This past week my internet has been down. I have missed the development of the crisis in Tibet and among the Tibetan world. To be honest I want to hope it goes away. I have consistently sought to say the Olympics must go ahead: friendship will ease dialogue and peace. I remain convinced of that, but I fear many will raise a voice louder than mine. The potential of this year, with all the opportunity to draw attention to everything that everyone does not like in China is too great. That seem to be exactly what is happening. We are seeing the rolling out of that plan among young Tibetan malcontents in exile. What many did not realise was that it would be met by similar expressions of anger from inside Tibet.
This was the latest at the time I write: Tibetans Clash With Chinese Police in 2nd City
"Thousands of Buddhist monks and other Tibetans clashed with the riot police in a second Chinese city on Saturday, while the authorities said they had regained control of the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, a day after a rampaging mob ransacked shops and set fire to cars and storefronts in a deadly riot. ...."
The BBC reports that China has called for the surrender of the conspirators: China sets Tibet protest deadline. And the Guardian reports of tanks on the streets today: Beijing sends in tanks as Tibet erupts
Writing on Friday, Time's headline made an interesting comparison in its title: A Tibetan Intifadeh Against China as well as giving the background to the growtth of this current situation.
Reporting from China earlier today Shanghaiist gives a good perpective Chaos continues in Dharamsala and Lhasa, and has a lot of links from China and around the world.
Inevitably there are calls to boycott the Olympics, but the IOC are not talking that way: IOC chief opposes boycott of Beijing Games over Tibet crackdown
Moving to the person who perhaps embodies the soul of Tibet, it is botable that this is not the way the Dalai Lama has been working for many years. Time notes that: Uprising Spurns Dalai Lama's Way
".... Earlier last week, the Dalai Lama told supporters gathered to commemorate the 49th anniversary of his escape to India after a failed anti-China uprising, that "repression continues to increase with numerous, unimaginable and gross violations of human rights, denial of religious freedom and politicization of religious issues," but that he would continue to advocate for dialogue with Beijing and a "middle-way' policy." Young Tibetans, many of them born outside their homeland, have become increasingly critical of the moderation of the Dalai Lama and other exiled leaders. ...."
Probably inevitably the Chinese media report along these lines: Tibetan gov't chairman condemns separatist sabotage by Dalai clique .
Taiwan's China Post reports Dalai Lama: China must stop using force against protesters but repeated his call for dialogue.However the Times of India reckons that: 'Free Tibet' may crash Olympic party This is written with a good line to Dharamsala and the Dalai Lama and the "Tibetan Government in Exile". They talk about the expected arrival of two high-profile American visitors - House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Hollywood star Richard Gere who are "expected to show up in the town to express solidarity with the Tibetan activists who are trying to turn their protest into global movement against China's "occupation of Tibet".
" ... Excited over the next weekend's visits, the Tibetan activists are working overtime to make sure that they use China’s Olympic hype to get maximum mileage for their cause. "We have planned marches, rallies, speeches around the world. We are even organizing Tibetan version of the Olympics in Dharamsala. We will chase the Olympics torch and protest wherever it goes. As China plans to use the games to showcase itself as the world's new superpower, we will expose its ugly record in Tibet," says a Tibetan activist. ..."
I don't know what more to say. I can just pray.
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