after all the Western criticism towards China, even when Tibetans killed civilian Chinese on 14th march, what happened is a big stop on the cultural opening of China. Some experts said that China has gone 10 years backwards its opening and democratization process, because of the Western attitude.

Antonio, Spain,

Tibet obviously wants independence. I think even the most ardent Chinese nationalist would have to acknowledge that.
------------------------------
Dear Andrew,

Why do you think so? In fact only a very small portion of Tibetans want independence. Only those in exile and a few monks in China do

Guo Li, London, UK

It's spupid (if not spiteful) to assume that "all tibetans are seeking independence", single-sidedly listening only to the few monks rant around. Listen to the silent majority!

Guo Li, London, UK

So far, no one say about the basic history of so call "Tibet",.Just 50 years ? NO, it has been part of China since the 9th centry, at least. Please, do some basic study of Chinese history.
Preserve the culture of "Tibet"? There were at least 2 clowns in 1952 changed the name to what they call Mount Everest from the exited name. This show the respect to the local culture.
By just self-claimed independence in the 50's, then you are independent! If so, there will avoid many many conficts to-day and yesterday. "Tibet", a part of China, independence matter to all of China. A internal affair of that sovereigh state.
Don't even talk about other particular purposes.......
By-the-way, can we find a province in to-day's official map of China? I am wondering which dialect and when it is callled "Tibet", Perhaps, in Tang Dynasty, aroud the 6th,7th Centry, pronounced some what closed to that?

lum, San Francisco, ca

"The sad thing is the Chinese Communist Party does exactly the same thing when ethnic Han peasants get tired of the corruption and decide to fight back. The other sad thing is young Chinese people have been brainwashed into siding with the governments strong arm response and refusal to talk to the Dalai Lama. Young Chinese who have no idea who the Dalai Lama is .... "

The equally sad thing is that most Westerners are equally "brainwashed" by the so-called free press here in US and Europe without even realizing it. They automatically believe what they read or heard from the media, become indignant and self-righteous without understanding the full complexity of the issues. They fall in love with their own idealistic ideas of "democracy", "freedom" and "self-determination", lecture and shovel such ideas into other people, meddle around and
make all the mess in the world, while pointing fingers at others for committing "cultural genocide".

Don't see see the irony and hypocrisy?

Jerry Yang, NYC, NY, USA

To Andrew in Chicago,

You are right in stating that "deflection is one of the surest forms of acknowledgment that one's own argument or position is untenable." Being a Chinese who has lived in the West (both US and Europe) for all of my adult life, I do not condone what China's treatment of Tibetan people (for that matter, the Han and other Chinese ethnic groups). Being a Chinese, I also see the "realism" in the Chinese government's need to crack down the "riots" (just like US/European governments would do in such circumstances) for stability, not to mention for national interest.

What I am really objecting to is the equally one-sided media coverage and portray of the Tibetan issue -- in particular, the moral high ground and self-righteousness of many Westerner people (such as Nancy Pelosi) take --by presumption of the Chinese evil -- without carefully understanding the full complexity of the Tibetan issue -- it's not simply black and white, right and wrong as some like to think.

Jerry Yang, NYC, NY, USA

"And the fact is, there are already millions of Han in Tibet. You don't admit of the natural migration of Sichuanese to Tibet for business? Maybe you should travel to Tibet to see for yourself."

Isn't this what capitalism is about? If those Sichuanese want to go to Tibet for Chinese (you know what, because of all those Westerners who want to experience the "exotic" Tibet culture). So if you want to blame China for "cultural genocide", blame the West for capitalism (and communism too). By the way, most of China used to be very "exotic" too, but now they look more like West, only with more pollution.

Now China is following the footsteps of the West, some start crying foul.

Jerry Yang, NYC, NY, USA

The sad thing is the Chinese Communist Party does exactly the same thing when ethnic Han peasants get tired of the corruption and decide to fight back. The other sad thing is young Chinese people have been brainwashed into siding with the governments strong arm response and refusal to talk to the Dalai Lama. Young Chinese who have no idea who the Dalai Lama is or what he has said are convinced he is con man who has tricked a biased western media. They also think they have to hold onto tibet or someone the west and the us will have taken something from them.

China has already sabatouged the olympics themselves. Using the Hong Kong system in tibet and letting the tibetans manage the domestic operations in tibet themselves would be a good thing for china.

They have enough problems with pollution, corruption, population, energy, economic development in the rest of china. Do they realy think tibet or mongolian horse men will be invading China again?

Lindel, Arlington, USA

To Andrew, Chicago

I agree that some criticism is better than none at all. But wouldn't humane results be better achieved if the critics were to think a bit harder about the consequences of their self-righteousness? There were many who at the time of the Belgrade bombings and the invasion of Iraq argued that, precisely, one couldn't "just stand by and do nothing". Yes, perhaps, if the only measure of success is the critic's easy conscience. But sometimes it really is better to stand by and do nothing, when the alternative is to make a bad state of affairs still worse!

I hope some of the international concern about Tibet hits home in China, but it could also backfire badly if the Western press is not equally forthcoming about Tibetan attacks against Han Chinese citizens. Incidentally here is a very little known CNN eyewitness report more sympathetic to the Chinese side:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/20/tibet.miles.interview/index.html#cnnSTCText

Jeffrey , Berlin, Germany

Jeffrey, Berlin

Its probably true that many nations engage in deflection. I'm not sure anyone would like very much the end state that leaves the world though. Taking that sort of logic through to completion would mean only the absolutely innocent should critique the rest of us when wrongdoing is happening. Clearly, that could never happen as nobody is innocent... yet wrongdoing still happens in the world. Should the entire world sit idly by wrapped in the false content of knowing they aren't being hypocritical in critiquing another nation for terrible abuses when they themselves have committed bad acts in the past? I hardly think that balm will be very soothing for the Tibetans as their culture is systematically destroyed by a regime, which unlike Germany or the United States has no mechanism (short or longterm) to respond to outrageous behavior.

A choice: have the courage of your convictions and stand up to wrong doing or bask in the false warmth of not being a hypocrite.

Andrew, Chicago, United States

In reply to Andrew/Chicago who wrote "By trying to shift the debate to the mistakes other nations have made, you are all essentially acknowledging China is wrong" :

Actually "deflection" is also the justified self-defence of people who feel they are suffering from unfair criticism. It is at least as old as the Bible's "casting the first stone" and survives in the saying "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones". The private life of any politician is considered fair game in a western democracy, if he has started a smear campaign against a rival's morals.

However real the abuses, it is very hard for the Chinese government to receive Western criticism of its human rights policy with a straight face, when it regards the West's human rights record as the worst in world history, and - in modern human rights violations from Vietnam to Serbia and Iraq - still worse than anything China has allegedly done in Tibet.

Perhaps China's critics too are guilty of "deflection".

Jeffrey , Berlin, Germany

In response to Dean from London, USA and Australia would not even exist today if indigenous people were not displaced. Be thankful China had not resort to Chinese-style Manifest Destiny and Trail of Tears to gain stability and prosperity. They deserve some credit for that alone. Hypocrites who benefited from past atrocities should stop trying to split China. Tibet will always be part of China as long as USA and Australia are still around. China should learn from the western democracies and allow Tibetans to run their own casinos. Maybe in a century or so, their parliament could even issue an apology for mistreating them.

Kahi, San Jose, CA

To all those posting regarding this topic the inequities of other nations in their handling's of other peoples and/or nations:

Regardless of if the various points you brought up are correct or not, the simple fact is you are all engaged in deflection of the topic.

Deflection is one of the surest forms of acknowledgment that one's own argument or position is untenable. By trying to shift the debate to the mistakes other nations have made, you are all essentially acknowledging China is wrong.

Andrew, Chicago, United States

just one question
If the tibet already has aquired independence
what will happen there
American,English "help"to liberate and develop these place?
look at nowadays Iraq,and you can think about the anwser

Yuejia LI, ningbo, China

kunchok, please don't patronize Chinese. If the same thing that happened in Tibet in the past week happened in Japanese-occupied China, half the Tibetan population of Lhasa will be wiped out. Chinese government's response so far has been measured, and much more restrained than I expected. Maybe they know the world is watching them.

Keith, Gainesville, USA/FL

Mr.Kunchok, Delhi, India,

I think you are naive in comparing what Chinese have done in Tibet to what Japanese had done in China during world war II. If the same thing that happened last week in Lhasa happened in Japanese-occupied China, maybe half of the tibetan population will be wiped out by now. So far the Chinese government's response has been much more measured, and restrained than what I have expected, considering the looting, arsoning, and murderous rampage tibetan mob has put up for the world to see.

Keith, gainesville, usa/fl

Lee in Beijing. I admit you are easy prey in a rational debate, but i couldn't help myself.

In your decision to compare the actions of the genocides of the aboriginal peoples of Australia and the United states with the actions of your own government in Beijing in Tibet, and indeed to LIKEN these two crimes with each other, you surely admit to the very same crime in the modern day that Australia and USA still looks to atone for over a century later. Think man, think.

Dean, London, United Kingdom

"China has absolutely no reason for being in Tibet -- jut as we didn't. We left. China should do the same "
Have you ever left Australia and America? No, your ancestors killed most of the natives there.

Lee, Beijing,

Jack Upihll, Santa Ana, CA, USA
As we are not in Tibet we cannot correctly describe the situation in Tibet. What I know is that the Chinese Govt has spent billions on the new railway to Tibet to bring greater development to the region. We surely would not want to see a neglected Tibet.when eastern China is bursting with economic expansion. It is the Chinese Govt. stated policy to promptly bring development to its western frontiers. Han Chinese have been sent to help in the development. Tibetans and other ethic people should be happy that they are getting the Central Govt.'s attention. They should strive to work together. Why be suspicous of the Han Chinese who are hard working people. Live and let live. People have to change to improve and the Tibetans should too. All along, they are too focus on religion .
Yes, thanks to the unrest, we will not now be permitted into Tibet. No other reasons. Further instigations by the west will not help either.

Lim, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

@Lim

It's naive to say that Tibetans have freedom of religion just because we see a few images of monks with prayer beads. It's the same as seeing the rioters and assuming that all of Tibet is in chaos. The truth is always more complicated.

And the fact is, there are already millions of Han in Tibet. You don't admit of the natural migration of Sichuanese to Tibet for business? Maybe you should travel to Tibet to see for yourself.

Oh wait, you can't, because the government won't allow it. Wonder why?

Jack Upihll, Santa Ana, CA, USA

Mr.Kunchok, Delhi, India
If the Tibetans in Tibet are suppressed, how come we can still see Tibetans spinning their prayer wheels and prayers. There are still monastries and still many monks. From TV footage of the unrest, we can see many monks acting violently. Is this the culture of Tibetan monks? I also want to know why when Tibetans can move freely to live and work in other parts of China, why can't the Han Chinese come and stay in Tibet. Afterall, it is one country CHINA. Do you mean the Han Chinese just come and stay without paying? I cannot think otherwise except that the West and its stooges trying to create problem for China just before the Olympics. Unless there is World War 3 or act of nature, China will hold a grand and successful Olympics with or without the West. Olympics is a sporting event, not a political one. So please stay focus.

Lim, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

dont agree.

xiaozhengege, tucson, usa

i'm tibetan and i dont mind tibet being part of china...SHEN YU, its good that u love your country and i admire u for that....you can have tebit. but is'nt it wronge to ignore and suppress the religious faith of tibetan people..your government has done the same thing to tibetan people what the japanese did to u in world war....let me ask you how you feel about them? .....his holiness the dalia lama is the spiritual leader of the tibetan people and only wants freedom of religion and to protect the identity of tibetan people...is that so much to ask.....shen yu or any chinese friend if u reading this please reply i will be more than oblige

kunchok, delhi, india

As a chinese , I can't agree more about the title

Jason lee, Guangzhou , China

Whether Tibet belongs to China or not should be decided by Tibetans solely. Even after the uprising in 1959, Dalai Lama just sought a humble autonomy for his homeland, not independence from China. And we all know the outcome of his efforts.

Gotta admit - it is disgraceful to see that Han Chinese neglect the inherent human rights of Tibetans. Communism is indeed one of the most sinful creations on earth, for it poisoned the mind of Chinese civilians for decades, rendering them unable to distinguish black from white.

Johnson, Taipei, Taiwan

Is it relevant that the US have acted illegally and imperialistically in Iraq and elsewhere? Or that the British previously invaded Tibet? Or that there might be economic advantages for Tibet in Chinese rule? What IS relevant is that China acted illegally and imperialistically by invading Tibet and imposing a government which seeks to eliminate Tibetan culture. The sins and crimes of the West, and economic benefit, cannot excuse China's actions.

Molly, Kangaroo Valley, Australia

I find impressive that the Chinese Goverment is sooo sentitive about anything. Let the Tibetans rant and rage and let some steam off. It would be good for them.

But the Goverment goes haywire and sends in the army. A lot like the Budapest uprising. If its going to happen,... it will happen!

Fraser Pirie, Cartago, Costa Rica

1) Rhetoric aside, the US is in Iraq (right or wrong) attempting to establish a representative government b/c its in the interests of the US and b/c its in the interests of the Iraqi people to have that sort of system over a dictator in the long run (see Germany, Japan, South Korea v. Cuba, North Korea, and Saddam-Iraq). I'm not going to dump dribble out there beyond that, I think thats a fairly accurate appraisal of the situation.
2) Tibet obviously wants independence. I think even the most ardent Chinese nationalist would have to acknowledge that. Consequently, the real question is not the pragmatics of Tibet being separate but rather the moral ground upon which China can continue to deny Tibet that right. The fact that China uses such tactics as cultural genocide, military force, imprisonment, exile, and murder should tell you all you need to know about the quality of the aforementioned moral ground, aka, its essentially nonexistent. China remains b/c it can, not b/c it should.

Andrew, Chicago, United States

I am a chinese,I love my motherland.Tibet is a part of china.

shen yu, shanghai China,

Good article!

Kong, Guangzhou , China

Tim of London had asked, " ... why not consider why it is the Tibet[i]ans are so angry." One of the reasons is that a lot of Han Chinese people have moved in and started businesses in Lhasa. This causes resentment and fans hostility. It's a bit like some extremist Welsh people burning homes owned by errant English owners in Wales albeit on a more hostile scale of things. Do remember that Tibet has always been involved with China historically and that Tibet is considered a part of China just as Wales and others are parts of the UK hence all citizens of the People's Republic including Han Chinese and indeed Tibetans should be allowed to move in and start business anywhere in China without fear of being terrorized by anyone least of all the locals.

Yang, Shanghai, China

Jim from Guangdong-
Tibet would be fine without China; landlocked countries don't flounder without a coastline. Ever hear of a little country called Switzerland? That's no excuse for oppression.

You are obviously a communist sympathiser, otherwise how could you possibly justify 50+ years of Chinese domination of Tibet?

To anyone that thinks this is akin to the war in Iraq, you're dolts. The US is fostering free elections, doesn't imprison political dissidents and squelch free speech and assembly of the population and 're-educate' people. China makes 'troublemakers' who speak out against them disappear, mows down demonstrators and makes the rightful Panchen Lama vanish and substitutes their own.

That anyone could think to compare the situation in Iraq, where we deposed a dictator, with a totalitarian regime like China's shows a complete lack of intellectual honesty and a distinct bias against America.

We already boycott Chinese goods, and we'll boycott the Olympics too.

Hanya, Bellevue, WA,

Let's not be distracted by political comparisons and see the situation for what it is- a renowned spiritual leader is bringing a corrupt, nepotistic system to it's knees, just through his existence. The pen is mightier than the sword, but the prayer is far mightier than the pen.

The West may do some bad things- but it's system is far less restrictive than the Atheistic one in China. The vicious and terrified Communist party is trying to destroy it's conscience- those around it who preach and practice spirituality and the search for human happiness, rather than a barren materialism. They cannot stand a culture in their midst that values spirituality and are doing everything they can to stifle it's voices.

What the Dalia Lama says is true- this is a real attempt at cultural genocide. We need to get the message across of just how precious this culture is and how vital are it's understandings. We also need to remember that the Tibetans are humans, who only want to live in peace..

Gideon D, Kashiwa, Japan

Joseph, VA, USA

Are you - in spite of your countrymen's frequent eschewal of this rhetorical device - being ironic?

"We're in Iraq to liberate a people who were oppressed under a tyrant...etc etc"

No, Joseph, you're in a war in Iraq because it served the interests of the parasitic, commercial-military complex that runs your country.

We're in a war in Iraq because we have been riding on your coat-tails for fifty years and haven't yet noticed that your forward momentum is rapidly slowing. I think the penny has dropped now though.

"The United States never goes to war to acquire territory" - no need to if you invade countries on the flimsiest of (self-serving) pretexts and then manipulate the governments of these countries to make them acquiescent to your political and commercial interests. Cultural and commercial acquisition - just not literal land-grabbing.

Daniel, Manchester, Mancunia

The Falun Gong is not a harmless sect. It is a cult that kills anyone trying to leave it. My brother lived in China for many years and married a chinese woman. Her mother was killed by the Falun Gong. The Falun Gong put a price on her head for leaving that sect after 2 years.

Mike, Lincoln, NE

Without the Chinese central goverenment and coastal provinces' support, Tibet would just be isolated from the outside world and suffer from poverty and hunger! It is stupid to boycott Olympics. It is stupid for some tibetans to pursue independence!

Jim, Guangdong, China

Alex -- Singapore.......get a grip

Boycott the Olympics -- unless China leaves Tibet

China has absolutely no reason for being in Tibet -- jut as we didn't. We left. China should do the same

--- and I don't particularly care about the 2012 Olympics either.

Phil, Preston,

Average Office Worker,

Are you serious? We're in Iraq to liberate a people who were oppressed under a tyrannt that killed hundreds of thousands of his own people. Were in Iraq to establish an outpost of democracy and freedom. The United States never goes to war to aquire territory, only to free people from tyranny (your very welcome for WWI and WWII). China is a suppressive regime that does not allow freedom of any sort. Freedom of religion, expression, and association are all targets of the totalitarian regime in Bejing. Last time I checked those were all freedoms the United States upheld and espoused.

Joseph, Fairfax, VA, USA

Deb is right: Tibet has strong and highly developed traditions of intellectual enquiry and has contributed hugely to the sum total of knowledge and understanding of the human condition. It's vital that the part of this knowledge that has escaped destruction is propagated more widely for the benefit of all.

Peter, London, England

Pretty complete history of Tibet, there. But why no mention of the British invasion of Tibet in 1903? Seems pretty relevant to me.

John Patrick, Shanghai, China

I agree with Daniel in NZ. We should allocate a significant number of people of Tibetan descent to the UK, US etc. - refugees, citizens who want to make a difference but can't in Tibet so they can flourish and bloom here.

Jeff, Manchester,

Alex in Singapore is right, also the west has lost its moral high-ground with the fiasco in Iraq. Both Tibet and Iraq are sadly very small in the bigger world of the people who really have the power in our world.
We can be positive though that the lies are exposed and most educated people know the reality.

Average Office Worker, London, UK

To Alex, SIngapore,

Once again comparisons are being drawn that are completely erroneous. In Northern Ireland a majority of the people wish to remain a part of the UK. Furthermore Northern Ireland has its own devolved government paid for by the British tax payer with little or no interference from London.
Secondly while Iraq has been nothing short of a disaster all round, there has been no effort on the behalf of the Americans or the British to destroy the culture there. There has been no systematic effort to demonise the spiritual leaders within that country not any attempt to flood it will Western immigrants.
In conclusion rather than point the blame as the West why not consider why it is the Tibetians are so angry.

Tim, London, UK

Tibetan Buddhism has an advanced psychology - far ahead of Western psychology - that the world desperately needs. It is being spread to some extent by the Tibetan diaspora but it is most important for the world that Tibet and Tibetan culture is not destroyed.

Deb, London,

China has the audacity to talk about criminals,yet it is the policies of the corrupt Chinese government that is criminal.
Boycott Chinese products and urge sportsmen to look into their conscious and boycott the Chinese Olympics.
Put pressure of the British and world governments to do the same.
Hold vigils outside Chinese embassies and let the Tibetan people know you are with them.

James, London, UK

FREE TIBET!

jim, framingham, USA

A fund should be set up for undergraduates of Tibetan descent to study in the U.K. Picking out bright young minds for a Master's degree in creative writing would be a particularly good idea. Goes back to the old "pen is mightier than the sword" adage. Call me naive, but the world would pay a lot more attention if there were more biographies, novels, and short story collections giving a Tibetan view of their culture, history, and colonised condition (beyond those of the Dalai Lama and other venerables). Look at how successful Salman Rushdie, Amy Tan, and Kazuo Ishiguro are. I truly believe that a Tibetan 'cultural revolution' is required, and that an infusion of creative material into the average highstreet bookseller in the West would pay dividends in generating opinions sympathetic to the Tibetan condition. The U.K. has institutions that could help with this. More voices, more power, more change.

Daniel, Christchurch, New Zealand

Think of London Olympics four years later and the Northern Irland, and Iraq too.When you point your finger to other people, please remember that the other four fingers are pointing to yourself.

Alex, Singapore,