Commentary

 

Commentary

April 3, 2009

China Digs in Its Heels in Tibet

In January, in a move little noticed outside Tibet-watching circles, China signaled its confidence in having outmaneuvered the Dalai Lama and his Tibetan government-in-exile on the […]
March 28, 2009

西藏作為「人間地獄」

三月,已經變成爭奪西藏歷史記憶所有權的戰場了。博彌聲稱三月十日,亦即1959年眾多博彌群起在拉薩抗議的那一天,是一個國家的紀念日;到了今年,中國被迫採取戲劇化的手段來圍堵任何三月十日的暗示。在此同時,中國推出了新的假期,以便紀念他們當年對該抗議事件的鎮壓:三月二十八日因此變成了「農奴解放日」。這整件事情沒有什麼委婉細緻之處--中國已經決心要宰制圖博的歷史觀,不管是靠強迫,或者靠暴力,都得達成。
March 27, 2009

Tibet als ›Hölle auf Erden‹

Der Monat März hat sich in eine Auseinandersetzung verwandelt, die um das Patentrecht auf die historische Erinnerung Tibets geführt wird. Tibeter beanspruchen den 10. März, den […]
March 27, 2009

Tibet as ‘Hell on Earth’

The month of March has turned into a field of contention in a struggle for the ownership of Tibet’s historical memory. Tibetans claim March 10, the day the 1959 Tibetan uprising erupted in Lhasa, as a national day, and this year China has been forced to take drastic measures to contain any hint of it. At the same time, China has staked out a new holiday in order to commemorate the suppression of that same uprising: March 28 is henceforth to be »Serfs Emancipation Day.« There is nothing subtle about all this—China is quite determined to dominate the Tibetan historical view, whether or not coercion or even force is necessary.
November 27, 2008

He Has Got It Wrong

In the end, China was right. It is all about the Dalai Lama. Following a week-long “special meeting” to discuss the future of the Tibetan movement, […]
March 17, 2008

Big Brother Is Watching

A combination of factors has come together, including Tibetan awareness of China's sensitivity to negative international attention in the build-up to the Olympics and the arrival of March 10, the day when Tibetans mark the 1959 uprising against China. But the most important element has to be the persistent, underlying resentment of China's presence in Tibet. The banned Tibetan national flag has been unfurled in Lhasa and on its streets the familiar cry for Tibet's independence has been shouted.