Olympic torch, Tibetans, and Indian celebrity reactions

Last updated on: April 1, 2008 at 6:23 pm by Desh Kapoor

Olympic torch, Tibetans, and Indian celebrity reactions 2008-04-01T18:23:33-05:00 Desh Kapoor

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To run or not to run is the question.

The Olympic torch will go through India and some people have been invited to take the torch and run. The reactions are different for the same sentiments 🙂 While Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia will not run in support of the Tibetans, Aamir Khan will run in support of the larger Olympic goals and with prayer for Tibetans in his heart!

It is undeniable that Olympics are bigger than China. It is also undeniable that China’s regime is really no different from what Hitler’s was in putting down the freedoms of those it does not agree with.

A fellow IRMAN, who has spent time in Tibet and China, had this account of the Chinese abuse of Tibetans and their living conditions! If you read carefully, you will see the systematic way in which the Tibetan population and its culture is being annihilated!

Tibetan culture and language are languishing. Chinese language is the
official language and all the government office use Chinese. Most Tibetan
do not know Chinese and they have become refugees in their own land. The
Tibetan Temples were trampled to ground and they worship the rumbled stone
heaps.

Chinese grabs most of the government jobs. Even in small towns the
positions in government offices are occupied by Chinese speaking people.
The Tibetan fear to enter these office on the pretext that they may not be
able to speak to the Leaders (In China the Officer in an office is called a
Leader)

Education is not free in China. Only recently the Chinese government has
announced the education is free upto third Standard is free. But still it
is in papers.

An average Tibetan family cannot afford to paid education in China. It
requires about 2000 USD per year to pay the school fees from primary
school. In college it is 12000 USD per year. The poor Tibetan cannot pay
this hefty free and most of them remain illiterate. Private schools are not
allowed in the Tibetan region.

They have to make their own arrangements to stay in the towns for the
educations which is most costly and shoves them away from studying. 6
months in the years is under the severe cold and snow.
All the business are occupied by Chinese firms and Chinese persons.
Hardly less than 1 % of Tibetan are in business.

The Tibetan villages don’t have proper roads. They are hardly connected
with the cities. Many of them have mud road which are under repair for
several years. It takes 1 hour to travel 20 kms.

Tibetan villages don’t have hospital. The nearest hospital is in the
town which on an average is about 100 kms away from Tibetan village.
Almost 99 percent of Tibetan women are illiterate. They spend their time
churning yak butter, drying butter, collecting caterpillar fungus and
tending to yak

There are many tiffs between Chinese and Tibetan in small towns in
Tibetan autonomous region. Some of them flare up to call the services of
the military. But hardly any thing is known to the outer world. The monks
and Lamas have strong hold on the Tibetan population. When situation goes
out of control the Chinese authorities request the help of the Lamas or
Monks to defuse the situation.

The press in China are muffled and International press is hood wicked
most of the times.

My emails are under scanner and many times I find my mails opened and
read by the Chinese official when I was there in Tibetan region
No International NGO is allowed to operate in the Region. All the
International NGOs operate with Chinese partners. Those who operate there
are doing so surreptitiously. The CEO uses his international ATM cards to
draw money and pay the employees.

What we see as riots in the Tibet and India is the result of pent up
feeling over 60 years. They are living as second class citizens in their
own country. Some young blood in their community are now rising the revolt.
It is apartheid of different kind they are resisting now.

A slightest doubts by Chinese authorities will entail you an immediate
expulsion order. You would be kicked out by neck from China.
Foreigner have to produce passport even to purchase a bus ticket or a
train ticket.

Foreigners are allowed to stay only in certain Hotels authorised by the
Government. Production of passport for stay in Hotel is a must. If your
pass port has gone for VISA renewal your life becomes miserable, you don’t
have a place to stay. Every 10 Kms of drive the Policemen checks for your
passport.

No other TV Channel is allowed except Chinese government Channels. Even
Satellite channels are under scanner. BBC and CNN are blacked out. One hour
Tibetan program allowed in one of these channels.

Though Tibet is a part of China it is considered as a separate country.
I have to travel from China to India to apply for fresh VISA to travel to
Lhasa even though I had a valid China VISA. It takes more than 2 – 3 weeks
to get VISA to Lhasa. It takes 2 days to get a VISA to China.
The Chinese government has demarcated certain regions are Tibetan
autonomous region (TAR) there is hardly any autonomy there. The Tibetan are
allowed to use their language in the government office and can submit
letter in Tibetan. But all are in paper. Letters written in Tibetan are
consigned to dust bins most of the times. Only letters write in Chinese are
considered and replied.

I have traveled extensively in 6 provinces of China for 9 months
and I have never met a Tibetan Engineer, Doctor or a Tibetan officer in a
government office.

90 percent of Tibetan villages have no electricity and the rest of
10 % have solar panel served electricity. Each Tibetan villager in solar
powered electricity village is entitled to one electric bulb. 3 hours
electricity is supplied for this on bulb from 6 to 9 in the evening
The most important mode of transport in Tibetan region is yak. No bus
facility in the Tibetan villages.

China

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