Development in Tibet irked the miscreants

Lhasa (Tibet), July 21, (ANI): The recent demonstrations by people of Tibet, which disrupted the normal life, according to the Chinese have harmed development work being carried out by the Chinese Government.The vice chairman of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, Baima Chilin, who was recently in Lhasa, has blamed the Dalai Lama and his supporters who, according to him, instigated violent protests in Tibet.During the anti-China riots on March 14, the activists had allegedly burnt several shops and a school building in Lhasa. The violence left 18 people dead and several others as injured.While giving details of several development works being carried out by the Central government with the help of local government to a team of foreign mediapersons, Baima Chilin claimed that over 98 per cent of the students were receiving primary education at present in Tibet.In 1959, during Dalai Lama’s rule here, more than 90 percent of the people of Tibet were illiterate, he added.He admitted that transportation facilities in Tibet were not in very good shape at the moment, but all efforts were being made to improve them and soon there would be good infrastructure in the region.There had been, he claimed, steady improvement in agricultural production.According to available figures, in 1978 Tibet’s per capita GDP was 375 Yuan. It rose to 10,430 Yuan in 2006. Output value of Agriculture, Forestry, Animal husbandry and Fishery in Tibet during 1959 was 14,417 units, which has also risen to 704,765 units in 2006.The export and import trade value in 1970 was 10,30,000 (1.03 million) US dollars. In 2006, it was over 176.18 million US dollars. Output of major crops like Rice, wheat, winter wheat and Qingke Barley has also risen to many folds in the region.Total grain production in 1959 was 182,905 tonnes. In 200, it was 923,688 tonnes. The figures say that the financial revenue of the region has also risen from 133.02 million Yuan in 1959 to over 2.56 million Yuan in 2006. In Beijing, Dong Yunhu, the Director General of the State council information office said that Tibet issue is an issue of modernization of Tibet.Yunhu said since 1959 when the Tibet was taken over by the Chinese Government from the clutches of Dalai Lama, the Central government decided to work for Tibet’s modernization and for the uplift of the inhabitants in the region, which is also and main human right issue.He alleged that most of the income of the monasteries and other religious places situated in Tibet was either spent for the maintenance of standard of living of the masters of the monasteries and not much had been spent over the development of Tibet and its people’s welfare.“It was the policy of the China's government to speed up development works in Tibet” Yunhu said.The rapid development in the region, it is argued, has forced Dalai Lama's supporters to run away from the monasteries.Yunhu said that the Dalai Lama and his administrators would find it difficult to maintain the pace of reforms in Tibet undertaken by the Central government of China. The Dalai Lama, he alleged, was not qualified to administer Tibet properly.Dong said that if Dalai wanted to return to China he could come as a Chinese citizen.While expressing his views on India China relations, Dong said, " I believe that the friendship between India and China is not only important for South Asia but for the whole world.”Dong appreciated the steps taken by India to contain the impact of demonstrations by the supporters of Dalai Lama against China during the march of Olympic Torch in New Delhi. He urged India to stop Dalai Lama and his supporters to indulge in activities against China.The Chinese and Tibetans leaders in Lhasa admitted that the issues connected with Tibet were difficult to solve and looked for support from India.

John Nichols: Obama, McCain & Tibet

The Capital Times[Monday, July 21, 2008 00:21]President Bush has announced that, despite China's violent crackdowns on dissent in Tibet and its support for the brutal dictatorships of Sudan and Burma, he will attend next month's opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics.In response, Barack Obama distinguished himself from the man he seeks to replace.Asked whether he, as president, would convey legitimacy on the Chinese government's recent actions by attending the opening ceremonies, Obama said, "In the absence of some sense of progress, in the absence of some sense from the Dalai Lama that there was progress, I would not have gone."This was not Obama's first statement regarding Tibet or the Dalai Lama, who this week is in Wisconsin as part of a visit to the United States.In a foreign policy address delivered in March, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee member said that the advancement of human rights must be a central U.S. priority. And he pointedly declared, "We can start now by speaking out for the human rights and religious freedom of the people of Tibet."Around the same time, Obama announced, "If Tibetans are to live in harmony with the rest of China's people, their religion and culture must be respected and protected. Tibet should enjoy genuine and meaningful autonomy."While Obama's election would represent a clear break with the compromised commitments of the Bush administration -- and of the Clinton administration before it -- the jury is still out on Republican John McCain.Without a doubt, McCain is more sensitive to concerns regarding China's human rights abuses than Bush. This spring, when the Chinese crackdown in Tibet turned particularly violent, the senator from Arizona issued an excellent statement."I deplore the violent crackdown by Chinese authorities and the continuing oppression in Tibet of those merely wishing to practice their faith and preserve their culture and heritage. I have listened carefully to the Dalai Lama and am convinced he is a man of peace who reflects the hopes and aspirations of Tibetans. I urge the government of the People's Republic of China to address the root causes of unrest in Tibet by opening a genuine dialogue with his holiness, the Dalai Lama, aimed at granting greater autonomy."At the time, McCain suggested that he might also boycott the opening ceremonies as a protest against Beijing's policies.In recent months, however, McCain has been increasingly critical of Obama's emphasis on diplomacy and respecting human rights when it comes to international affairs. When Bush announced he would attend the opening ceremonies, McCain made no formal move to condemn the decision.While Obama has been firmer in his embrace of human rights, McCain's past statements suggest a consciousness of what is at stake in the dispute over China's treatment of Tibet that runs far broader than that evidenced by George Bush or Bill Clinton during their presidencies.As such, though Bush's decision to attend the opening ceremonies is both disappointing and embarrassing, 2008 might yet be the year when America moves from the shadow of complicity into the sunlight of a more genuine commitment to human rights.