Hillary Responds to Tibetan Unrest

Peaceful protests in Lhasa, Tibet turned violent this weekend, as Chinese forces cracked down on monks and civilians who were marking the anniversary of a failed uprising in 1959. Reports say at least 100 people were killed in the clashes.

The Chinese government does not want to appear weak by not reacting to the protests. Beijing has now given the Tibetan protesters till Monday to surrender.

''Fighting, looting, burning - these actions destroy the stability of society. These events can be described as an organised and planned plot. We are very determined to denounce this separatist activity, and the plot will not be successful,'' said Champa Phuntsok, Chairman, Tibetan Government.

Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton released a statement today calling for an end to the violence. Full text of the statement after the jump.

Update: Source of Original Riot Reported

Armored vehicle 'plowed into protesters' in Tibet

Source: The Yomiuri Shimbun

The large-scale riots in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa on Friday were sparked off when an armored vehicle was driven into the crowd, according to a Tibetan man who talked to The Yomiuri Shimbun by telephone.

The man said a work colleague had seen a green armored vehicle plow into the crowd, running people over, at about 3 p.m. Friday. The vehicle was one of four deployed near the Golden Valley Hotel, west of Jokhang Temple, the man said.

Military trucks were later used to haul off more than 100 people, he said. Afterwards, angry Tibetans attacked ethnic Chinese and set fire to their stores, he said.

According to the Tibetan, he was not able to venture outside his home because vehicles driven by public safety officers were patrolling the streets, and armed police officers were present at street crossings.

Meanwhile, a Japanese man said the octagonal plaza near the famous Jokhang Temple was barricaded. A larger area was sealed off Saturday, he said. (Mar. 17, 2008)

Statement from Hillary Clinton

"I am deeply concerned about the violent clashes that have erupted in Lhasa, Tibet. Based on the limited information available, there is an urgent need for all parties, and in particular the Chinese security forces, to exercise restraint, to demonstrate respect for human rights and to protect civilians from danger. I call on the Chinese government to prevent further escalation of this conflict and to urgently pursue resolution through peaceful means.

"I co-sponsored the Fourteenth Dalai Lama Congressional Gold Medal Act and co-sponsored the Tibetan Policy Act of 2001, supporting a dialogue between the People's Republic of China and the Dalai Lama. I have personally met with the Dalai Lama. I asked President Jiang Zemin to explain China's repression of the Tibetans and their religion during his 1997 state visit to the United States. More than 10 years later, Chinese repression in Tibet continues. This week, Tibetan monks have sent a message to the world that their aspirations for religious liberty remain as strong as ever.

"Upholding freedom and human rights in Tibet will happen through negotiation, and with a commitment on all sides to seeking constructive solutions for the benefit, above all, of the Tibetan people."

The Bush Administration reacted similarly:

''We have urged also that the Chinese government respect Tibetan culture, as well as the multiethnic nature of China. It is very important in our view, and President Bush has expressed this view, that Chinese government open a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, and we continue to urge that. Nobody benefits from violence. Nobody wants to see it. But it is very important that, in responding to these protests, that the Chinese government turn away from the use of force or violence in responding to the protests,'' said Sean McCormack, State Department Secretary.

One of our readers, Tom Fitzsimmons, who is well-versed in Tibetan affairs, gave Hillary high marks for the strength of her statement. He points out that responding to China is a tricky operation, as to strong a reaction may cause the Chinese to crack down even harder on the Tibetans.

China has made significant movement toward normalizing relations with the West, but this sort of violent repression threatens the progress made by the Chinese, particularly with regard to the Olympics. The United States should use any and all leverage that it can to stop this brutality.

Update: From our comments section, here's some of what Tom Fitzsimmons says. He's a reader who is really plugged-in to the Tibetan situation.

I have no idea what the reaction from the Obama camp will be. The Tibetans who took part in the demonstrations in Lhasa have been given until midnight Monday to turn themselves in. This deadline will be the cue to begin widespread, indiscriminate arrests. There are unconfirmed reports of atrocious reprisals. One worker at the famous Sera monastery reported that a black bus with 29 arrested protesters arrived at the monastery and that the protesters were then taken into a courtyard and executed. There is another report that Tibetan prisoners are being forced to beat each other, with those who refuse also being executed. These are unconfirmed reports but this pattern of unthinkable cruelty has been the hallmark of the Chinese occupation. There have been many confirmed stories in the past of mothers being forced to kill their own children in order to bargain for the lives of the others, students being forced to kill their teachers and in an effort to bring Tibetan culture more in line with the Chinese vision of reality, children forced to kill animals. Besides being hopelessly cruel, this is in direct contrast of their Buddhist heritage. Their are reports that the Dalai Lama will make a major announcement sometime today. This may have occurred, I haven't had a chance to check.

One of the things this event has bought out is the ignorance of the press as well as the int'l community as far as the history of Tibet is concerned. I've heard statements that refer to Tibetan cities as 'Chinese cities. I've heard it expressed in news reports the Tibet was once a part of China and only enjoyed independence during the years of the Chinese civil war. This has no basis in fact. Although the two nations histories are intertwined, Tibet has never been considered a part of China. Tibetans have in fact been the Buddhist educators of emperor after emperor.It is said that a previous incarnation of the Dalai Lama refused to teach Kublai Khan (I'll have to double check on which 'Khan' that was) the Buddhist 'Dharma' until he agreed to stop his program of genocide against the Han Chinese.

Although the Dalai Lama has agreed to drop demands for full independence for Tibet that is in no way a concession to the Chinese re-write of history.

All of the candidates need to make such statements. I should think that this is one thing they can all agree on. I'm sure Sen. McCain can appreciate the plight of these prisoners of this communist regime. I'm also pretty sure that Sen.Obama knows something of the Tibetan situation also. I'll check for his statement.

Obama's statement, from AFP:

"I am deeply disturbed by reports of a crackdown and arrests ordered by Chinese authorities in the wake of peaceful protests by Tibetan Buddhist monks," the Illinois senator said in a statement late Friday.

"I condemn the use of violence to put down peaceful protests, and call on the Chinese government to respect the basic human rights of the people of Tibet, and to account for the whereabouts of detained Buddhist monks."

Obama said the protests, which Tibet's government-in-exile in India said had resulted in 30 deaths, "demonstrate the continuing frustration of the Tibetan people at the way in which Beijing has ruled Tibet."

He said this year's Olympics in Beijing are an opportunity for China to demonstrate its progress.

"But the events in Tibet these last few days unfortunately show a different face of China," said Obama, who is vying for the Democratic party's presidential nomination against rival Senator Hillary Clinton.

"Now is the time for Beijing to take steps that would change the image people have of China later this year by changing the reality of how they treat Tibet and Tibetans. Now is the time to respect the human rights and religious freedom of the people of Tibet."