Chinese Authorities Tear Gas Tibetan Monks

Maybe it was the Bjork concert in Beijing, where the artsy chanteuse ended her gig with a shout of “Free Tibet!” Or perhaps, the Communist government of the People’s Republic of China wants to make sure the Olympics this summer aren’t a stage for making human rights demands and have singled out Tibet as a way to send a message. In any case, the Chinese police have tear gassed about 500 Tibetan monks who have staged protests. Unless and until they are prepared to use violence, though, the people of Tibet are going to be part of the PRC.

Nonviolence as a strategy does have far greater potential for reconciliation after the change being demanded is made. Mister Gandhi, Reverend King and President Mandela (although it must be remembered he adopted nonviolence only after he was imprisoned) all retained room for their enemies to become their friends or at least rivals within a peaceful framework. And so the Dalai Lama and his supporters hope to shame the Beijing government into a new policy and let Tibet go free so it can be a friend of the PRC.

The attitude is worthy of respect in that it seeks to prevent death and destruction. It is also worthy of contempt and ridicule because it is ineffective and is counterproductive because it wastes time. Communists, even the “nice” ones America trades with, have never denied the value of the bullet in political debates.

The Dalai Lama and those around him are trying to shame a regime that is responsible to the largest mass murder in the history of mankind. The Great Cultural Revolution was not tea parties. And Mao’s intentional famine from 1958-1962 as part of the Great Leap Forward killed about as many people as World War II did. Now, President Hu is not Chairman Mao, just as Vladimir Putin isn’t Vladimir Lenin – but the difference is one of degree not of nature.

So, the tear gassing of some monks in Lhasa, Tibet (or is that Lhasa, PRC?) should come as no surprise. They protested against the de facto authorities, who would quite gladly have used live ammunition if it became necessary. Those who wander about with “Free Tibet” on their T-shirts or bumper stickers misunderstand the nature of the occupation and the occupier. The question is whether Tibetans are prepared to die to the last of them to be free. Thus far, the answer seems to be "no."

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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