A prayer for peace in Tibet
| Heidi M. Pascual* Publisher & Editor * 2006 Journalist of the Year for the State of Wisconsin (U.S.-SBA) |
“I am deeply concerned over the situation that has been developing in Tibet following peaceful protests in many parts of Tibet,
including Lhasa, in recent days. These protests are a manifestation of the deep-rooted resentment of the Tibetan people under the present
government.
“As I have always said, unity and stability under brutal force is at best a temporary solution. It is unrealistic to expect unity and stability
under such a rule and would therefore not be conducive to finding a peaceful and lasting solution.
“I therefore appeal to the Chinese leadership to stop using force and address the long-simmering resentment of the Tibetan people
through a dialogue with the Tibetan people. I also urge my fellow Tibetans not to resort to violence.” (Note: The Dalai Lama threatened to
resign as head of the Tibetan government-in-exile if the violence continues.)
Tenzin’s own remarks, however, were pointed and directed to the Chinese, the Indian and the Nepali governments. “We call upon
everyone to condemn China for its continued violation of human rights and denial of freedom (in Tibet),” Tenzin said. “We also call upon
the Indian government who has given out orders to arrest Tibetan participants in the ‘Return March to Tibet’ campaign starting in India.
We also call upon the governments of India and Nepal to release all politically detained Tibetans immediately. They should stand up to
their democratic ideals and not succumb to pressure from China.”
He deplored China’s “policy of encouraging Han migration to Tibet,” which, he believes, is a contributing factor to increased tension
there. He said Tibetans are frustrated with China’s repressive policies, anti-Dalai Lama rhetoric, and religious restrictions. Tenzin added
that China uses the 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing “to win acceptance for its repressive and restrictive policies in Tibet,” and called
upon all freedom-loving nations to condemn the killing of Tibetan demonstrators, lockdown of monasteries, and detention of Tibetan
monks and nuns who participated in the recent Tibetan protests.
Summary of the Kashag Statement on the 49th Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day
... “The mutually beneficial Middle-Way approach, which is envisioned by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, has been framed into a policy
with the support of the great majority Tibetans in and outside Tibet. This was further unanimously supported by the Tibetan Parliament-in-
Exile. On the basis of this policy, dialogue with the Chinese government is ongoing. Subsequently, six rounds of talks have been
conducted since 2002.
However, no concrete results have been achieved on the fundamental issue of Tibet. Moreover, there is today, a heightened repression
in Tibet and stepped up vilification campaign against His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We are extremely disappointed by these unfortunate
developments.
... “(W)e have categorically stated ... that we do not have any hidden agenda ... other than the basic demand that they should
implement the conditions for National Regional Autonomy as set forth in the constitution of the People’s Republic of China ...”
including Lhasa, in recent days. These protests are a manifestation of the deep-rooted resentment of the Tibetan people under the present
government.
“As I have always said, unity and stability under brutal force is at best a temporary solution. It is unrealistic to expect unity and stability
under such a rule and would therefore not be conducive to finding a peaceful and lasting solution.
“I therefore appeal to the Chinese leadership to stop using force and address the long-simmering resentment of the Tibetan people
through a dialogue with the Tibetan people. I also urge my fellow Tibetans not to resort to violence.” (Note: The Dalai Lama threatened to
resign as head of the Tibetan government-in-exile if the violence continues.)
Tenzin’s own remarks, however, were pointed and directed to the Chinese, the Indian and the Nepali governments. “We call upon
everyone to condemn China for its continued violation of human rights and denial of freedom (in Tibet),” Tenzin said. “We also call upon
the Indian government who has given out orders to arrest Tibetan participants in the ‘Return March to Tibet’ campaign starting in India.
We also call upon the governments of India and Nepal to release all politically detained Tibetans immediately. They should stand up to
their democratic ideals and not succumb to pressure from China.”
He deplored China’s “policy of encouraging Han migration to Tibet,” which, he believes, is a contributing factor to increased tension
there. He said Tibetans are frustrated with China’s repressive policies, anti-Dalai Lama rhetoric, and religious restrictions. Tenzin added
that China uses the 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing “to win acceptance for its repressive and restrictive policies in Tibet,” and called
upon all freedom-loving nations to condemn the killing of Tibetan demonstrators, lockdown of monasteries, and detention of Tibetan
monks and nuns who participated in the recent Tibetan protests.
Summary of the Kashag Statement on the 49th Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day
... “The mutually beneficial Middle-Way approach, which is envisioned by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, has been framed into a policy
with the support of the great majority Tibetans in and outside Tibet. This was further unanimously supported by the Tibetan Parliament-in-
Exile. On the basis of this policy, dialogue with the Chinese government is ongoing. Subsequently, six rounds of talks have been
conducted since 2002.
However, no concrete results have been achieved on the fundamental issue of Tibet. Moreover, there is today, a heightened repression
in Tibet and stepped up vilification campaign against His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We are extremely disappointed by these unfortunate
developments.
... “(W)e have categorically stated ... that we do not have any hidden agenda ... other than the basic demand that they should
implement the conditions for National Regional Autonomy as set forth in the constitution of the People’s Republic of China ...”
It was a painful sight to behold — a group of people who
couldn’t go back to their “homeland” for fear of their lives; faces
wrought with fear and uncertainty for Tibetans left in a country
ruled by another; a group of people whose continuing struggle
for freedom doesn’t have a clear end in sight. - Heidi M.
Pascual
March 10, 2008 marked the 49th anniversary of the 1959
Tibetan National Uprising Day against China’s rule, which forced
the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetans to flee and seek
refuge in India. A few days before this year’s anniversary,
however, was anything but peaceful in Tibet when violent
protests in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, left many Tibetans dead
(the numbers differed depending on who was reporting).
More than 400 Tibetans who now live in Madison, Wis. consider
March 10 a day of mourning. As they do every year on this day,
The Wisconsin Tibetan Association (WTA) led by Lobsang
Tenzin, marched to the Capitol and expressed their sentiments:
their gratitude to local supporters and their plea to China to
listen to Tibet’s grievances.
On March 15, Wisconsin Tibetans again gathered at the Library
Mall for a candle-light vigil on behalf of those who died in the
Lhasa protests. Later, they marched to the Capitol to pray for the
dead, condemn the killings, and to ask anyone who’d listen to
support their cause. WTA Pres. Lobsang Tenzin read a
message from His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, to wit:
couldn’t go back to their “homeland” for fear of their lives; faces
wrought with fear and uncertainty for Tibetans left in a country
ruled by another; a group of people whose continuing struggle
for freedom doesn’t have a clear end in sight. - Heidi M.
Pascual
March 10, 2008 marked the 49th anniversary of the 1959
Tibetan National Uprising Day against China’s rule, which forced
the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetans to flee and seek
refuge in India. A few days before this year’s anniversary,
however, was anything but peaceful in Tibet when violent
protests in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, left many Tibetans dead
(the numbers differed depending on who was reporting).
More than 400 Tibetans who now live in Madison, Wis. consider
March 10 a day of mourning. As they do every year on this day,
The Wisconsin Tibetan Association (WTA) led by Lobsang
Tenzin, marched to the Capitol and expressed their sentiments:
their gratitude to local supporters and their plea to China to
listen to Tibet’s grievances.
On March 15, Wisconsin Tibetans again gathered at the Library
Mall for a candle-light vigil on behalf of those who died in the
Lhasa protests. Later, they marched to the Capitol to pray for the
dead, condemn the killings, and to ask anyone who’d listen to
support their cause. WTA Pres. Lobsang Tenzin read a
message from His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, to wit:
| Editorial/Over a cup of tea Our economic woes by Heidi M. Pascual These are very tough times. We Americans are tightening our belts further as the cost of gas continues to soar (as of this writing, $3.35 /gal), with its domino effect on food, transport, and all other commodities and services. Health care costs are at a record high. Thousands of people are losing their homes. Unemployment rates are increasing. Wages are stagnant. Crime is up. The dollar’s value is falling fast, while oil and gold are going up, up, and away from our reach. We are entering a recession, or maybe, we are already there. Our spirits are getting lower and lower as days pass. We’re losing our faith in our government, whose solution at this point is minimal intervention, or actually, inaction. What can $300 or $600 of tax rebates do to stimulate our economy? It’s not even enough to pay one’s electric bill for a wintry month in Wisconsin! OK, the Federal Reserve has lowered by 2.25 point (the lowest in 4 years) the interest rates it charges Wall Street investment banks that recently got a $100-billion loan from the Feds, and just approved a $30-billion loan to JP Morgan Chase & Co. to purchase the bankrupt Bear Stearns & Co., the nation’s fifth largest investment bank. However, as a recent NY Times editorial wrote, “They cannot save defaulting homeowners, transform bad mortgage loans into good ones, or do the same for hundreds of billions of dollars of securities tied to those loans.” And looking at these billion-dollar figures, I can’t help but think of the billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money (that would soon reach $3 trillion!) that our country spends on the Iraq War, plus billions more on interfering with other countries’ internal political problems. Take a look too at the fact that foreign countries own billions of U.S. Treasury bonds as well as U.S. assets in real estate and equities. Do you wonder which country directly finances U.S. subprime housing debt? I don’t. In fact, I fear that U.S. financial institutions would end up being owned by foreign governments if our government doesn’t act fast. The top issue of the day is our economy, and it should be the top priority of our government. Pres. George Bush, in his weekly radio address on March 15, reportedly said that “the government needs to guard against going too far to fix it.” (cbsnews.com/stories/2008/ 03/15) But our economic situation has gone too far, the worst in many decades, so it requires a major public policy intervention that can only come from our government! Nouriel Roubini, a professor of economics and international business at New York University’s Stern School of Business, compared our present economic woes with some recent financial crises, and concluded that it’s worse than 1987’s stock-market crash; worse than the late 1980’s savings and loan crisis; much worse than the 1998 Long Term Capital Management crisis (which was a liquidity problem, while today, we have insolvency problems); much worse than the tech bust of 2000 and 2001. Roubini warned that in terms of systemic risk and the risks of a financial meltdown, one almost has to go back to the Great Depression of the 1930’s to find a good analogy (recession.org). I shudder at the thought! But another economics professor at Yale University and a co-founder of MacroMarkets LLC, Prof. Robert J. Shiller, agrees. Shiller said that the best historical analogy to today’s situation is the bubble that developed and deflated throughout the 1920s and ‘30s, particularly in the housing market, and an explosion of easy credit. “In fact, mortgage defaults were a substantial part of the Great Depression,” Shiller wrote in his comments titled “Innocent Victims,” also posted at recession.org. The crucial difference, he said, was that the government back then did a lot more to cushion the fallout, instituting major public programs to bail out homeowners, unlike the present administration which has done almost nothing. And that’s only one of the problems the next president of the United States will face. Lord, have mercy on America! |