The Hive on Tibet
March 24th, 2008 at 6:59 am by David FarrarThe Hive has some advice for China. And it is pretty good advice. Queen Bee is not a huge fan it seems of the Dalai Lama and the former feudal Tibet, but the Chinese response is so over the top, it damages them greatly. So the Hive suggests:
- fire the Editor of The People’s Daily;
- fire who ever it was who led the response on the ground to the demonstrations in Tibet;
- make all those arrested and who were guilty of property damage do some community service to make amends;
- release those who protested but did not damage property;
- don’t execute anyone, but feel free to otherwise throw the book at anyone guilty of physical assault;
- ask the Dalai Lama to show a bit more restraint and offer to send an envoy to meet him in a neutral location to ensure his concerns are discussed;
- allow tourists to return to Tibet immediately;
- ask your Embassies and Consulates abroad to write Op Eds to all local newspapers reminding people what life in feudal Tibet was like (particularly for the slaves) before Deng Xiaoping moved in from Sichuan to liberate Tibet;
- invite any Foreign Minister who wants to, to visit Tibet this year;
- allow the foreign media (not just Hong Kong media) immediate access to Tibet.
Not bad advice.
Tags: China, Dalai Lama, The Hive, Tibet
March 24th, 2008 at 7:57 am
The Hive’s post is surely tongue in cheek, otherwise it suggests a profound ignorance about the exercise of political power in China and the nature of the Chinese regime. As far as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is concerned, overt separatism is not something that can be spun away or dealt with “softly softly”. Rather, it is seen as a challenge to the very authority and existence of the CCP, and invariably dealt with harshly.
In the CCP’s worldview there is no room for half measures, and this includes the propaganda war, hence what to our ears is the strident rhetoric coming from Xinhua and the People’s Daily.
It would be most unusual for the “Editor” of the People’s Daily to be writing something that was at odds with the party position, given that the People’s Daily is an organ of the Central Committee.
Vote:March 24th, 2008 at 8:04 am
I was in Tibet seven years ago on a 12 day organized trip. We did it with an English guide plus Tibetan local guides. That is important as the Chinese ones tend to give a Chinese blend to it.
Vote:Tibetan society is a mess with rampant feudalism and the haves having much and the have nots very little.Far too many sticky greasy dirty monasteries in my opinion !
Typical of a colonizing power the Chinese came in in 1959 boots and all and attempted to smash this society. We all know what happens in that situation, look at Africa and South America.
Lhasa is a divided city between the Chinese quarter and the Tibetan quarter. There is virtually no interaction between the two ethnic groups. Whether you like it or not, the Chinese have practiced a kind of ethnic and religious cleansing. No young person can join the monkhood until 18, meaning that the young folk enjoy the foibles of modern life. As a result there is a shortage of monks to spread the message.Remember also that the Han ethnic group(Chinese) comprises 50% of the total population of Tibet.
I personally believe that Tibet will never be a nation in its own right, its origins are just too feudal. Let them get on with life in their own “way” under the protection(Is that the word?) of the Chinese or even the UN.
The Dalai Lama, the current one must fit in with any changes. When he goes then you have succession problems with probably a Chinese and a Tibetan pretender. The Chinese will pick a Tibetan poodle, the Tibetans probably someone living in Darjeeling close to the Dalai Lama. Result- chaos
A last tourist message, the Potala palace stands with me as one of the 10 man created structures of the world, along with Macchu Picchu,the Great Wall and the Pyramids.
March 24th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Help stop China’s crackdown on Tibet. We should distance ourselves from a cruel and ruthless foreign dictatorship!
http://dad4justice.blogspot.com/2008/03/petition-stop-chinas-crackdown-on-tibet.html
Vote:March 24th, 2008 at 8:18 am
Not a bad historical summary here.
Vote:March 24th, 2008 at 8:34 am
reid thank you that interesting link.I must admit that I was surprised to hear that China had been handing out welfare payments to the Tibetans? What a crazy situation.
Vote:March 24th, 2008 at 8:51 am
Think,in a few years time after the FTA signing ,NZ was and will be for all times a historical part of china.
Vote:March 24th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Yes it was good wasn’t it? There’s a widely circulating video here to which that was in response.
For those who don’t already know about it, here’s the first part of a six-part video on the CIA in Tibet in the 50′s.
One thing that really worries me and which I repeatedly point out is the alliance between China and Russia and the gradual escalation of tension between them and the West (i.e. US/UK). Here’s a link showing their support of China (posted in the open since WordPress rebels at the third embedded link in a post).
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL17151390
I alleged last night on a previous thread the involvement of the CIA/MI-6 in these current riots, and although someone responded to the effect it ended in the 50′s, I don’t resile from that accusation even though I have no hard evidence for it apart from my interpretation of their modus operandi and the current international dynamics. To me the timing is just too cute, and obviously the next move in their playbook are calls for an Olympic boycott. If a boycott actually happens, the Chinese lose face, big time. After that, if Iran hasn’t already been attacked, diverting resources and attention, watch for moves in Taiwan.
Vote:March 24th, 2008 at 10:51 am
If this advice is not comical then it’s sadly typical of foreigners who understand so little of China.
Public defiance of the CCP does not earn you community service work in China, the CCP doesn’t meet with leaders of separatist movements in public shows of cooperation and they sure as hell don’t allow foreign journalists to roam around an area that already causes them enough bad press on the international scene.
The CCP has offered a bargain to the Chinese people – allow us unquestioned rule and we’ll do our best to ensure there’s food on your table, clothes on your kids, a roof over your heads and offer you a chance to get rich. For most Chinese this is a deal they’re happy with. Despite this every year there are tens of thousands of “mass incidents” or public protests/riots in China (over 85,000 in 2005) and the way China deals with them is not pretty.
The Hive’s suggestions may be a great standard PR move to deal with “issues” raised by bad media coverage that we are used to here. But that’s just not how the Chinese leadership does business when dealing with internal dissent.
Vote:March 24th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
suck here dudes,
Vote:have you had enough yet
NZ is my Country not hers
We will take NZ back for NZ
March 24th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
i donts honestly think China care about Helengrand
Vote:drivel and suck Helen
join United Nations losers,
cash in sell up my Country here
March 25th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
“fire who ever it was who led the response on the ground to the demonstrations in Tibet; ”
How does anyone know whether the response on the ground has been good or bad?
The demonstrations were appalling however.
Vote: