Hundreds of monks protest in Tibet

[shan]

Jonathan Watts in Beijing guardian.co.uk, Tuesday March 11 2008 Article history

Hundreds of Tibetan monks have taken to the streets of Lhasa in the biggest protest against communist rule in almost two decades, it emerged today.

The show of defiance - which took place on the anniversary of a failed anti-Chinese uprising in 1959 - raised tensions in the Himalayan region, as the world spotlight shifts to Beijing's often harsh rule ahead of the Olympics.

Chinese police arrested 50 to 60 monks, according to Radio Free Asia. The government declined to confirm the figures, but a spokesman confirmed a demonstration had taken place.

"Yesterday afternoon in Lhasa city, there were monks from some temples who, under the instigation and encouragement of a small group of people, carried out an illegal activity that threatened social stability," a foreign ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, said. "We will continue to maintain social stability in accordance with the law and strike hard against all illegal, criminal activities."

Chinese authorities keep a tight grip on information from Tibet, but reports suggest the protest was the largest since 1989, when martial law was introduced by the then regional governor, Hu Jintao.

According to overseas Tibetan groups, the demonstration started when about 10 monks protested in front of the Jokhang, one of the holiest sites in Tibetan Buddhism. A large crowd gathered to protect them from armed police units, but they were detained.

Soon after, up to 300 monks from Drepung monastery, just outside Lhasa, marched in support. They were stopped at heavily guarded checkpoints, where dozens were detained. Hundreds of police then surrounded the main monastaries.

Champa Phuntsok, the chairman of the Tibetan government, said the monks were later released and the matter was resolved without incident. "It's really nothing," he told the Associated Press.

But Tibetan supporters overseas said the unrest indicated growing frustration at the lack of progress in talks between the Dalai Lama and Beijing.

"I think the fact that these protests happened at all must be disturbing to China, particularly after Burma. For the first time since 1989, Chinese authorities face the possibility of unrest in Sera and Drepung," said Kate Saunders of the US-based International Campaign for Tibet. "Feelings are running particularly high because it is Olympics year and the spotlight is on China. Tibetans are more willing to take risks."

Tibetan groups in several other countries staged demonstrations on Monday, the 49th anniversary of an uprising led by the Dalai Lama against Chinese rule. In India, about 100 refugees in Dharamsala - the home-in-exile of the Dalai Lama - vowed to defy a police order and continue their march to Tibet. In Nepal, police used batons to break up a march on the Chinese embassy.

Far bigger risks, however, are faced by protesters inside Tibet, where imprisoned monks and nuns are often tortured. Those who have experienced such ordeals said they were astonished that Tibetans were once again willing to risk such treatment in pursuit of their ideals.

"It was shocking and surprising," said Ngawang Sangdrol, a nun who spent years in Lhasa's notorious Drapchi prison before seeking refuge in the UK. "I did not expect Tibetans to be so brave, because I know what happens. I experienced severe treatment and torture for doing something like this."

[Drive By]

where imprisoned monks and nuns are often tortured.
dont remember reading about that being acceptable inh the comunist manifesto.

[The Smoking Man]

No that is more an 'Animal Farm' kind of thing.

You wont find the word billionaire in the Manifesto either ... but Beijing has a few of those ... some ex-party officials ... also not in the manifesto.

[shan]

THE guardian

Chinese police fired teargas into crowds of monks who took to the streets of Lhasa yesterday for a second day of protests in the Tibetan capital.

Around 500 monks were marching near a police station to demand the release of fellow monks who had been held after protests on Monday. Eyewitnesses told Radio Free Asia they were chanting "we want freedom" and "free our people or we won't go back".

The monks from the Sera monastery were surrounded by more than 1,000 armed police who fired tear gas into the crowd and used electric prods to disperse the protesters.

"There were probably a couple of thousand armed police personnel, wearing different uniforms. Police fired tear gas into the crowd," said a witness who did not want to be identified.

Hundreds of monks began marching in Lhasa on Monday in the biggest protest against communist rule in almost two decades.

The show of defiance - which took place on the anniversary of a failed anti-Chinese uprising in 1959 - raised tensions in the Himalayan region as the world spotlight is focused on China's human rights record ahead of the Olympics.

Chinese police arrested 50 to 60 monks on Monday, according to Radio Free Asia. The government declined to confirm the figures, but a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry confirmed a demonstration had taken place.

The spokesman described the march as "an illegal activity that threatened social stability".

In India today, protests broke out in Dharamsala, home to the exiled Dalai Lama. About 500 women marched peacefully through the streets of the town. In the Indian capital, New Delhi, about 40 Tibetan nuns tried to storm the Chinese embassy. Indian police used water cannons on the nuns and then detained them.

About 100 protestors, including monks, nuns and refugees, set off on the third day of a march from Dharamsala to Tibet in protest at China hosting the Olympics.

The Chinese foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, accused Bejing's critics today of violating the Olympic games charter keeping politics away from sports.

"More and more countries ... have recognised that this issue concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is not a religious or ethnic issue," he said.

Chinese troops invaded Tibet in 1950 and nine years later the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, fled into exile after the failed revolt.

[Drive By]

no u are wrong smokie, they work for the people. i hear that zhang zhemin only has 3 (THREE) hundred yuan to his name and relies on family for food. terible. I pray for the poor chinese politicans and army offciers.

[The Smoking Man]

He must be one of those Chinese my mother used to try to convince me to eat my dinner.

"Eat your food. There are people starving in China who would love to have it", she used to say.