China Accused Of "Cultural Genocide"

Dalai Lama Calls For Probe Of Beijing's Crackdown; China Blocks YouTube Over Videos Of Protests

(CBS/AP)  Tibet's governor says 13 civilians were killed and dozens wounded in violence that broke out in Lhasa on Friday.

Champa Phuntsok gave the figures Monday at a news conference called to explain the government's response to anti-government protests over the past week.

The death toll is an update over the government's previous figure of 10 killed. Tibetan exiles have said the Chinese government's crackdown on protests in Lhasa have left as many as 80 people dead.

Protests that started in Lhasa have spread into three neighboring provinces as Tibetans defy the crackdown in the fiercest challenge to Beijing's rule over the region in nearly two decades. The Dalai Lama warned that Tibet faced "cultural genocide" and appealed to the world for help.

Protests against Chinese rule of Tibet were reported in neighboring Sichuan and Qinghai provinces and also in western Gansu province. All are home to sizable Tibetan populations.

The demonstrations come after protests in the Tibetan capital Lhasa escalated into violence Friday, with Buddhist monks and others torching police cars and shops in the fiercest challenge to Beijing's rule over the region in nearly two decades.

"Whether intentionally or unintentionally, some kind of cultural genocide is taking place," said the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. He was referring to China's policy of encouraging the ethnic Han majority to migrate to Tibet, restrictions on Buddhist temples and re-education programs for monks.

He told reporters in Dharmsala, the north Indian town where Tibet's self-declared government-in-exile is based, that an international body should investigate the government's crackdown on the Lhasa protests.

Tibet was effectively independent for decades before Chinese communist troops entered in 1950. The latest unrest began March 10 on the anniversary of a 1959 uprising against Chinese rule of Tibet.

The protests are an embarrassment for China, coming just weeks before the Beijing Summer Olympics ceremonies kick off with the torch relay, which is set to pass through Tibet.

Thubten Samphel, a spokesman for the Dalai Lama's government in exile, said multiple sources inside Tibet had counted at least 80 corpses since the violence broke out Friday. He did not know how many of the bodies were protesters. On Friday, the exiled government said at least 30 protesters had been killed by Chinese authorities and the number could be as high as 100.


China Blocks YouTube Over Videos Of Tibetan Protests

Internet users in China were blocked from seeing YouTube.com on Sunday after dozens of videos about protests in Tibet appeared on the popular U.S. video Web site.

Access to YouTube.com, usually readily available in China, was blocked after videos appeared on the site Saturday showing foreign news reports about the Lhasa demonstrations, montages of photos and scenes from Tibet-related protests abroad.

There were no protest scenes posted on China-based video Web sites such as 56.com, youku.com and tudou.com.

Chinese leaders encourage Internet use for education and business but use online filters to block access to material considered subversive or pornographic.


Protests Spread To Other Provinces

In Sichuan province, Tibetan monks and police clashed Sunday in Aba county after the monks staged a protest, said a resident there who refused to give his name. He said one policeman had been killed and three or four police vans had been set on fire.

The India-based Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy said at least seven people have been shot dead in the county. There was no way of immediately confirming the claim.

In Qinghai province, 100 monks defied a directive confining them to Rongwo Monastery in Tongren city by climbing a hill behind the monastery, where they set off fireworks and burned incense to protest the crackdown in Tibet.

Businesses were shuttered, and about 30 riot police with shields took up posts near the monastery. Police forced journalists to delete photographs of police.

In western Gansu province, more than 100 students protested at a university in Lanzhou, according to Matt Whitticase of London-based activist group Free Tibet.

A curfew was imposed in Xiahe city in Gansu province on Sunday, a day after police fired tear gas on a 1,000 protesters, including Buddhist monks and ordinary citizens, who had marched from the historic Labrang monastery.

Large communities of ethnic Tibetans live far outside modern Tibet in areas that were the Himalayan region's eastern and northeastern provinces of Amdo and Kham until the communist takeover in 1951. Those areas were later split off by Beijing to become the Chinese province of Qinghai and part of Sichuan province.

Lhasa appeared to remain under a curfew on Sunday, though some people and cars were seen on the streets during daylight. The government has not announced the curfew but residents said authorities have warned them not to go outside for several days now.

Hong Kong Cable TV said about 200 military vehicles each carrying dozens of armed soldiers, drove into the center of Lhasa on Sunday. The footage showed mostly empty streets, but for armored and military vehicles patrolling and soldiers searching buildings.

Loudspeakers on the streets repeatedly broadcast slogans urging residents to "discern between enemies and friends, maintain order."

Xinhua said most shops in the Old Town area of Lhasa, which saw the brunt of the violence, were still closed Sunday. It said some shops in other parts of the town had reopened.

China's communist government is hoping Beijing's hosting of the Aug. 8-24 Olympics will boost its popularity at home as well as its image abroad. But the event has already attracted international scrutiny of China's human rights record and its pollution problems.

International criticism of the crackdown in Tibet so far has been mild, with no threats of an Olympic boycott or other sanctions. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Sunday on China "to exercise restraint in dealing with the protests."

Rice said she was "concerned by reports of a sharply increased police and military presence in and around Lhasa." Her statement urged China to release those jailed for protesting.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said Saturday he opposed an Olympic boycott over Tibet.

[skyk-2009]

This is WRONG and the WORLD needs to stand up to the Leaders of China and say so!! NO Olympics should be held in a Nation that does such things.

[sociallyjust]

CHINESE FASCIST BEHAVIOR REGARDING TIBET IS EVIL, AND MUST BE CORRECTED!!!

Why can China - BIG BAD CHINA - just squash a nation and a people with no resistance and little protestation by the world of nations?

Chinese leaders are guilty of employing their power and military to deny an entire people of these people''s self determination!

No Olympic games for China. That is absolutely a prerequisite to pressure China into treating smaller nations - and particularly Tibet - fairly!

[ansonmao]

The Americans are the biggest culture genocider of the world,
American language and culture are invading the whole world, why don''t you think you are the culture killer?
The western culture are assimiliating the whole world ,why don''t you think you are the culture genocidor?

[kitoss]

It''s funny that someone expresses his opinion about China and Tibet while he doesn''t know it at all.

Who do you think you are? The ONE?

Why do you prefer the criminals, even if they burn vehicles and break window of shops? Just because they are anti-China?

Is there any responsibility? Is there any sense of fair?

You are too pride and arrogancy that makes a lot of people over the world believe that a 911 is eventually.

[keithle1]

How many Chinese did Mao kill? Just wondering...

[tianshu-2009]

This issue should never be considerred that easy.
Tibetans were virtually independent for centuries even if Tibet is historically a part of China, because Tibet was so faraway from the central government and the Chinese emperor, thus could hardly be firmly controlled in the old days. However, modern technology and society construction has made it far easier to tight Tibet with other part of China, so Tibetan culture has been assimilated much faster than before. The same situation is happening in other remote areas in the world as well.
In fact, the Tibetans, as well as other minority groups in China, are treated equally, if not higher than the Han people. No matter good or bad, Tibetan students can enter college even if their scores are lower than the Hans, and Tibetans never need to obey the one-child policy.
Yet, the authority of the temples and monks is challenged due to the above situation, since a lot of Han people have come to meet the Tibetans'' needs and to make money under market economy. If you take it as a violence of the "tradition", then it is. But what is the true profit for the Tibetan people? This question requires our further consideration.

[keithle1]

Breathe that Beijing air! Aaaaaaah. Mmmmm. If you''re going to Beijing for the Olympics, mind how you go. Keep your mouth zipped. No photos. You''re not in the USA anymore. Don''t want you disappearing.

[downsteamjim]

To Tianshu: Are you saying that the Chinese are destroying the Tibetan culture as a favor to the Tibetan people?

[downsteamjim]

To Ansonmao: Are you a left over from the Mao''s cultural revolution? Thank goodness that was a communist event, otherwise it would have been one of the world''s great tragedies.

[tianshu-2009]

To downsteamjim:
Definitely not. What I mean is that, when you are persueing something, you lose something at the same time. Intentionally or not, development usually results in the corruption of traditional culture and social system.
It is not the Chinese government distroying the culture, but the social development. So here rise the old topic of whether developement or traditon is more important. Each Tibetan people can choose either of it, but remember, never through some violent, criminal way.

[keithle1]

Poor, misunderstood China. The "People''s" Republic of China. What a joke. They don''t give a d a m n about "the people." Never have & never will.

[raspberryman]

The idea that only citizens of the US are outraged at China is stupid. And the idea that one could not be outraged at American imperialism and Chinese imperialism is also.

And the analogy between an American state attempting to secede from the US and Tibet wishing to secede from China is also ridiculous. 1) There is a Tibetan language and culture that is distinct from Chinese culture - This is not true of any state in The US. 2)No american state wants to secede! 3) No american state requires troops occupying its capital in order to remain in the union. 4) No Federal troops are occupying a state capital and shooting unarmed demonstrators and then lying about it on a federal news station

Shame on Chinese - Shame on the Han

[runningralph]

China is a great country. Very conservative. The people are hard working, well educated and dedicated to advancing their economic well being. Life evwerywhere is an economic struggle. To survive it takes hard work, education and dedication. Just what China has. Now that China and Russia have quit with the communist malarkey they will make great strides.

[tianshu-2009]

To Raspberryman:
Firstly, the geogrphocal name of China has existed for thousands of years, but that of the US has only several hundreds. The depth of culture at each area in China is completely different from that of the US. However, you may also think of what the Americans have done to the American Indians, the true traditional group existed on that continent, during the age of frontier.
Secondly, Chinese culture is different from the Han culture, just like Chinese history can never be told without the minority peoples. Tibetan culture is distinct from the Han culture, but not from Chinese culture, because it is one part of it. How to protect the minority''s culture is a difficult issue to China, as well as other countries in the world.

[gurusavant]

the political evasiveness of the dl is compelling. that he is given the regulatory power over an entire nation is quite a surprise. but that''s ''religion'' for you. and not in a good way.

[zhou55]

Dalai Lama is correct that we chinese have eliminated the old system he desired. In the old system everyone knows that every Tibetan was his slave. If he still dreams about returning those good old days, forget it, my Holly.

[mythoughtsr]

China should be boycotted and let them keep their poisoned toys and their inferior food. Yeah, it''ll be a shock but you know what? GOOD, we''ll get over it. Imagine putting America to work making products for us. I know, I know, what an original thought. We should have dumped them long ago but we all know that won''t happen because of greedy American companies wanting to spend less and kill our children and rip us off with junk.

[hypnotoad72]

Mythoughtsr - it''s partially about greed, probably, but given how many other countries - including Russia - have complained about Chinese goods, maybe more companies and people will indeed use the "B-word".

[hypnotoad72]

China is a great country. Very conservative. The people are hard working, well educated and dedicated to advancing their economic well being. Life evwerywhere is an economic struggle. To survive it takes hard work, education and dedication. Just what China has. Now that China and Russia have quit with the communist malarkey they will make great strides.

Posted by runningralph
---------------------------
They''re still referred to AS "communist" by many media outlets. They don''t put value on peoples'' lives. China''s actions of recent speak for themselves. Americans are hard working too. Indeed, of the "Developed countries", it''s been said the US is the hardest working. If you think Americans are lazy, go spout your drivel after the Europeans; they get better healthcare for the price, faster broadband, more vacation time... some media outlets have said all that too. :)

And Tianshu - so the names "Cathay" or "Catai" don''t count?

[tianshu-2009]

To hypnotoad72:
Sorry about my ignorance about the word "Cathay". The western world has too many names for this area. The "China" I use in the comment below refers to the concept of "zhongguo" in several acient Chinese documents.

[grazinggoat]

The Dalai Lama is a lame slime clown. I pity his poor performance and would not care if he died today. He just stood watching the Chinese killing his fellow co-religious people and citizen if at all. All this means he is no God (Pffff!!!) and those Christians who believe Humans can be Gods are dead idiots and fairytale believers. They need to be skimmed the same way the Zionists are skimming Christian America and slaving it now... watch the fall of the American Empire!

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article3542775.ece

LMAO!

p.s. I pity Barack Obama (if he succeeds which is very likely), he will be president of an empty-shell country that will be very hard to refill...

[rudy654-2009]

Dalai Lama is correct that we chinese have eliminated the old system he desired. In the old system everyone knows that every Tibetan was his slave. If he still dreams about returning those good old days, forget it, my Holly. Posted by zhou55 at 12:25 PM

I don''t get all this nonsense. So they lived under a slave system and then you came and introduced a worse slave system. I knew people who suffered dearly under your new slave system because of their beliefs and their consciences. Too bad your new system sought to enslave their beliefs. Now you believe in your god the State. How dry.

[tianshu-2009]

To rudy654
I knew somebody who know nothing about the reality of China today would make this kind of comment ever since I saw the one by zhou55.
The only thing I want to clarify here is that the belief of most Chinese today is only money. If you think the Chinese government is trying to replace Buddhism with Communism in Tibetans'' belief even today, I have to say you are almost 30 years late for the time.
Most temples and monks in China are actually supported by the government and making a lot of money through tourism and donation, as long as they do not break the law, of course.
If the system in Tibet is always such a serious slavery, why does this kind of unrest happen right before the Olympics? I doubt (but not allege) somebody who most willing to see this situation has made this plot.

[enzoc45]

I wonder if Bush & co. will try to bring democracy and independence to Tibet too!!! NAH!! No oil there!!! What a shame!!!

[enzoc45]

The protest started on march 10....ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF UPRISING OF TIBETANS AGAINST THE CHINESE OCCUPATION IN 1959!!! What that has to do with the Olympics???

[tianshu-2009]

The date, no problem! But why this year?

[joyous88]

china can do what they want as long as the communist government in that country

continues to LOAN the republiCONs 200 Billion a month

for the Bush republiCON wars

and if you love war and want more

vote McBushCain four more

[hypnotoad72]

Tianshu - and I apologize for my ignorance; thank you for your response.

[sharncedar]

The tibetans were the creators and teachers of the main branch of ancient Chinese buddhism. The current Chinese people and government are ignorant and backwards and crude, and are committing a cultural crime against humanity. It reminds me of the Taliban when in their ignorance and prejudice they destroyed a large ancient statue, one of the culturla treasures of mankind. The Tibetan religion is deep and profound and ancient, something the Chinese once recognized, and now their actions are absolute crude blasphemy. It is like some ignorant savages ****-ing all over a temple, or a holy site, or raping nuns, or doing other act of belligerant savagery based on not understanding the deepness of the human experience. Chinese acts in Tibet are the lowest form of cultural vandalism, an international tradgedy. The Chinese nation is modern in economics, but primitive in culture and actions. That makes it a great danger to the world.

[jwind11]

hina can do what they want as long as the communist government in that country

continues to LOAN the republiCONs 200 Billion a month

for the Bush republiCON wars

and if you love war and want more

vote McBushCain four more

Posted by joyous88 at 03:20 PM : Mar 16, 2008

the article has nothing to do with bush.....grow up would ya?

[sharncedar]

Tianshu is lying, what do you expect from Chinese people who a) have only ever had censored news and lies in their brains, and b) have been encouraged in a dangerous and bizarre cult of xenophobia.

It is a huge problem when a civilization with false news, with no open forums, with no right to intellectual discussions, attmepts to make important decisions. How can they possibly know anything? All they see is the lifetime of propaganda they have been fed filtered through the lens of hate-mongering xenophobia. It makes the Chinese natino unfit to participate in world affairs - they are like savage, ignorant vandals yet armed with the most powerful weapons and economy on earth. They have the worst culutre, the least intellectual freedom, and yet now the most power. It is dangerous for all of us, not just the Tibetans.

But you can discount anything a Chinese citizen says about anything, since they have no access to honest or free media. How could they possibly know anything, except regurgitate lies at us?

If you are chinese, and you want respect, then behave with respect towards your religious betters, your former teachers, the Tibetans.

[keithle1]

I wonder what the Chinese government will do if anyone protests in Beijing during the Olympics.

What would Wal-Mart do without China?

[wonderyman-2009]

China out of Tibet - now! This brutal occupation must stop. China occupied Tibet in 1951 with the sole purpose of gaining lebensraum and access to minerals - the same reasons Hitler had for invading Russia and the Ukraine.
All this nonsense about liberating "serfs" is ridiculous. Using that logic, China should have invaded North Korea decades ago.
Boycotting Chinese goods shouldn''t be that difficult. Most all the goods they produce are junk anyway. Which in time will become their Achilles heal.

[sspade4]

There is something not quite right with this picture! You have the Dalai Lama calling for an investigation into "cultural genoicide". You hear of all the attrocities committed by the Chinese, but yet on the news videos you see Monks involved in pelting other Chinese citizens and participating in looting of the Tibetan capitol? I thought these people were people of peace? Makes it rather difficult to support their efforts when they in fact seem to be using violence to support their own ends. Don''t they pay attention to the methods of "King" and "Ghandi". Two wrongs don''t make a right!

[feelfree1]

I think that the Dalai Lama made a fatal mistake by associating himself with the Butcher of Crawford.

It''s hard to take him very seriously now.

Too bad for the people of Tibet.

[wonderyman-2009]

By Sspade4:
"you see Monks involved in pelting other Chinese citizens"

You are wrong in terming the monks as "Chinese". They are NOT Chinese - they are Tibetan.
Revolting against the Chinese occupation is their just right - as it was for the Chinese to revolt against the Japanese occupation.
There is absolutely no difference.

[sspade4]

Yes your correct. Tibetans are not Chinese. However, their methods are no more civilized than the Chinese. "Barbaric" is still "Barbaric". There methods will not win them many friends throughout the world.

[randynason]

When this administration tried to intervene, wasn''t it told to mind its'' own business? The Chinese said that we are hardly in a position to dictate what is "right or wrong." Though I think the situation is horrible, the Chinese were certainly correct on what they said to this government. So, that''s the price we pay for our dissolving our own morals and credibility. Thank you, Mr. President.

[bill1fj]

What china is doing in Tibet is butchery.
Where are our leaders?
Bush, McCain, Hilary, Osama and the rest of our leaders should be putting a ban on ALL chinese imports.
They should be demanding that china stop the butchery and leave Tibet.
NOW.
Where are our leaders?
Don''t wait for Bush, Don''t buy any chinese products.
Read the labels.
Do what you can to stop the butchery.
Pass it on.
Don''t buy chinese goods.

[tucano2]

I understand the people (not any "government", officially) have started a world-wide effort on the part of free peoples to avoid buying anything "Made in China" to the fullest possible extent till at least 3 months after Tibet is once again a free nation and a member of the United Nations as a sovereign, not puppet, nation. This is a worthy, non-military, non-confrontational, pacific and non-violent method of bringing the tremendous economic power of the other 5 billion people of the world to bear on the economic stability of China and consequent pressure on the leaders of China to get themselves out of Tibet. My family supports this movement the best we can. Do the math: at least $10/month x 5 Billion NOT purchased from China is huge.
Why don''t you and your family do the same?

[zootallures2]

The US should intervein and arm the Tibetans. Make a deal with the Chinese arms makers like it used to with Russia. Most of the buildings and bridges in the US are in need of replacement and Chinese bombing runs could remove them cheaply. The contracts and public support. There is already much public hatred for all that made in China. Iraq is a joke. Let''s see some real mass killing and maybe some nukes.

LOL!

[whatisit21]

The Chinese freed the Tibetians from slavery and poverty when they invaded Tibet years ago. Bringing back the Dali Lama would bring back slavery and poverty. the protesters don''t know what life was like before Chinese rule. They have had a good life under the Chinese. Why would they want to return to slavery?

[gce65]

CHINA: You no good! Get out of Tibet! Get out of Sudan/Darfur and killing people for Sudan oil.

Boycott Beijing Terror/Genocide Olympics.

[knowmorehist]

Please read more History before you guys put any comment on this issues, anyway, if they are true budisom, then they should not use violent to attac on any person. and they should not rob the private properties. CNN and BBC and some other U.S and Western countries media have fooled you guys in Iraq war several years ago, and how come you still believe what they show you today? if you look at the whole picture and vedio of the situation in Tibet, you will konw that is the Zang nationality use violence attach the ordinary people and robing restaruant and even Bank? how did you describe this people if this deed happend in U.S or british? are they criminal%uFF1F maybe the criminal in Tibet the U.S media called then HUMAN RIGHT WARRIOR?

Tibet has belongs to China''s territory more than several centries which even more than the history of Unites States, so please don''t give any comments on this issure before you sure you read more history of this area!!!!!!!!!!!!11

[knowmorehist]

Please read more History before you guys put any comment on this issues, anyway, if they are true budisom, then they should not use violent to attac on any person. and they should not rob the private properties. CNN and BBC and some other U.S and Western countries media have fooled you guys in Iraq war several years ago, and how come you still believe what they show you today? if you look at the whole picture and vedio of the situation in Tibet, you will konw that is the Zang nationality use violence attach the ordinary people and robing restaruant and even Bank? how did you describe this people if this deed happend in U.S or british? are they criminal%uFF1F maybe the criminal in Tibet the U.S media called then HUMAN RIGHT WARRIOR?

Tibet has belongs to China''s territory more than several centries which even more than the history of Unites States, so please don''t give any comments on this issure before you sure you read more history of this area!!!!!!!!!!!!11

[sharncedar]

The situation in Tibet is that the Chinese government has been forcibly resettling Han nationality people in Tibet to genocide the Tibetans. They have marched their jack boots all over the temples, robbing and stealing anything they can, spitting and defiling the holies places, and the Tibetans do nothing more than protest peacefully. For which they are shot like animals, just as in Tienamen squre.

You can''t believe anything a Chinese person will say about this situation - they have a censored, false news, they even admit openly they censor the Internet and their news. How in the world can such a people be given any credit? They accept news that is prclaimed officially by policy to be lies, of course they believe the bad Tibetans were attacking the poor Chinese soldier''s bullets.

[sharncedar]

We have a country called China, which has a policy to not allow any reporters of journalists into Tibet. Then they tell us to believe them, the Tibetans are better off by being genocided and replaced by Han people. they are better off having their ancient, respected, advanced culture prohibited in favor of the gross materialism and xenophobic military culture of China. We shoudl just believe them, they are killing Tibetans for their own good.

It is a crime against humanity to destroy the Tibetan religion and culture, once recognized even by the Chinese as more advanced than China. In every Chinese city, there are still remnants of Tibetan temples because the Chinese needed to be taught by this more advanced culture.

Isn''t it a rule in China to show respect to one''s teachers? Not in the jack-booted Hell of modern China.

[zorlacskates]

boycott the olympics. it''s despicable that we are willing to ignore a history of human rights violations, including torture and murder, for the sake of a silly sports competition.

[lorinkundert]

Tibet up until the Mongol conquest was an empire in it''s own right and never did it actually belong to China, it belonged to the Mongol empire that also ruled China.

[tianshu-2009]

To SharnCedar
Firstly, I have been studying outside China, and have access to your "free" media for almost five years, and none of my opinions or comments above is taught by Chinese media.
It is true that Chinese media never report all the news happened every day, and that seldom more than one voice can be heard on one issue, but Chinese people have much more ways to know about the country they are living even under this authorized media system. They know that the media only stands for the governments'' opinion, and they have to form their own with their experiences and private discussion with friends. I believe it is true even for a middle school student according to my own experience.