April 16, 2008
Pro-China demonstrators target Dalai Lama's UW visit
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
Pro-Chinese protestors, including Ting Ting Xiao, center, show their disapproval of the Dalai Lama and the news media's coverage of the Tibetan conflict before the religious leader was to receive an honorary degree at the University of Washington. (Joshua Trujillo / P-I)
Pro-China demonstrators target Dalai Lama's UW visit
Last updated April 14, 2008 10:50 p.m. PT
By JOHN IWASAKI AND BRAD WONG
P-I REPORTERS
On Day 4 of the Dalai Lama's tour of compassion in Seattle, the Tibetan Buddhist monk's maroon robe was covered by a purple one.
The University of Washington awarded him an honorary doctorate in a convocation Monday at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, a formal affair that contrasted with a nearby protest staged by pro-China students and professionals.
UW police estimated that 400 protesters participated in the largest demonstration so far in the monk's five-day visit for the Seeds of Compassion conference, which concludes Tuesday.
Demonstrators protested last month's violence in Tibet, a Chinese-controlled territory, and asked that the Summer Olympics in Beijing stay nonpolitical. They expressed concern that some Western media outlets have distorted coverage of the Tibetan unrest by focusing on a brutal crackdown by Chinese troops.
Standing near Hec Ed, protesters waved Chinese and American flags and played a video on a large screen that they said showed Tibetans attacking a person on a motorcycle.
As they marched to the pavilion, several demonstrators shouted "Dalai liar!" and "No violence!"
Inside the building, about 8,000 students from the UW and other Washington universities and colleges gave several standing ovations to the Dalai Lama, the exiled political and spiritual leader of Tibet, as he brought his familiar message of compassion, nonviolence, inner peace and open dialogue.
"He looks very good in purple and gold," quipped UW President Mark Emmert after the monk donned a graduation robe and sat on stage with more than 100 higher education administrators and faculty members in academic regalia.
Emmert said the university awards honorary degrees to "exceptional individuals who make powerful and enduring contributions to the betterment of our world."
Reading the citation accompanying the degree, UW Board of Regents Chairman Stanley Barer said: "Suffering is our common lot, happiness our common goal, and love our most fundamental need. Compassion, therefore, is our universal duty -- the bedrock of all the world's religions and, indeed, of secular ethics as well."
During his 35-minute speech, the Dalai Lama repeated several points he has made in public talks since Friday, when he opened the conference.
"You are the basis for our hope," he told the students, saying that widespread change begins with the individual. "You will create this century, the century of peace, of tranquility."
Peace comes from a compassionate heart and wisdom, the Dalai Lama said, and "though the concepts come from a Buddhist philosophy, I believe the concept is applicable to everyone interdependently."
He also poked fun several times, saying he was getting a degree "without actually having to do any studies" and that he was "shy to speak in front of these big scholars."
After he spoke, eight students from the UW, Seattle University, Edmonds Community College and Pierce College asked questions that had been preapproved by administrators.
All the questions dealt with some aspect of compassion, including one posed by Ryan Mayock, a UW senior, about how to address the international AIDS crisis.
Education is needed, the Dalai Lama said, adding that because the disease is spread through sexual contact, "rubber" needs to be made available. The reference to condoms drew laughter and a burst of applause from the college crowd.
He told UW graduate student Ming Lee a story about how he helped change the attitude of a black South African who thought that blacks couldn't match the intelligence of whites. "I told him, 'At birth we are the same,' " the monk said.
The Dalai Lama told UW senior Sarah Cooke that young children should be provided "maximum affection" to instill compassion.
After the convocation, Seattle U law students Sanjee Senevitatne and Priya Das said the challenge was to incorporate the Dalai Lama's teachings into their daily lives.
Jacquelynn McCarty attended with her husband, Jesse, a UW junior, as they await the birth of their third child next week.
"That kind of hit me," she said. "The biggest thing we can do as citizens of the world is to teach our children to be compassionate."
Protesters said the Dalai Lama galvanized them, too.
"I'm here to support the Olympics and to make clear that Tibet will always be part of China," said Xin Yan, a Seattle resident in her 20s.
The protesters waved American and Chinese flags and sang the Chinese national anthem. One placard, written in Chinese, read simply, "Love Peace."
Wei Zheng, a Seattle computer programmer, said he joined the demonstration "to condemn the violence and riots" in Tibet, which he said are being fanned by "some Tibetan separatists."
"People from Tibet want to wreck the opportunity of the Chinese people to host the Olympics," said Mary Mao, 45, of Seattle.
A small plane circled overhead, pulling a banner that read, DALAI UR SMILES CHARM, UR ACTIONS HARM.
About 1,000 ethnic Chinese in the Seattle area contributed $800 for the flight, said one of the organizers, Kevin Qi, 29, of Seattle.
That didn't matter to UW graduate student Beau Raines, 34.
"I'm here for the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the Dalai Lama," he said. "It's not about politics for me."
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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/358991_dalai15.html
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March 29, 2008
Tibet Riot Documentary
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-03/21/content_6556267.htm
18-year-old Chen Jia was the youngest among the five victims.
The riots in Lhasa last Friday are the most serious incident in the region for decades. Local residents are still reeling from the aftershock, even as they try to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. In the following documentary, we look back at the events to see how they've impacted the people in Tibet.
March 14: The Lhasa Riots
This is Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. On March 14th, rioters began a rampage, beating people, smashing businesses, looting and burning. Their actions jeopardized people's lives and property.
11 a.m., March 14
(Ramoche Temple, Lhasa)
Violence scars Lhasa.
At eleven o'clock on the morning of March 14th, rioters gathered at the Ramoche Temple. On the temple roof, about a dozen monks stood and threw stones at police.
2 p.m., March 14
The situation escalated in the afternoon as more rioters gathered at the Ramoche Temple. Others, some armed with knives, began to arrive from the streets in downtown Lhasa.
As the riot intensified, a group of people tipped over a police wagon, and then flipped a nearby car.
An amateur cameraman recorded the scene as members of the mob stopped a motorcycle on the road and bludgeoned the rider's head with rocks. As the violence intensified, some people caught up in the riot suffered severe injuries. This innocent man was blinded in the right eye, and his left ear was cut off.
3 p.m., March 14
From three o'clock in the afternoon onward, the mob moved along Yutuo Road, Beijing East Road, and Duosenge Road, smashing businesses and setting fires.
They stormed into shops, hospitals and news agencies. Nearby public facilities, transportation and electric power lines were damaged.
Seven banks operating within the area failed to escape the mob. Rioters smashed ten ATM machines to pieces leaving those branches in a complete mess.
Rioters set fires in the areas around the Jokhong Temple, Ramoche Temple and the Chomsigkang Market. In the city centre, fires started in the Si Fang supermarket, Lan Dun Plaza and Wen Zhou Plaza.
Rioters even attacked schools, setting Lhasa's Number 2 Middle School on fire. The smoke from these fires covered the city.
When firefighters arrived, two of their fire trucks were torched and four firefighters were injured
13 innocent civilians were burned or stabbed to death in the riots. 56 cars were damaged or burned. Dozens of public security officers and scores of armed police were injured, 10 in serious condition. Rioters have set fire to over 300 sites, and burned down over 200 residential houses and shops.
After the riots began, Party and government officials of the Tibet Autonomous Region reacted quickly. They deployed the police to disperse the violence, and firefighters to put out the fire and evacuate those trapped inside burning buildings. The wounded were rushed to hospital for treatment.
Local authorities say more than 580 people have been rescued by the armed police, including three Japanese tourists, as well as teachers and students in a primary school and a middle school. There were no foreigners among the casualties.
In their handling of the incident, China's public security and armed police have exerted the highest restraint. They did not use any deadly weapons, not even when their own lives were threatened. Some riot police were cornered and beaten. Others were stoned. Armed police on duty outside the gate of the Romache Temple were surrounded and attacked by rioters. None of them fired on their attackers.
One day after the riots, vehicles were restricted from entering the city's main roads. But the streets were still littered with roll-over cars, burned motorbikes and bicycles, and smoldering reminder of from violence from the day before.
Local officials in Tibet say there is plenty of evidence to prove that the incident was masterminded by the Dalai clique.
Baema Chilain, vice chairman of government of Tibet autonomous region, said "The Dalai clique used various means to contact and issue orders to their co-conspirators in Tibet. They also resorted to all sorts of tricks to stir up trouble among the people, hiding the truth from them. All this shows that the Dalai clique has never stopped its efforts to disrupt national unity and seek Tibet independence."
"I am outraged!" a Lhasa resident said.
"My heart is very heavy. A small group of secessionists has unleased great violence on Lhasa. They've destroyed our happy life. We can't go to work. Our children can't go to school." another resident said.
"If there should be similar incidents in the future, we will definitely be against them. It's absolutely necessary to punish the culprits in accordance with the law. This is for the interests of the people, for social stability, and for national unity."
Many places were attacked and burned down to the ground. The Youth Road in the downtown area suffered the most.
Businessman Peng Xiaobo said "After an explosion, heavy smoke was everywhere. My uncle was over there with the woolen blanket -- he jumped down from the second floor. Then he urged us to jump, too. He said, 'Don't worry about the money. Life is more important.' The explosion shattered all the glasses, and heavy smoke covered up everything."
Peng Xiaobo's four shops were all set on fire. His family had to jump down from the second floor in order to escape. His wife hurt her back during the jump. But the worst was yet to come.
Peng said "I had a younger sister. She just had her 18th birthday in December. She didn't dare to jump from such a height. She tried to find another way to escape, but the stairs under her collapsed. She fell through to the first floor and was burned to death."
18-year-old Chen Jia came from the southwestern province of Sichuan. Last Friday, the clothing store in Lhasa, where she and five other girls worked, was targeted by rioters. The door of the store was destroyed. Trapped inside, the six girls were forced to flee to the second floor.
In shock, Chen Jia sent a text message to her father, saying, 'Father, the rioters here are very brutal. We're hiding in the store and don't dare to leave. Don't worry about me. You tell Mother and Sister not to go out.' Several minutes later, the store was set on fire. Five of the girls were burned to death. The tragedy broke Chen Jia's father's heart. He said "My daughter was so girlish. We all loved her."
Chen Jia, Cering Zhuoga from Xigaze, Yang Dongmei and Liu Yan from Sichuan, and Han Xinxin from Henan were also burn to death. Zhuoma was left shocked at being the only survivor. Days after the violence, Zhuoma still can't accept that her friends are no longer here.
She said "I never thought about that. We were happy together that morning, but it suddenly changed hours later. I can't believe it, I can't accept the truth that they have left me. I want to ask the rioters why they did it. I really can't understand why the rioters killed innocent civilians...why they killed our sisters. We're just employees, we don't have much money. If they wanted money, why did they rob us of our lives?"
Violence in Lhasa broke out on March 14th, and took a heavy toll in innocent lives and property. Businessman, Wu Guanglin, can't forget what he and his son suffered that day. Rioters targeted him and his six-year-old son. They stamped on the little boy's chest, sending him into shock.
Businessman Wu Guanglin said "I searched all over for him, at last I saw my son was lying on the ground without clothes and shoes."
Wu Guanglin stopped an ambulance, and doctors gave his son first aid. But the ambulance was targeted shortly after driving off. He said "My son's only six years old. I really feel sad. The rioters even beat the doctors with stone and sticks. The doctors directed me to cover my son with my body, the rioters even destroyed the face guard. I was really sad. My son was in serious condition for two days after the incident. I went to hospital twice to thank doctor Lobsang, but he told me that was his duty."
Wu Guanglin says he will always remember the Tibetan doctor, Cering Lobsang, who risked his life to rescue the boy. Lobsang is still recovering from his wounds at Lhasa People's Hospital.
Tibetan doctor Cering Lobsang said "We picked up the Wus on our way back. The boy wasn't breathing, and had no heart beat. The rioters stopped us. We told them we are medical workers, but they didn't care. They targeted the ambulance, and beat us."
Local authorities took control of the situation shortly after the violence broke out. They also took effective measures to restore peace and order. Local residents also volunteered clear away debris and clean up the streets.
Vice chairman of Tibet autonomous region Dorje Cering said "We are working to gather enough materials for people's basic needs. Tibet is at such a special moment. We have to guarantee that every citizen lives a stable life here in Lhasa. At the same time, we're working hard to arrest those behind the violence as soon as possible."
By Wednesday, more than 150 rioters had turned themselves in to police, and handed over what they had looted.
In downtown Lhasa, the shells of stores and homes can be seen everywhere. But as people start putting things back together, the city is on the way back to normal.
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