Good for Taiwan

I was happy to read the news that Taiwan stood up to China and refused to accept the proposed torch relay route.

“In rejecting the torch route, Taiwan officials said the Taiwan-Hong Kong contiguity made the island appear to be a part of China, despite their separate status. It said that it would only participate when China stopped “downgrad(ing) Taiwanese sovereignty.” - Olympic Torch Won’t Enter Taiwan, AP, September 21, 2007

Of course, Chinese officials are furious and are accusing Taipei of politicizing the Games. But their cries won’t distract anyone from the reality that they just lost a major battle and are weaker because of it. By running the torch through Taiwan and up Mount Everest, they hoped to firmly implant the idea of One China in people’s minds. Now Taiwan has completely undermined this plan.

China is still going to run the torch through Tibet next year. I wish we Tibetans were in a position to reject it too. I know that the situation in Taiwan is different from that in Tibet, but I can’t help but imagine what a strong message it would send if the Tibetan leadership would openly denounce China’s political use of the Games and call on the Chinese government not to run the torch through Tibetan soil.

Rep. Lantos Blasts China Following Everest Protest

Rep. Tom Lantos (Democrat, CA-12) during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on China:

Last week, the Chinese detained four Americans protesting for freedom for the Tibetan people – a salient issue as next year’s Beijing Olympics approach. China has charted a route for the Olympic torch that brings it to the top of Mount Everest, on Tibet’s horizon, as well as to Taipei. It is outrageous that China is using the very symbol of international unity and brotherhood to further grind down the Tibetans and the Taiwanese, who simply want to live their lives without interference from Beijing.

Well said Congressman!

Technorati Tags: Beijing Olympics, Mount Everest, Tibet, Tom Lantos

China Demands Tibetans Inform On Tibetans

Renowned Tibetan writter Woeser informs us of truly frightening developments about the Chinese government’s efforts to control the Tibetan populace and create a culture of snitching and fear within Tibet. Here’s the English translation China Digital Times (original post here):

These two SMS messages are almost identical, they both came from the Tibet Public Security Border Defense Unit (西�公安边防总队), sent to all mobile phone users in Tibet through Tibet Telecom.

I have heard not only that all Tibetan mobile phone users have received this kind of SMS message, but also more than once.

When I was in Lhasa, I saw them on the cell phones of two of my friends. I copied them down here:

Message 1: “Oppose splittism, strike illegal border crossing, promote harmony, reward those who report on illegal border crossing. Reporting phone number: 0891ï¼?6989393ã€?6989494ã€?6989595。Propaganda Division of Public Security Police Border Defense Unit of Tibetâ€?

Message 2: “Oppose splittism, strike illegal border crossing, protect stability, promote harmony, reward those who report on illegal border crossing. Reporting phone number: 6598110ï¼›Propaganda Division of Lhasa Station of Public Security Police Border Defense Unit of Tibet.â€?

How does the Public Security Police Border Defense Unit of Tibet “strike illegal border crossing”? — like the Nangpa La incident, open fire on Tibetan refugees? Shoot Tibetans like “shooting mice, shooting rabbits and shooting dogs?”

And how does Public Security Police Border Defense Unit of Tibet “reward those who report illegal border crossing” – How much do they they get paid for reporting each person? — 50 Yuan? – 100 Yuan? – More? or Less? [links in the original]

China is calling on Tibetans to snitch on each other and is willing to pay for it with blood money. China’s invasion and occupation of Tibet was paved by collaborationists — this text message is sent in the same vein as past Chinese efforts to pit Tibetans against Tibetans. “Splittism” is China’s spin for Tibetans who seek independence, as they had for centuries before China invaded Tibet. The request for Tibetans to “oppose splittism” is tantamount to calling for Tibetans to oppose patriotism or oppose the Tibetan identity.

Woeser’s question — “How does the Public Security Police Border Defense Unit of Tibet “strike illegal border crossing”?” — is apt. The implication is that refugees should be stopped violently. The outcome is that Tibet is to remain the world’s largest prison, where six million Tibetans are held with no ability to determine how they are governed or what government holds sovereignty over their land. They are denied the ability to leave Tibet for freedom and are threatened with violence as China propagates a culture of informants and collaborationists.

China has orchestrated the Tibetan economy to benefit Han Chinese settlers first and foremost while turning Tibetans into second class citizens in their own land. That China is now putting forth a massive, public bribe for Tibetans to try to stop Tibetans from seeking freedom is not surprising. It is part of an intentional effort to spread distrust and disunity within Tibetans inside of Tibet. This is one of the most shameful examples of how China’s ongoing military occupation of Tibet seek to diminish Tibetans’ dignity.

Technorati Tags: China, Tibet, Woeser

Google News Front Page of Everest Action

Pretty cool — the Mount Everest banner action continues to get major media coverage.

Activists Detailing Harsh Treatment During Detention

Now that the five American activists who staged a protest on Mount Everest calling for Tibetan independence are safely in Nepal, they are telling the story of their detention to the press. SFT’s deputy director Tenzin Dorjee told Radio Free Asia about their repeated questioning and Chinese interrogators threatening violence against them.

They didn’t ask us questions in a group but took each individual to a separate room and conducted their interrogation there. One police officer asks questions, another takes notes, and two or three stand by with rifles ready. We were detained in the same office from 9.30 a.m. to about 10 p.m.�

“Then a group of Public Security officials arrived from Shigatse [in Chinese, Xigaze] and they searched all our belongings—and started another session of interrogation. Later in the night, we were taken to the Shekar [in Chinese, Xiegar] police station. There again they started another session of interrogation. At that time one of our Western friends was threatened with a dark cold cell if he did not give the correct answers. He was threatened with assault if he did not cooperate. But he refused and demanded to talk to U.S. Embassy officials.�

“For the whole night, we were taken from one police station to another, and then the next morning we were at a police station in Shigatse. So yesterday, the whole day, we were detained in Shigatse and again they carried out interrogations. Then later we were placed in a guest house in Shigatse. When we were about to sleep, again we were woken up in the middle of night and interrogated again.�
…
“Starting from our initial detention, they told us the same thing. They said we violated Chinese laws and would be punished for this violation. The main violation, according to them, was writing about independence for Tibet on our banner. They said this had grossly damaged the security of China.�

Shannon Service told the Associated Press about her experience after being detained on Mount Everest.

“The entire thing was fairly traumatic … not sleeping for over 30 hours, being denied food and water for over 14, basically being psychologically terrorized,” Service said Saturday in Katmandu.
…
It was during this time they faced the trauma, questioning and uncertainty, Service said.

During the interrogation, Service said a Chinese guard threatened her, saying: “If you don’t tell the truth, you will sleep in this room and harm will come to you.”

“I asked her if she threatened me; she nodded yes,” Service said. “I became very afraid for my own safety and the safety of my friends.”

During the trip to Shigatse, Service said they were put in four different vehicles and stopped along the way at different buildings, where they were repeatedly questioned.

While all five of activists knew the risk they were taking by staging this protest inside Tibet and were willing to undergo whatever hardship came their way in order to further the pursuit of Tibetan freedom, that in no way excuses China for treating them harshly. In addition to not allowing them to sleep by making them change positions or move rooms whenever they looked like they were falling asleep, keeping them in freezing cold rooms, shining blinding lights at them, the Chinese police also blasted them with loud music. They were also forced to eat in front of Chinese press and TV cameras, apparently to create the false image that they were being treated well.

China’s cruel treatment of the activists could easily be described as torture. What’s even more worrying is that China’s harsh treatment of the activists was done to try to extract information about any and all Tibetans who came in contact with the Americans before and after the protest.

“There were about five questions,� Tibetan-American Tenzin Dorje told RFA’s Tibetan service. “Their main question was whether anyone helped from inside Tibet—who helped us to write in Tibetan and Chinese, and so on. Where did we eat? Where did we go by vehicle?�

The activists neither involved any Tibetans in their action nor told Tibetans they met or employed as drivers what they were doing nor told the Chinese who the Tibetans they came into contact with were.

Technorati Tags: Beijing Olympics, Mount Everest, Tenzin Dorjee, Tibet