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NAM Round Table
The NAM Round Table consists of news, insights, visions, ramblings and rants from the writers at New America Media.
I heard a loud “crack” and some yelling. In the middle of the street, a young man in sunglasses, a hat, and a dark jacket was yelling and hurling large rocks at the stark white building. What was a quiet gathering on a tree-lined street turned quickly into a politically and emotionally charged moment. At the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco yesterday, a young man took advantage of a minute without police presence to take his anger out. His large rock did not damage the strong glass above the large, locked, metal doors, but it left a mark. Before his third or fourth throw, fellow Tibetan American protestors grabbed him and convinced him to leave the scene quickly, leaving behind a rock. So when the leader of a Northern California Tibetan American group said later that violence was not the solution, I had to question—would I have taken the event so seriously if the rock wasn’t thrown? Read the NAM article: Tibetans Rally in San Francisco For Tibet’s Freedom comments |
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Just returned to China and happened to run into a newly-released
CCTV 9 (English Channel) program on Tibet and Dalai Lama which included the showing of copies of purportedly “original” documents and old film clippings in support of China’s claims of the “truths” (and untruths) of Tibet and Dalai Lama.
Some salient points :
1) Qianlong Emperor’s Imperial Decree on Reincarnation of Dalai
Lama. The succession of Dalai Lama through the “reincarnation”
process of choosing the new Dalai Lama had always been filled with
intrigue, conspiracy and manipulation by Tibet’s high priests and
nobility. During the Emperor Qianlong’s reign, the situation became so chaotic that petition for a ruling of the “reincarnation” reached the Qing Court. Thereby, Qianlong issued “The Rules of
Reincarnation” – photos of the original written in Tibetan scripts were shown.
Not only that the “reincarnation” of Dalai Lama was by human rule in accordance to decree of the Qing Emperor, but Tibet in accepting the authority of the Qing Court was
indesputably part of China (before the decline of the Qing Dynasty and China’s internal strife and chaos of the following 200 years leaving Tibet to her own devices).
2) The Rule of the Regent. When the present 14th Dalai Lama
was “chosen”, he was some 8 years old. The real power behind Dalai
Lama was the Regent (named Dakdag) who relied on a wizzard endowed with the ghost spirit to provide him with policy guidance – depicting Tibet being a feudal and backward society ruled by superstitions
(true or untrue?).
3) Kuomintang’s Tibet High Commissar. After the “unification” of
China under the KMT (in the 1930s through the Sino-Japan War leading
up to Liberation War), there were variuos KMT-appointed Tibet High
Commissars resident at Lhasa as the representative of the central government of China. Old film clippings showed courteous relation
of Dalai Lama and the various Tibet High Commissars, and an
executive order issued to Dalai Lama signed by Chiang Kai Sek.
4) British Infiltration. After the surrender of Japan (circa 1945) as the KMT and the CCP were engaged in the early stage of the civil
war, Tibet was left in a power vacuum. Taking advantage of the
situation,the British led an expedition from India into Tibet in an
attempt to create an “independent” state acting as a buffer between British India and China (and Soviet Russia to the further north who by then infiltrated Mongolia later creating the puppet state of
Outer Mongolia)). Old film clippings showed Dalai Lama and the
nobility courteously receiving the British officials at Lhasa. The
British army helped to train the Tibet army lasting 2-3 years.
5) Liberation of Tibet. After the founding of the PRC in 1949, the
PLA in driving out the ramnants of the KMT forces moved into and
liberated Tibet. This was welcome by Dalai (and Panchen) Lama.
There were close collaboration between Dalai (and Panchen) Lama
and the PRC officials which included Marshall Chen Yi.
6) The 1st National People’s Congress (1954). Dalai Lama and
Panchen Lama attended the 1st NPC in Beijing meeting with Chairman
Mao.bestowing Mao with a large gold ornament of the shape of the
Tibet “Snow Lily”carved with words praising the “Great Leader”.
Dalai Lama was appointed Vice Chairman of the NPC and Panchen Lama, Vice Chairman of NPCC. Dalai Lama was shown giving a speech at the NPC and visiting steel and shipbuilding factories (helped by the
Russians).
7) Preparatory Working Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region
(1955). As a result of resolutions of the 1st NPC of the creation
of the TAR, the Committee was formed in 1955. Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama were Chairman and First Vice Chariman of the Committee.
8) Conflict between the Tibetan “Serfs” and the Nobility. Under the PRC, serfs were “liberated” and given own land for cultivation thus the beginning of open conflict and internal strife between the
Tibetan land-owning nobility and its common people commencing around
1956 – especially those Tibetans in Yunan, Sichuan, Gansu and
Qinghai (where Dalai Lama was born – now a “trouble” spot ay Amdo,
Qinghai).
9) Dalai Lama’s visit of India (1956). Dalai Lama went to India
in 1956. Old film clippings showed he was well received by Nehru.
Dalai Lama’s two older brothers by then had “exiled” to India.
Purportedly, Dalai Lama was persuaded to remain in India. Zhou Anlai
personally wrote a letter to Dalai Lama persudaing his return to
Tibet (assuring him of his rightful position with the TAR). Dalai
Lama did return to Lhasa later.
10) CIA’s involvement. By then in the midst of Korean Conflict, CIA
began to fund, train and supply some of the former Tibetan nobility
and their followers preparing to fight for an independent Tibet.
The CCTV program did not accuse Dalai Lama of direct involvement
or collaboration with the CIA.
11) 1958 Coupe. By 1958, there was a coup by the Tibetan army
surrounding Lhasa which was quickly put down by the PLA. Rumours
were circulating that the PLA planned to capture Dalai Lama
by inviting him to a dance performance at the Tibet Military Club
in Lhasa.
12) Dalai Lama’s choice of exile. Surrounded by the nobility and
high Buddhist priests, Dalai Lama was “forced” to make a choice (of
siding with the PRC or going into exile). In the late night of 14th
March 1959, Dalai Lama left his fate to the “Heavenly Spirit” – by
placing a script of paper inside each of 3 mud balls to be rolled
in a bowl (similar to fortune cookies in a Chinese restaurant in
America). The mud ball that spinned off the bowl was one for exile.
The CCTV English program was over-all even-handed – no excessive rhetorics of condemnation of Dalai Lama. The intent as may be ascribed was to be rebroadcasted by some of the western media in an attempt to tell China’s side of the story – and unmasking some of the blatant untruths and myths on Dalai Lama and Tibet (up to his exile).
By Ye Xiaonan · Posted on Apr 4, 05:19 PM