a group of foreign journalists which were given restricted access to the region. [141] [142] The Agence France-Presse and Deutsche Welle reported on the decision by the Chinese government, which allowed a small group of reporters to tour Tibet. The journalists allowed to tour Tibet included those from The Wall Street Journal , USA Today , Financial Times , Kyodo News Agency, the Korean Broadcasting System, Al-Jazeera, and the Associated Press. [143] The journalists were kept under close control while in Lhasa. Chinese authorities said the limited number of journalists permitted to attend and the restrictions on their movements were based on logistical considerations. [144]

On 27 March, the media tour through Lhasa was disrupted by a group of detained monks from Jokhang Monastery. [145] Reports from Taiwanese journalists also invited on the tour stated that the Jokhang monks told them that they had been locked down in the temple even though they had not participated in the riots, and implored the journalists to report the information. Padma Choling, the vice-chairman of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, stated that they were locked down pending police interviews in relation to the riots, and that they were released once interviewed. He also promised that the monks involved in the protest would be "dealt with" according to law. [146] [147] The Tibetan activist group International Campaign for Tibet stated on 28 March that it feared for the welfare and whereabouts of the monks which spoke out during the media tour, specifically those monks from Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery, Ganden Monastery and Ramoche Temple. [148] The group did not explain why it identified four monasteries when the protest involved only monks from Jokhang. Choling later told reporters the monks would not be punished. [149] Detained monks at Labrang Monastery also reportedly spoke to the journalists on tour, and likewise implored them to report their detainment.

International reaction

A Free Tibet rally outside the Chinese consulate in San Francisco, California, on March 17, 2008 FreeTibetprotestSanFrancisco2008.jpg
A Free Tibet rally outside the Chinese consulate in San Francisco, California, on March 17, 2008

According to Wen Jiabao, the Premier of the People's Republic of China, attacks on between ten and twenty Chinese embassies and consulates occurred around the same time as attacks on non-Tibetan interests in the Tibet Autonomous Region and several other ethnic Tibetan areas. [150]

According to an article by Doug Saunders published in The Globe and Mail , the protests were loosely coordinated by a group of full-time organizers hired by two umbrella groups that were loyal to the Tibetan government in exile. Documents were sent to more than 150 Tibet support groups around the world giving them detailed notes on how to behave when organizing similar disruptions as the Olympic flame made its six-month trip around the world. This included advice on maintaining non-violence and following the Dalai Lama's opposition to Tibetan national independence. Protesters were to advocate a more autonomous Tibet within China. However, many of the protestors did not follow this advice. [151] Doug Saunders further stated that the torch-relay protests had no relationship with the unrest in Tibet. [152]

Impact on the 2008 Summer Olympics

Sign from 2008 Olympic protests "OLYMPICS IN CHINA TORTURE IN TIBET" sign detail, Olympics torch protest (2417352003) (cropped).jpg
Sign from 2008 Olympic protests

There were rumors that some athletes were considering boycotting the 2008 Summer Olympics over the unrest. The vice-president of the International Olympic Committee discouraged this, [153] as well as the European Union and the Olympic Committees of Europe and Australia, who condemned politicizing sport. [154] The 14th Dalai Lama also reiterated that he was against any boycott. [155]

The attendance of government leaders at the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony was watched by the media, because some groups called for a boycott of the ceremony on both human rights and Tibetan violence grounds. Nonetheless, by the end of July 2008, the leaders of more than 80 countries had decided to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, more than in any of the preceding Olympics. [131] All but one leader of the countries that did not attend the opening ceremonies emphasized that it was not to boycott the Olympics; [156] [157] [158] [159] one German chancellor said that there was "no link to Tibet". [160] Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk was the one European head of government to boycott the opening ceremonies because of the violence in Tibet. [161]

On 20 March, the U.S. Department of State issued a warning to U.S. citizens attending the Beijing Olympics, stating that "Americans' conversations and telephones could be monitored and their rooms could be searched without their knowledge or consent". [162] [163]

Aftermath

According to the People's Daily , normalcy returned on 24 March to some affected areas in Sichuan Province, as schools, shops and restaurants reopened to the public. [164]

The Open Constitution Initiative (OCI), operated by several Weiquan lawyers and intellectuals, issued a paper in May 2009 challenging the official narrative and suggesting that the protests were a response to economic inequities, Han Chinese migration, and religious sentiments. The OCI recommended that Chinese authorities better respect and protect the rights and interests of the Tibetan people, including religious freedom. [165]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gyaincain Norbu</span> 11th Panchen Lama according to the Chinese government

Chökyi Gyalpo, also referred to by his secular name Gyaincain Norbu or Gyaltsen Norbu, is considered the 11th Panchen Lama by the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC). He is also the vice president of the Buddhist Association of China. Gyalpo is considered by critics to be a proxy of the Chinese government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama</span> 10th Panchen Lama of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism (1938–1989)

Lobsang Trinley Lhündrub Chökyi Gyaltsen was the tenth Panchen Lama, officially the 10th Panchen Erdeni, of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. According to Tibetan Buddhism, Panchen Lamas are living emanations of the buddha Amitabha. He was often referred to simply as Choekyi Gyaltsen.

Free Tibet (FT) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation, founded in 1987 and based in London, England. According to their mission statement, Free Tibet advocates for "a free Tibet in which Tibetans are able to determine their own future and the human rights of all are respected."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drepung Monastery</span> Tibetan Buddhist monastery at Mount Gephel, Tibet, China

Drepung Monastery, located at the foot of Mount Gephel, is one of the "great three" Gelug university gompas (monasteries) of Tibet. The other two are Ganden Monastery and Sera Monastery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Tibet (1950–present)</span>

The history of Tibet from 1950 to the present includes the Chinese annexation of Tibet, during which Tibetan representatives signed the controversial Seventeen Point Agreement following the Battle of Chamdo and establishing an autonomous administration led by the 14th Dalai Lama under Chinese sovereignty. Subsequent socialist reforms and other unpopular policies of the Chinese Communist Party led to armed uprisings, eventually assisted by the CIA, and their violent suppression. During the 1959 Tibetan uprising, the 14th Dalai Lama escaped to northern India for fear of being captured by Chinese forces. He formed the Central Tibetan Administration and rescinded the Seventeen Point Agreement. In 1965, the majority of Tibet's land mass, including all of U-Tsang and parts of Kham and Amdo, was established as the Tibet Autonomous Region. Tibetans suffered along with the rest of China during the Great Chinese Famine and the Cultural Revolution under episodes of starvation, religious repression, destruction of cultural sites, forced labour, and political persecution. US-China rapprochement in the 1970s saw an end to Washington's support for Tibetan guerillas. Amid broader reforms across the country, China adopted policies to improve conditions in Tibet. Since the 2000s, it has invested heavily in the region but generated controversies due to the sinicization of Tibet. Human rights abuses remain a concern especially where it comes to freedom of religion and political prisoners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1959 Tibetan uprising</span> Uprising in Lhasa, Tibet, against the Peoples Republic of China

The 1959 Tibetan uprising began on 10 March 1959, when a revolt erupted in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, which had been under the effective control of the People's Republic of China (PRC) since the Seventeen Point Agreement was reached in 1951. The initial uprising occurred amid general Chinese-Tibetan tensions and a context of confusion, because Tibetan protesters feared that the Chinese government might arrest the 14th Dalai Lama. The protests were also fueled by anti-Chinese sentiment and separatism. At first, the uprising mostly consisted of peaceful protests, but clashes quickly erupted and the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) eventually used force to quell the protests. Some of the protesters had captured arms. The last stages of the uprising included heavy fighting, with high civilian and military losses. The 14th Dalai Lama escaped from Lhasa, while the city was fully retaken by Chinese security forces on 23 March 1959. Thousands of Tibetans were killed during the 1959 uprising, but the exact number of deaths is disputed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tibetan Uprising Day</span> Commemoration of the 10 March 1959 Tibetan uprising

Tibetan Uprising Day, observed on March 10, commemorates the 1959 Tibetan uprising which began on March 10, 1959, and the Women's Uprising Day of March 12, 1959, involving thousands of women, against the presence of the People's Republic of China in Tibet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinicization of Tibet</span> Forced assimilation by China

The sinicization of Tibet includes the programs and laws of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to force cultural assimilation in Tibetan areas of China, including the Tibet Autonomous Region and the surrounding Tibetan-designated autonomous areas. The efforts are undertaken by China in order to remake Tibetan culture into mainstream Chinese culture.

The 1987–1989 Tibetan unrest was a series of protests and demonstrations that called for Tibetan independence. These protests took place between September 1987 and March 1989 in the Tibet Autonomous Region, in the Tibetan regions of Sichuan, and Qinghai, as well as the Tibetan prefectures in Yunnan and Gansu. Protests began shortly after the Dalai Lama, the religious and temporal leader of Tibet exiled in India since the 1959 Tibetan unrest, proposed a Five Point Peace Plan regarding the “status of Tibet” on September 21, 1987, which was subsequently rejected by the Chinese government. The Plan advocated for greater respect and autonomy of the Tibetan people, and claimed that “Tibet was a fully independent state when the People’s Liberation Army invaded the country in 1949-50.” China rejected the idea of Tibetans as an invaded people, stating that “Tibet is an inalienable part of Chinese territory” and has been for hundreds of years. The Tibetan sovereignty debate is longstanding, and the Tibetan assertion that they are a separate and unique people invaded by China has become a central argument for their independence.

The 2008 Lhasa riots, also referred to as the March 14 riots or March 14 incident in Chinese media, was one of a number of violent protests that took place during the 2008 Tibetan unrest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Sichuan riots</span> 2008 riots in Sichuan province

In Sichuan province, in an area incorporating the traditional Tibetan areas Kham and Amdo, Tibetan monks and police clashed in riots on 16 March in Ngaba county (Aba) after the monks staged a protest. It formed part of the 2008 Tibetan unrest and was one of two major events to happen in Sichuan during 2008, the other being the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in May 2008.

The 2008 Tibetan unrest was a series of protests and demonstrations met by excessive force, focused on the persecution of Tibetans, in the buildup to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. There was a mixture of outrage and understanding from leading figures abroad.

Wangdu is a former Tibetan monk who became an HIV/AIDS activist at the age of 41. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008 for "endangering state security", and in 2012 he was in hospital.

Human rights in Tibet has been a subject of intense international scrutiny and debate, particularly since the annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China. Before the 1950s, Tibet's social structure was marked by inequality and described as a caste-like system or, controversially, as serfdom. Severe punishments, including permanent mutilations of body parts, were common, although capital punishment was banned in 1913. Muslim warlord Ma Bufang caused widespread destruction and deaths in Amdo which is northeast of Central Tibet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirti Gompa</span> Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Ngawa, Sichuan, China

Kirti Gompa, is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery founded in 1472 and located in Ngawa, Sichuan province, in China, but traditionally part of Amdo region. Numerous other associated Kirti monasteries and nunneries are located nearby. As of March 2011, the Kirti Gompa was said to house 2,500 monks. Between 2008 and 2011, mass arrests and patriotic re-education programs by Chinese authorities have targeted the monks, reducing the population substantially to 600 monks. The wave of Tibetan self-immolations began at Kirti Gompa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protests and uprisings in Tibet since 1950</span>

Protests and uprisings in Tibet against the government of the People's Republic of China have occurred since 1950, and include the 1959 uprising, the 2008 uprising, and the subsequent self-immolation protests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhondup Wangchen</span> Tibetan filmmaker (born 1974)

Dhondup Wangchen is a Tibetan filmmaker imprisoned by the Chinese government in 2008 on charges related to his documentary Leaving Fear Behind. Made with senior Tibetan monk Jigme Gyatso, the documentary consists of interviews with ordinary Tibetan people discussing the 14th Dalai Lama, the Chinese government, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and Han Chinese migrants to the region. After smuggling the tapes of the interviews out of Tibet, however, Dhondup Wangchen and Jigme Gyatso were detained during the 2008 Tibetan unrest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Self-immolation protests by Tibetans in China</span>

As of May 2022, 160 monks, nuns, and ordinary people have self-immolated in Tibet since 27 February 2009, when Tapey, a young monk from Kirti Monastery, set himself on fire in the marketplace in Ngawa City, Ngawa County, Sichuan. According to the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), "Chinese police have beaten, shot, isolated, and disappeared self-immolators who survived."

Prostitution in Tibet is thought to have existed for centuries. Testimonies of its existence were provided by outside visitors in the first half of the twentieth century. According to the British writer Christopher Hale, due to the practice of polyandry in Tibet, many women were unable to find a husband and moved to villages and towns, where they fell into prostitution. Their clients came from the caravans crossing the Tibetan plateau, and also from the monasteries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antireligious campaigns in China</span>

Antireligious campaigns in China are a series of policies and practices taken as part of the Chinese Communist Party's official promotion of state atheism, coupled with its persecution of people with spiritual or religious beliefs, in the People's Republic of China. Antireligious campaigns were launched in 1949, after the Chinese Communist Revolution, and they continue to be waged against Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, and members of other religious communities in China.

References

  1. 1 2 "Dalai Lama Calls Again For Crackdown Probe". Phayul.com . Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  2. 1 2 tibetanreview (21 June 2018). "The 2008 uprising and the Olympics". Tibetan Review. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  3. "Tibet protests". The Guardian. 14 March 2008. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Tibetan riots spread outside region". The New York Times . 16 March 2008. Archived from the original on 25 February 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  5. "Transcript: James Miles interview on Tibet – CNN.com". CNN . 11 April 2008. Archived from the original on 11 April 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Accounts from Lhasa and beyond". 18 March 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  7. 1 2 "'I can't just let this guy die on the ground'". thestar.com. 17 March 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  8. Yardley, Jim (15 March 2008). "Violence in Tibet as Monks Clash With the Police". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "China accused of excessive force over Tibet unrest". BBC News. 22 July 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 ""I Saw It with My Own Eyes": Abuses by Chinese Security Forces in Tibet, 2008-2010". Human Rights Watch. 21 July 2010.
  11. "People's Republic of China: The Olympics countdown – crackdown on Tibetan protesters" (PDF). Amnesty International. April 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  12. 1 2 "2008-2009 Protest Logs". International Campaign for Tibet. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  13. "达赖和"西藏人民大起义运动"脱不了干系_新闻中心_新浪网". news.sina.com.cn. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  14. "China's Forbidden Zones". Human Rights Watch : 32–33. 7 July 2008. Archived from the original on 2 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  15. "Tibet protesters missing, Amnesty says - CNN.com". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  16. Stratton, Allegra; agencies (24 March 2008). "Tibet protesters disrupt Olympic flame ceremony". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  17. "TIMELINE: Day-by-day record of Tibet protests". Reuters . Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  18. Kumar, Hari (1 April 2008). "Tibetans Protest in Delhi, but March Is Off". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  19. "Nepal police break up Tibet protests, 284 held". U.S. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  20. "Eggs, flags and tempers fly at Chinese consulate". The Age . 17 March 2008. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  21. "Tibetan protesters attack London's Chinese embassy". U.K. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  22. "Tibetans protest near China embassy in Nepal". U.S. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  23. "Tibetans storm Chinese Embassy in Paris". Phayul.com . Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  24. "Tibetans activists try to storm Chinese embassy in Delhi". News18 . Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  25. "China Accuses Tibetan Protesters of Killing Innocent People". Voice of America . 27 October 2009.
  26. "Dalai Lama calls for end to anti-Olympic protests". The Guardian . 2 September 2013. Archived from the original on 2 September 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  27. 1 2 "China, Dalai Lama's envoys resume talks". Reuters . 1 July 2008. Archived from the original on 13 March 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
  28. 1 2 3 Tibetan protests 2008 Central Tibetan Administration, https://tibet.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/tibetprotest2008.pdf Archived September 27, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
  29. 1 2 Dolma, Kelsang (31 August 2020). "Tibet Was China's First Laboratory of Repression, Xi Jinping is bringing methods honed in Xinjiang back to the Himalayas". Foreign Policy . Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  30. 1 2 Wong, Edward (24 July 2010). "China's Money and Migrants Pour Into Tibet". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  31. "Protests in Tibet erupt into violence". The Guardian. 14 March 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  32. "URGENT Chinese Block Roads, Arrest Monks After Protest". Associated Press . 5 October 1987.
  33. "30 years of resistance". Tibet Watch. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  34. 1 2 3 Yardley, Jim (15 March 2008). "Violence in Tibet as Monks Clash With the Police". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  35. Staff Reporter (23 May 2019). "The 17-point Agreement - What China promised, what it really delivered and the future?". Central Tibetan Administration. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  36. Topgyal, Tsering (2013). "Identity Insecurity and the Tibetan Resistance Against China". Pacific Affairs. 86 (3): 515–538. doi:10.5509/2013863515. ISSN   0030-851X. JSTOR   43590713.
  37. 1 2 "Tibet could be 'swamped' by mass Chinese settlement after Olympics, says Dalai Lama". The Guardian. 23 May 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  38. International Commission of Jurists, 1997, https://www.icj.org/wp-content/uploads/1997/01/Tibet-human-rights-and-the-rule-of-law-thematic-report-1997-eng.pdf Archived 2021-02-21 at the Wayback Machine
  39. 1 2 AsiaNews.it. "Beijing sends a new flood of Han migrants to Lhasa: Tibetans risk disappearing". www.asianews.it. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  40. 1 2 ""Lhasa's Tibetans will soon be nothing but decorations for tourists"". The Observers - France 24. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  41. Tibet, International Campaign for (20 May 2013). "Destruction of Lhasa revealed in new images". International Campaign for Tibet. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  42. "Is development killing Tibet's way of life?". BBC News. 15 July 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  43. 1 2 "Latest". Free Tibet. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  44. 1 2 Gavin Rabinowitz (18 March 2008). "Protests expose rifts among Tibetans". Phayul.com. Phayul. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  45. "Rethinking China's Tibet Policy". The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. June 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  46. "REASONS FOR UNREST ARE ANCIENT". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  47. 1 2 "Fire on the roof of the world". The Economist. 14 March 2008. Archived from the original on 26 May 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  48. "Sie haben sich am heftigsten beklagt, dass sie nicht die gleichen Stellen oder die gleiche Schulbildung bekommen wie die Chinesen, dass die Chinesen mehr Geld haben." "Die Jugend will mehr". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). 23 March 2008. Archived from the original on 27 March 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2008.
  49. 1 2 Barbara Demick (22 March 2008). "Tales of horror from Tibet". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 9 November 2020.
  50. "Eyewitness: Monk 'kicked to floor'". 14 March 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  51. Radio Free Asia, (12 March 2008), http://www.rfa.org/english/news/2008/03/12/tibet_march/ Archived March 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  52. 1 2 Bill Schiller, "Canadians caught in Tibet's violence", Toronto Star , March 17, 2008. Accessed 2009-07-17. Archived 2009-07-23.
  53. 1 2 Barbara Demick (23 June 2008). "Tibetan-Muslim tensions roil China". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 22 June 2010.
  54. Barboza, David (28 March 2008). "Putting Faces on 5 Victims of Tibetan Riots". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  55. 1 2 3 "Leaked internal document shows China used machine guns to kill Tibetans in March 2008 protest". www.amnesty.org.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  56. Guardian Staff (15 March 2008). "Eyewitness account of violence between protesters and police in Tibet". the Guardian. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  57. 1 2 As long as there are separists, there will be 3-14 event again Archived October 6, 2017, at the Wayback Machine (Trad Chinese) China Review News Agency, 22 June 2008
  58. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Materials on the March 14 Incident in Tibet (I), Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 2008, p. 32.
  59. 1 2 "Tibet gripped by violent clashes". the Guardian. 14 March 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  60. Yardley, Jim (15 March 2008). "Chinese Forces Say They've Secured Tibet's Capital". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  61. 1 2 3 Spencer, Richard (15 March 2008). "Tibet riots continue after day of violence". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 19 March 2008. Retrieved 15 March 2008.
  62. 1 2 3 4 Spencer, Richard (March 15, 2008). "Q&A: The showdown in Tibet. Why would Tibet boil over right now". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on March 18, 2008. Retrieved March 16, 2008.
  63. 1 2 3 4 5 "Key places and events in Tibet unrest". 19 March 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  64. "Key places and events in Tibet unrest". BBC News . 19 March 2008. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  65. "Questions, answers about casualties, damages of recent riots". Xinhua News Agency. 25 March 2008. Archived from the original on 30 March 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  66. "Dalai Lama calls for calm in Tibet". Al Jazeera. 19 March 2008. Archived from the original on 19 March 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  67. 1 2 3 ""Take Care": Control like in Mao's Days in Tibetan Territory". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). 28 March 2008. Archived from the original on 31 March 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  68. "Tibet protests spread to other provinces". Yahoo! News . March 16, 2008. Archived from the original on March 18, 2008. Retrieved March 19, 2008.
  69. Watts, Jonathan; Branigan, Tania (18 March 2008). "Tension rises as armed police mass in capital". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 18 March 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  70. 1 2 "川阿壩警開槍自衛 四暴徒受傷 (Sichuan, Ngawa police fire in self defence; four rioters wounded)". Hong Kong: Da Kung Pao. 21 March 2008. Archived from the original on 28 March 2008. Retrieved 30 March 2008.
  71. 1 2 "Beijing deploys army against nuns". Neue Zürcher Zeitung . 23 March 2008. Archived from the original on 26 June 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2008.
  72. "China blankets Tibetan areas with troops". Yahoo News. 20 March 2008. Archived from the original on 24 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
  73. 1 2 "Tibetan Nuns Jailed, Detained". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  74. 1 2 "Report: Over 100 surrender, admit involvement in Tibet clashes". CNN. March 19, 2008. Archived from the original on March 18, 2008. Retrieved March 19, 2008.
  75. "An Appeal to the Chinese People". Archived from the original on 1 April 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2008. An Appeal to the Chinese People
  76. "Transcript: James Miles interview on Tibet". CNN . 20 March 2008. Archived from the original on 11 April 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2008.
  77. 1 2 Bodeen, Christopher (1 April 2008). "China Alleges Tibet 'Suicide Squads'". Archived from the original on 12 April 2008.
  78. 1 2 "China finds firearms in Tibetan temple". The Sydney Morning Herald . 14 April 2008. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  79. "China says firearms found in Tibetan temple". Reuters. Reuters. 14 April 2008. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  80. "China steps up Tibetan crackdown". BBC News. 20 March 2008. Archived from the original on 25 March 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  81. "Tibet media ban damages Beijing's cause". South China Morning Post . 19 March 2008. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  82. Yardley, Jim (16 March 2008). "Tibetans Clash With Chinese Police in Second City". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 11 April 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  83. "11th Panchen Lama condemns Lhasa riot". People's Daily . 16 March 2008. Archived from the original on 21 March 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  84. "Eyewitness: Monk 'kicked to floor'". BBC News. 14 March 2008. Archived from the original on 18 March 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  85. Agence France Presse, "Defiant China rejects dialogue, vows to smash Tibetan protests," March 22, 2008
  86. "Premier: ample facts prove Dalai's role in Lhasa riot, door of dialogue still open". Government of the People's Republic of China. 18 March 2008. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  87. "Premier: Door of dialogue still opens to Dalai". Government of the People's Republic of China. 18 March 2008. Archived from the original on 22 March 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
  88. "China's central gov't officials meet with Dalai Lama's private representatives". Xinhua News Agency. 4 May 2008. Archived from the original on 8 May 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
  89. "China's decision to meet Dalai's representative receives positive responses". Xinhua News Agency. 26 April 2008. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  90. "China to meet Dalai Lama aides". Sydney Morning Herald . 26 April 2008. Archived from the original on 29 April 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  91. "China says door 'wide open' on Dalai Lama talks". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 July 2007. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
  92. Zacharia, Janine (26 April 2008). "China's Tibet Talks May Skirt Autonomy Demands of Dalai Lama". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  93. "Tibet, China talks postponed after quake – Dalai aide". Reuters . 6 June 2008. Archived from the original on 21 August 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2008.
  94. "Chinese security forces swarm Tibet". Yahoo! News . March 15, 2008. Archived from the original on March 18, 2008. Retrieved March 19, 2008.
  95. "The victims are all innocent civilians". Independent Online . 15 March 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  96. "Ten people killed in Tibet riots". Channel NewsAsia. 15 March 2008. Archived from the original on 18 March 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  97. "18 civilians, 1 police officer killed by Lhasa rioters". People's Daily . 22 March 2008. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2008.
  98. "Tibet governor promises leniency, says death toll is 16 as protests spread". Yahoo! News . March 17, 2008. Archived from the original on March 20, 2008. Retrieved March 19, 2008.
  99. "China and Dalai Lama face off over Tibet unrest". Reuters . 18 March 2008. Archived from the original on 3 April 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2008.
  100. "13 civilians burned or stabbed to death in Lhasa riot". Xinhua. 17 March 2008. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  101. 1 2 3 "China official paper: crush protesters". Free Republic . Associated Press. 22 March 2008. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  102. "Arrest warrants issued for 29 suspects in Lhasa riots". Xinhua. 25 March 2008. Archived from the original on 22 April 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  103. "Dalai Lama: China causing 'cultural genocide'". CNN. March 17, 2008. Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved March 19, 2008.
  104. "Burning debate over relay boycott". 5 April 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  105. Le dalaï-lama, la Chine et Hitler Archived April 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine , Radio-Canada.ca, Citation: Selon lui, depuis le début des manifestations au Tibet, il y a un mois, au moins 400 people ont été tuées et des milliers d'autres arrêtées. Il déplore que les armes l'emportent maintenant sur la raison.
  106. Staff Reporter (22 August 2014). "Leaked documents: Chinese security forces used machine guns to kill Tibetans in 2008 protest". Central Tibetan Administration. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  107. tibetanreview (24 August 2014). "Internal report shows China used lethal force during '08 Lhasa repression". Tibetan Review. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  108. 1 2 "China's premier blames Dalai Lama 'clique' for violence in Tibet". CNN. 18 March 2008. Archived from the original on 19 March 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  109. "UN calls for restraint in Tibet". BBC News . 17 March 2008. Archived from the original on 21 March 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  110. "Ramoche monk dies from starvation as tight restrictions continue in Monasteries". Tibet.net. 25 March 2008. Archived from the original on 3 April 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2008.
  111. "China tightens monastery blockade, monk dies of starvation (1st Lead)". Monsters and Critics. March 26, 2008. Archived from the original on April 3, 2008. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  112. "Monk in Lhasa monastery died of starvation". Thaindian News. March 26, 2008. Archived from the original on April 1, 2008. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  113. "For victims of Tibet riots, a complex fate – International Herald Tribune". Iht.com. Archived from the original on 29 May 2008. Retrieved 1 September 2008.
  114. "China kills Tibetan insurgent". France 24. 30 April 2008.
  115. 1 2 Jacobs, Andrew (23 October 2009). "Group Says China Has Executed 4 for Roles in Tibet Riots". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  116. 1 2 "Tibetan nun disappeared since 2008 died of torture" . Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  117. 1 2 AsiaNews.it. "More than a thousand monks and many civilians have disappeared since the March crackdown". www.asianews.it. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  118. CNN, Tibet protesters missing, Amnesty says Archived January 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine , June 19, 2008
  119. China arrests over 2300 Tibetans in Tibet Archived April 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  120. Jacobs, Andrew (24 October 2009). "Group Says China Has Executed 4 for Roles in Tibet Riots". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  121. "A Tibetan woman succumbs to torture". Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
  122. Congressional Executive Commission On China, Annual Report 2009 (October 10, 2009) Archived November 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  123. (www.dw.com), Deutsche Welle. "China Expels Last Foreign Journalists From Tibet | Germany| News and in-depth reporting from Berlin and beyond | DW | 20.03.2008". DW.COM. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  124. "HK journalists thrown out of Tibet". The Standard . March 18, 2008. Archived from the original on April 8, 2008. Retrieved March 19, 2008.
  125. "Transcript: James Miles interview on Tibet - CNN.com". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  126. "China's Forbidden Zones: Shutting the Media Out of Tibet and Other "Sensitive" Stories: V. The Closure of Tibet". www.hrw.org. Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  127. Yardley, Jim (30 March 2008). "Nationalism at core of China's angry reaction to Tibetan protests". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  128. "China says storm of bad publicity may hurt Olympic turnout". U.S. Archived from the original on 13 October 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  129. "A sporting chance". The Economist. 27 March 2008. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  130. Walt, Vivienne (16 July 2008). "Why Nobody's Boycotting Beijing". Time. ISSN   0040-781X. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  131. 1 2 Cutler, David; Murdoch, Gillian (6 August 2008). "World leaders to attend Olympics opening in Beijing". Factbox. Reuters. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  132. Richards, Jonathan (17 March 2008). "China blocks YouTube, Yahoo! over Tibet". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  133. 1 2 "China bars foreign journalists, tourists from Tibet". IBN. 21 March 2008. Archived from the original on 25 March 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
  134. "Earth Times: show/194241,german-tv-channel-admits-film-error-in-tibet-coverage.html". www.earthtimes.org. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  135. http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/web/0,1518,542545,00.html Archived March 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Spiegel Online: Schlachtfeld der tausend Wahrheiten (in German)
  136. The caption under the Spiegel Online picture in question reads "Chinesisches Sicherheitspersonal im Steinhagel. Das Militär reagiert mit Härte". anti-cnn.com translates only the second sentence, to "army responded with cruel act". [ sic ] In fact, "Härte" has been routinely used in German media and by German police to describe robust measures in the past: Archived April 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Archived April 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Archived April 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine .
  137. Barboza, David (16 May 2008). "China: CNN Apologizes Over Tibet Comments". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  138. Branigan, Tania (18 March 2008). "State TV switches to non-stop footage of Chinese under attack". The Guardian . London. Archived from the original on 20 March 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  139. "Crush "Tibet independence" forces' conspiracy, People's Daily urges". People's Daily Online. 22 March 2008. Archived from the original on 26 March 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2008.
  140. "Yahoo and MSN helping to root out Tibetan rioters". France24 . 21 March 2008. Archived from the original on 24 March 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2008.
  141. Foreign press taken to Tibet, China says 660 surrendered, AFP, March 26, 2007
  142. China escorts foreign press to Tibet Archived April 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine , Deutsche Welle, March 26, 2007
  143. Hutlzer, Charles (March 26, 2008). "Foreign journalists allowed in Tibet". Yahoo! News . Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  144. "Mönche stören Journalistenbesuch in Lhasa". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). 27 March 2008. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
  145. "Tibet Monks Disrupt Tour by Journalists". Associated Press. March 27, 2008. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2008.
  146. Huang, Jikuan (March 27, 2008). "拉薩大昭寺僧侶要求向世人傳達真象 (Lhasa Jokhang monks request truth be told to the world)". Central News Agency (in Chinese). Taipei. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved March 29, 2008.
  147. Wu, Ningkang (27 March 2008). "大昭寺抗議事件 新華社和親中媒體口徑一致 (Jokhang protest incident: Xinhua and pro-China media say the same thing)". Central News Agency (in Chinese). Taipei. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  148. "Activists fear for Tibetan monks who protested at media tour". CNN. March 27, 2008. Archived from the original on March 29, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2008.
  149. "Police shut Muslim quarter in Lhasa". CNN. March 28, 2008. Archived from the original on April 2, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2008.
  150. "温总促达赖停止西藏暴力 (Premier: ample facts prove Dalai's role in Lhasa riot, door of dialogue still open)" (in Chinese). Hong Kong: Wen Wei Po. 31 March 2008. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2008.
  151. "How three Canadians upstaged Beijing". The Globe and Mail . 29 March 2008. Archived from the original on 1 April 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  152. "Beijing has become the guardian of the Chinese brand". The Globe and Mail . 19 April 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2008.
  153. "Olympic official: athletes mulling Beijing boycott". The Straits Times . 17 March 2008. Archived from the original on 19 March 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  154. "China vows to protect its territory, blames Dalai Lama for attacks on embassies". Yahoo! News . 18 March 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2008.[ permanent dead link ]
  155. "Dalai Lama against Olympic boycott". ABC News. 18 March 2008. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  156. "Olympic Torch Draws Buenos Aires Protests for Boycott". Bloomberg News . 11 April 2008. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  157. "Brazilian president will not attend Olympic ceremony: official". turkishpress. 2 April 2008. Archived from the original on 5 April 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2008.
  158. "Harper says Olympics boycott would be ineffective: report". CTV.ca. 8 April 2008. Archived from the original on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 8 April 2008.
  159. "Greens call for Olympic boycott". NZCity News. 11 April 2008. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
  160. Lungescu, Oana (28 March 2008). "Call for Olympic boycott rejected". BBC News. Archived from the original on 29 March 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  161. "Polish government to boycott opening of Olympics". Warsaw Business Journal . Warsaw. 27 March 2008. Archived from the original on 5 April 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
  162. Berkes, Howard (23 March 2008). "Tibet Activists Plan Olympic-Relay Protests". NPR. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  163. ABC News: Headed for Olympics? Beware of Big Brother: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=4492008&page=1 Archived February 25, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
  164. "Schools in SW China ethnic Tibetan area resume classes after riots - People's Daily Online". en.people.cn. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  165. Congressional Executive Commission. 2009 Annual Report Archived November 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine . Oct 10, 2009.

Further reading