Tibet unrest spreads beyond Lhasa

[eppur_se_muova]

Source: BBC

Tibetan protests against Chinese rule have spread to another part of China, after days of demonstrations and violence in Tibet's main city, Lhasa.

Clashes between Tibetan protesters and police in Aba, Sichuan province, saw a police station and cars attacked.

Rights groups said several people had been killed in the clashes, though this could not be verified.

The violence came after exiled Tibetan leaders said a Chinese crackdown had killed at least 80 people in Lhasa.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7299597.stm

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(see map) It should be noted that Qinghai Province, which fell under effective Chinese rule only *after* the Communist Revolution, has a population which was originally largely Tibetan. Many Tibetans consider Qinghai to be as much a Chinese-occupied territory as Tibet itself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinghai

The city of Aba appears to be very close to the Qinhai border.

[Ichingcarpenter]

1. Obama's response Clinton's statement

Obama: March 14, 2008

"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. 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.

These events come on the 49th anniversary of the exile of the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama. They demonstrate the continuing frustration of the Tibetan people at the way in which Beijing has ruled Tibet. There has been an informal dialogue between Chinese leaders and the Dalai Lama's representatives over the past six years. It is good that they have been talking, but China has thus far shown no flexibility on the substance of those discussions. Indeed, it has delayed in scheduling the latest round, despite the willingness of the Tibetans to continue dialogue.

If Tibetans are to live in harmony with the rest of China's people, their religion and culture must be respected and protected. Tibet should enjoy genuine and meaningful autonomy. The Dalai Lama should be invited to visit China, as part of a process leading to his return.

This is the year of the Beijing Olympics. It represents an opportunity for China to show the world what it has accomplished in the last several decades. Those accomplishments have been extraordinary and China's people have a right to be proud of them, but the events in Tibet these last few days unfortunately show a different face of China. 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."



Clinton Statement: March 16th

'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."

It would have been nice if Senator Clinton had used the word “condemn,” like Senator Obama did. But it does seem that this statement is marginally better than the tepid plea for “restraint” from the White House.

[Liberal Veteran]

2. Strangely, Clinton's response sounds like campaign stump speech.

....than a genuine statement. All that "I did such and such" kinda seemed odd to me.

[Sonnenschein]

3. in the wake of peaceful protests

He calls setting shops on fire "peaceful protests"? His foreign policy advisors need to be fired.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9QNKB34cJo

[Ichingcarpenter]

4. Yes and it was 2 days later

the tone of her statement was a campaign speech.