In a way all of the methods I’m talking about are acts of dissent and resistence, but some of them more direct than others. For people like us who have a fairly high degree of choice and freedom about what we do and where we live, who don’t have to fear for our lives and safety all the time, it’s often vigorous protest. This sort of action denies China the legitimacy they desperately seek and prevents them from gaining even more clout and economic power in the world stage, by which they might be able to avert their collapse. It also nurtures a fighting spirit and counteracts the work of propagandists who claim to be on our side while painting China in a positive light and urging Tibetans to continually try to befriend them.

This year, after keeping everything bottled up for so long, countless people in Tibet were also able to take such outward acts of resistence. Far from being futile or “all for nothing”, the uprising was a direct seizure of the rights so long denied to Tibetans, even if it came at great cost. Moreover, the most radical acts of a few of Tibet’s bravest martyrs severely deradicalized the behavior of the masses - for the first time ever, protesting for prisoner releases or refusing to participate in propaganda exercises became things ordinary people could do without being singled out for severe treatment behind closed doors, simply because it was so much less radical than what the pathblazers had already done.

Aside from direct outward expressions of protest, dissent takes countless other forms behind the scenes, whether it’s Tibetan government-workers’ secret sympathies with their people, business men and women overcoming Chinese obstacles to employ and empower their own people, or education and health care initiatives which prove that Tibetans, and not Chinese, are the ones who will provide their own people a future. All of these elements, while not directly subversive, maintain an unbreakable sense of Tibetan identity and loyalty to one’s own people and prevent China from being able to win Tibetans’ submission through economic incentives, miseducation, or even violent coercion.

In this struggle each person has their own roles to play. No one is to say that protest is the one right path, or that service work or business or reporting or diplomacy is the one right path. But what’s true among all the people in this struggle whom I respect is that, at their core, is a sense of overcoming the Chinese by working more sincerely for Tibetan interests than any Chinese could ever do, and a commitment to the belief that Tibet must again be independent, however long it takes.

1. Rangzen and culture are not mutually exclusive. And in my humble opinion, Tibetan culture is not in serious danger. It’s not that China is not trying their best to destroy it, just that Tibetans are strong and unwilling to succumb to China. This is the impression I got from visiting places all over Tibet. It’s not Tibetans for whom time is running out. Time is on Tibetans’ side. Time will bring an end to the appeasement policies from which China benefits so much, and ultimately a collapse to the unsustainable Chinese empire. When that happens, Tibetans will be ready to seize the opportunity.

2. If you don’t demand independence, you have no leverage for negotiation at all. You’ve already given China what they want: your silent consent to occupation. China does not negotiate. China lies and manipulates. It’s been their strategy for thousands of years and it will continue to be their strategy as long as China exists.

Hope this answers your questions.

1) you are for rangzen while kundun is for culture. so tell me, if our culture is eliminated, then what will tibet do with its rangzen? what use is rangzen if there is no culture?

2) what leverage do we have to negotiate with china and demand for rangzen? i know tibet is our country but today it is under china and for negotiations to succeed, both sides have to benefit.

3) we talk about boycotting chinese goods, but majority of tibetans are from middle class family, so boycotting is not feasible for us. as a middle class persons, we have limited budget and just like any other consumers, we’ll look for goods which are cheap and ok quality and which we can afford within the budget. to boycott chinese goods, there should be a alternate goods with similar price and quality so that we tibetans then have a choice to choose between those two goods.

there is one more thing but that is a suggestion rather than a question. since you are a popular and respected public figure in tibetan community, i want to send my opinion through you to tibetan community. i hear a lot about tibetans from tibetan school not being good in english. i think the reason is their callous attiude towards it. had english not been taught in tibetan school then the case is different. but english is taught there. they just don’t want to learn english. they already decide beforehand that “i’m tibetan and either can’t learn english or don’t want to learn english” and these people then tease the students who are sincerely trying to learn english by remarking that they are being “inji”, so they feel embarrassed and stop learning. i’ve myself seen it. i recently moved to toronto from nepal and hear the same thing and this time its the middle aged and older. they goto english classes and snides at those learning english. a guy i know studies there and told me that there was one asian lady and she was serious about learning english and used to ask lot of questions in beginning but has now stopped after constant bad remarks by other fellows. they are doing the exact opposite. they goto learn english but don’t want to learn english and don’t let others learn also. one reason for it could be their insecurity. it is all a mental game. i’m not happy with it. maybe i’ll join the class to teach those bad fish a lesson. sometimes i dream of becoming a teacher so that i can correct the mindset of tibetan school students.

Editors of the Hungarian site, http://www.tibetinfo.hu would like to make an interview with Mr. Jamyang Norbu.
Is there a direct email address to Mr. Jamyang Norbu to contact him?

Thank you for your help!

Robert Izing

We’ve been following the Free Tibet Campaign closely and came to the point where we felt that we had to contribute the best way we can. We write songs - so that was what we did. We are convinced that music can be a powerful tool to spread a message, and the Internet to spread that message worldwide. So we made a video to the song we wrote: “The Identity Beneath Every Tyranny”, and uploaded it to YouTube. The song and video are given away for free to everyone, so you may use it as you please.

Thank you for everything you do in the struggle for a Free Tibet.

Video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=oyCkCOMjeJk
Music: http://shire.dk/album_RB.html

Best Regards

/Dennis Holmgreen

Tashi delek, Jamyang. The President of the Tibetan Association of Northern California and I are giving a presentation at Santa Rosa Junior College in the Newman Auditorium on September 29th from 12:15-1:15 entitled:
Tibet: A Cry for Freedom. I am looking for a good powerpoint presentation that clearly discusses these topics with a clear map of Tibetan place names:

History of the Chinese invasion and oppression
The spiritual leader of Tibet and the Tibetan people of all nations
Tibet environment
Tibetan cultural and natural resources
Han migration and its impact on Tibetan people and the sacred Tibetan landscape and waters
What is in it for China
What can we do to help

Please direct me to resources for a good powerpoint if you can.
To ti jee
Bhod Gyalo! Rangzen

Ka su shu
Amy

May Tibet be free

I wonder if you could tackle something on the links between Tibetans inside Tibet and in the exile, and the futility of coming out of Tibet, rather than reclaim and relaunch our movement inside Tibet gradually, I have also read in a magazine which sort of inspired me, it talks about all the exiles, equipped with modern education to go back to Tibet and join and lead the struggle.
Often you come out with criticisms on TGIE, which is most welcome but I also do appreciate new ideas more and I am sure most people do.

Tashi Delek and thank you.