No one has anything to say about this, and maybe that is to be expected. In this world of large-scale atrocities and brutal, dehumanizing carnage, the plight of the Tibetans must seem relatively insignificant. And perhaps it is. But, speaking as one who has studied the history, religion, language, literature, and culture of Tibet in one way or another since I was a teenager, watching its civilization and rich traditions abased, abused, and oppressed by a military and economic occupation, and steadily eroded by its encounter with modernity fills me with a bleak and bitter feeling. Tibetans in Tibet have struggled to accommodate themselves to the grim reality of being subjugated by the Chinese. They have learned Mandarin, they all own cellphones and surf the internet. The are trying like hell to assimilate to the dominant culture simply to survive. They have done everything they can, but had the gall to attempt to retain some modest vestige of their beliefs and values while doing so. This, apparently, is not enough, and now party officals are calling for their absolte abjection. With no gooey sentimentality, I tell you honestly, my heart breaks for Tibet.

Beijing isn’t invincible.

Why are you people surprised?? Is it any different than Muslim hate up here in the land of the formerly ruling god Amaruac? Yeah.. shit… forgot… we’re Yahweh’s land now. The bloodthirsty jewish god showed that feathered serpent a thing or ten…

gregoire,

it seems that beijing is being patient, spitting out the lies that “tibet has always been a part of china,” moving han-ren into tibet like israel brought illegal settlements into palestine, keeping the rural tibetans poor and marginalized while subduing them with booze, prostitution and gambling (it was an idea that appropriated from the united states’ treatment of native americans)...

sadly, the tibetan issue has gone in and out of style…and like some have written, ther e still is a selective solidarity on the left where if an atrocitiy cannot be blamed on multinational corporations, washington, or israel, then the left doesn’t really get all that riled up…

i sympthoize with what you are saying, yet more tragically, what china is slowly doing to tibet is also what is happening with its dozens of other minority populations…

this is something we here at gnn should be reporting and posting the shit out of…thanks, gregorie…

There is some good news though.

Asia Times reports Tibet railroad shows signs of strain. Apparently the great Chinese achievement in linking Tibet with the rest of China has hit a few snags. They didn’t seem to factor in the effects of melting permafrost on railbeds, or extreme cold on concrete bridge supports. That these symptoms of decay are appearing only weeks after opening suggests to me that this project is destined for a limited lifespan.

Tibetans won’t mind though:

The international Free Tibet Campaign says the railway is not intended to benefit the Tibetan people.

“This project is politically motivated, as was declared by Chinese officials and the leadership on several occasions, and the motivation is to consolidate China’s control over Tibet,” said Yael Weisz-Rind, the London spokeswoman for the campaign. “With the railway in full operation, China would be able to mobilize military personnel and arms [and send them] into Tibet, further militarizing the whole region.”

That is good news. Tibetans were/are in a panic about the new railroad.

anyone wanting to fight the dalai lama can come and take me on…

Tibetans in Tibet have struggled to accommodate themselves to the grim reality of being subjugated by the Chinese. They have learned Mandarin, they all own cellphones and surf the internet. The are trying like hell to assimilate to the dominant culture simply to survive. They have done everything they can, but had the gall to attempt to retain some modest vestige of their beliefs and values while doing so.

it make me weep – literally…

They didn’t seem to factor in the effects of melting permafrost on railbeds, or extreme cold on concrete bridge supports.

They also didn’t plan on the fucking Kham-pas…who I expect we’ll hear from shortly. >:D Not all Tibetans are eager to assimilate.

All aboard the last train to Lhasa…

anyone wanting to fight the dalai lama can come and take me on

Me too. Those Maoist sons of bitches can go fuck themselves. The Chinese government – and their citizens who support them, IMO – are morally bankrupt.

and like some have written, ther e still is a selective solidarity on the left where if an atrocitiy cannot be blamed on multinational corporations, washington, or israel

Isn’t that the fucking truth. I see a “Free Tibet” sticker at least once a day – but that seems to be about as far as it goes. Tibet is every bit as much of a travesty and a tragedy as Palestine, the Holocaust, and Iraq…but it gets about a tenth the attention, because there’s no money in caring about it or covering it.

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look forward to it

German government gives cold shoulder to Dalai Lama

OPEN QUOTE (Sun, 11 May 2008 12:28:03 GMT)

Berlin – When the Dalai Lama visited Germany in September last year he was received in a blaze of publicity by Chancellor Angela Merkel. This time, the reception will be decidedly cooler. Nobody in the government wants to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader and Nobel peace laureate when he pays a four-day visit to Germany at the end of this week.

Merkel will be away in South America and her deputy, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, turned down an official request for a meeting because he doesn’t have time.

German President Horst Koehler has also ruled out a meeting because of scheduling difficulties, his spokesman, Martin Kothe told Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

Ya, OK, so you tell me : who is REALLY being snubbed here?