Bibi Netanyahu’s recent run-in with the Obama administration got me browsing through stuff I had jotted down over the years on the Palestinian–Israeli conflict. I came across an observation I made some years ago about a character trait the Palestinian leadership and exile Tibetan leadership seemed to share. The piece is somewhat dated regarding events in Gaza and the West Bank, but it is sadly and unchangingly contemporary on Dharamshala. JN.
.
.
From the Gaza strip to Dharamshala, the cult of victimhood is embraced from a shortsighted perception of the advantages it seemingly confers on weaker parties in their disputes with more powerful foes. Of course, different cultures go about this in their own distinctive ways. Whatever military or political purpose the Palestinian suicide bomber may serve, one can clearly discern the underlying “emotional-blackmail” function it serves as the “victim as selfless avenger”. Hamas keeps firing rockets into Israel, which serves no perceivable military function, only killing an occasional Israeli civilian or two, at the most. But Israeli military retaliation is deadly, the latest one killing about two hundred Palestinians. And, sometimes one cannot help but feel that this is perhaps what Hamas wants, to demonstrate to the world (and convince itself) how awful Israel is, and how much of a victim the Palestinian people are.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Tibetan leadership has developed the cult of the “victim as compassionate exonerator” exemplified in stories of Tibetans who when thrown in Chinese prisons spend their years meditating and forgiving their enemies; or in claims of a people so spiritually advanced that they have moved beyond crass Western ideas of nation states and political sovereignty, and are instead only imbued with concern for the spiritual welfare of their Chinese oppressors. Such exaggerated assumptions to moral superiority provides a psychological crutch to the victims, reconciling them to their condition, and furnishing them the excuse not to make the real changes necessary to their political culture and traditional mindset, so that true individual empowerment and a measure of political success could be eventually attained.
Tibetan leadership views victimhood not as a problem to be solved but as an identity to be nurtured, and takes inordinate pride in claiming exile Tibetans to be “the most successful refugees in the world.” The former TYC president Lhasang Tsering is one of the few Tibetans who have deplored this way of thinking. In an interview with BBC he commented that rather than taking pride in being the most successful refugees, Tibetans should be ashamed of the fact.
Palestinians go on performing their futile scenario of victimhood: the grim funeral processions, howling women in black, waxy-faced martyrs in open coffins, the firing of guns in the air by enraged survivors. You saw the images in Time magazine back in the sixties, and somehow you know you’re going to see it on CNN for years to come. The Tibetan leadership in spite of fifty years of exalted talk of negotiations, middle-way, world peace and democracy, is fundamentally unable to evolve beyond anything more than a stagnant old theocracy that still cherishes the hope, that somehow, something could be worked out with Beijing, its imperial patron – choyon jindak chempo – if we performed just one more kowtow (this time an exceptionally cringing and obsequious one) and made one more, just one more (for now) concession. Plus ça change, plus ç’est la meme chose.
Dear Jamyang
Indirectly related to above just wanted to say how skilfully and thoughtfully the film ‘Sun behind the Clouds’ managed to discuss the dilemma of action versus response and how the balance is shifting between them. It always seems to me the that this is the fundamental tension of the Dharma – how to negotiate the desire for change with acceptance of how things are
Have sent a mail to your private address
Off topic;
Jamyang la, what are your thoughts on kalon tripa nominees and how would you feel to be nominated?
I would like to see someone that represents the rangzen believers, and whether you are the best person or not, you are only one i can see fulfilling my wishes to move forward.
I do not see much information or strong political work for rangzen from the current nominees and for this coming election i would like to make my first vote meaningful and worth while.
You have talked about shaking the boat, and i think by having you nominated, there would be a strong campaign to support you..and it will deff. kick up a fuss.
If you have time i would like to know your thoughts.
Thank you.
I am a regular reader of J.N lak’s essays. Unlike previous ones, this one is quite short in terms of length. So I read this essay twice.
I myself is a student studying Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and history. Naturally I am greatly influenced by what I have been studying for many years.
I can say, with certain degree of confidence, there are a few people who genuinely concern for the well being of every sentient beings including his/her enemies. But all Tibetan victims under chinese rule are not necessarily the same. Many people hate China. And hate is hate.
Hope implies uncertainty and some kind of weakness. But to the weaker ones, hope is the source of inspiration, encouragement and yearning for better.
Hope is the only thing that will help our nation to continue our struggle, Rangzen or Uma. Our hope is the Chinese fear.
We are not hopless. That is our small victory.
Bod Gyal Lo.
I guess you might agree this all plays on the particular sort of liberal-type mind-set for which the one without the power (or on the lower end of the power seesaw) is always and of necessity the one in the right. What amazing holes we humans dig for ourselves, so I suppose it’s no surprise we often get buried through our own efforts. Will we get out of the hole or will we just pull all that dirt back on top of us and call it progress?
Write on, JN! Make us think hard whether we think we want to or not!
As always, very nice to read something that triggers my brain into the thinking mode. Makes a refreshing change from racking it amidst all the frustration and stagnancy that comes with the Cause, not just the Tibetan one…any one. Jamyang la, well written..also as always.
I too have had my run-ins with the hopers. Still I refuse to comment on TGIE policy…that´s not my business.
Generally speaking, politics is just a dirty game and politicians either don´t represent or are not allowed to represent there people.
It could be an explanation for the TGIE´s predicament.
Although not recognised by any government, they are involved at a high level and have access to the kind of information that people will never have access to. Behind closed doors, the gloves are off , and I am pretty sure that His Holiness and the TGIE are closely monitored and “advised ” by other NATIONS.
Please Jamyang la, don´t get into politics !!!!
I have spent a lot of time with former Drapchi prisoners. The vast majority of these people that have had to take everything the chinese and their Tibetan lapdogs threw at them in that place are not for reconciliation. After reaching Dharamsala and telling their story ,most of them wanted to go back to Tibet with guns.
Lately I have been studying what went on in the seventies with the AIM at Pine Ridge. John Trudell is a Native American activist-poet and is someone everyone should check out if they are interested in Human Rights in the USA.
“Caught between the past and the future in a society that wants to deny us a present ”
That´s Trudell is talking about Native Americans but he could also be talking about Tibetans.
I think we all have to start seeing the bigger picture knowing that a Cause will get you sympathy but only a Movement will get you change. No one is scared of the Tibetan Cause, as we have seen for 50 years.
But if this Cause can make the step to becoming a Movement we will all see that the enemy is not only china but is all around us. That would bring immediate change, first to those involved and, if we´re lucky, to those that are willing to do everything to keep Tibetans in the place that has been ” successfully ” reserved for them
Hi Respected Prof. Jamyang Norbu La, i am glad to read all of your articles, it was very intresting. but lacking of my english knowladge i can’t undrestand every thing. if you could, can your articles are transtate in Tibetan. it will very helpful to us those who are doesn’t undrestand english very much. i am as a your student, And i am RANGZEN FIGHTER. so, i want to know very clear what is RANGZEN, Thank you so much.
Joe,
I was in a University during the early “70’s and that university had a relatively high Native American population. I am fairly well aware what took place in the minds of young Indians and also the older traditional Indians. This was Northern California and AIM was not wanted there. You see, the indians all across this land had their own ceremonies which upheld the natural law. Young Midwest indians often wanted to conduct ceremonies from the midwest in tribal areas which did not speak to their “medicine”. Many of the Non midwest traditional indians did not see AIM as beneficial but rather as a detriment to the natural and Indian Law.
Furthermore, I believe John Trudell to be eloquent. As a political figure head he is very strong. Though Indians do not want to be portrayed as “indian” they have done their best to bring that upon themselves by not upholding their own traditions and signing treaties for land which they never owned and taking money for land which was never theirs to sell.
The difference between the Tibetan plight and the Native American is very different and really not applicable other than genocide which every ethnic group, including caucasion, has suffered.
It is a waste of time to compare Tibetans and Indians.
Sonam #6,
Did you already read these two major essays in Tibetan from Jamyang Norbu?
རང་བཙན། བོད་ཀྱི་གནད་དོན།
བོད་རང་བཙན།-བདེན་དོན་ལ་དཔྱད་ཞིབ།
Hello all,
for those in Toronto Canada, Jamyang Norbu la will be speaking at the Toronto Tibet Film Festival, for the opening and closing films, April 9 and 10.
for info http://www.torontotibetfilmfestival.ca
Sorry for the off-topic post but the Tibetan script in Christophe-la’s post didn’t come through. This happens quite often. What software do I need to get?
One observation during the olympic protest and subsequent internet war of words, be it on youtube or on forums, I noticed to my utmost dismay and incredulity, that China claims the victim position without any hint of shame. Sure, they do have a point with the past imperialism and colonism, but to bring that up when they are the ones administrating the same deplorable and abhorrant practice on another race in THIS CENTURY, AND THIS MOMENT is just plain ludicrous. So, in such situations, it becomes our duty and responsibility to point out who exactly is the victim here and not let the issue get muddied by irrelevant facts which is simply made to shut the westerners up. But you are right, we have to be careful not to fall in the victim mentality trap where we think the world owes us something for simply being the victim and not doing something about it.
And I think we need to make it a point to say we are COLONIZED by China in any discussion with them. It seems to make them bristle. And I like it. Haha
Past.
1949-1959
lama-aristo govt hoped and bargained for autonomy despite being repeatedly fuked black n blue by uncle china.
1959 to 1974
fought for independence with direct involvement and help from TGIE. Result..Discouraged Chinese population transfer.
1974 to 1987 stood for independence without fighting.
Present: 1987 until now TGIE’s demand has been genuine autonomy with appeasement policy. Result..Encouraged population transfer “which threatens the very existence of Tibetans as a people” (HH 2010). With deceptions circling about talking about “talks, negotiations and dialogues” and HH’s 2 decade old mantra “i am not seeking independence..happy to remain with people’s republic of china”. How practical! Wait more; it will be even more realistic!
Groups and divisions within Tibetan community on core issues
1. This group consists of HH and TGIE with some genuine followers and many faith based followers. They believe independence is unrealistic given the Chinese military might. They believe autonomy is realistic and practical. They pin their hopes mainly on Chinese intellectuals and citizens if in power would deliver genuine autonomy. They believe non-violence will help.
2. This group believes in independence sticking to non-violent direct action. TYC n SFT fall in to this.
3. This group includes Lhasang tsering and others who believe in independence by engaging in guerilla warfare targeting the Chinese soldiers only, market economy by creating power outage etc. Expecting full written political and financial help from TGIE n HH. Changing the goal in exile charter.
4. This group believes in independence by using any and all means targeting anything Chinese. No ifs n buts. With or without TGIE/HH support or blessings. However it appreciates those engaging in direct non violent action by confronting enemy anywhere.
5. This group very small in number wish us neither independence nor autonomy.
6. This group doesn’t care at all what we achieve as long as their personal and family interests are taken care of.
Future:
Only the goal of independence with two-pronged approach will keep us united once HH is not amongst us. It may not be achieved right away. Atleast we are not denying future generations of its destiny among humans as equals. It will be a long protracted struggle though. Bidding goodbye to political deceptions and autonomy illusions.
Makes cent percent sense?
what is your approach exactly. Could you enlighten us and not be so vague. In any struggle there are always different forces with varying degrees of approach. This can be mutually productive-the sum of it that is. The Indian independence movement was not only based on Gandhis non-violent way but also on Subhas Chandra Boses by using armed resistance.I think for the enemy these forces complemented each other.I,m no expert but thats my 2 paisa bit afterthought. At the moment an armed struggle doesnt seem logical because for such one needs a source of support for it to really be effektive.Is there any country in the world vaguely interested in supporting us militärily??
The US and to an extent India did it in the 60s and 70’s to irritate the chinese und dropped us like a bag of hot potatoes after that!
Therefore for purposes of policy , we can discuss what would be better , this or that but i really do think the situation now is definitiely not worse if HH stuck to his middle way approach. This however doesnt mean that people like you or others can or could not follow or propagate their own way.Its quite clear people in Tibet and most in exile are yearning for freedom , not autonomy or some other agreement, however if HH or TGIE stepped back from their middle way stance it would be catastrophical for our image and we would definitely not have the kind of coverage we do now. Lets compare ourselves to the uighurs. 2 and half years ago I had to convince a turkish friend of mine that there actually were people of turkish roots living in western china
Of course the riots last years led to many more people being aware of that. Have the uighurs not used everything they have at their disposal to make their voices heard?Yes they have and the chinese are known to even have a special armed force just to handle riots in Sinkiang. They are muslim and turkish : one would expect a fair amount of support in men and materials to have gone into supporting the armed resistance against the chinese given the numerous muslim and turkish speaking people in the world. But it would be still difficult to find many people in the west or elsewhere who know where sinkiang is?
as far as goal is concerned let it be independence and get it enshrined in
exile charter. TGIE will first seek international recognition of tibet as a nation currently under chinese colonial occupation, garner support for any kind of military/economic/political action against china however limited it might be. the goal here is not to defeat the giant enemy but rather bring it down slowly by wearing and tearing its forces and interests in tibet and elsewhere. successful conversion of their every gain into losses will hit them. let any organization or individual do what it can to achieve independence with no condemnation from TGIE/HH. should there be one let the public be aware it’s happening out of a diplomatic need.”unfortunate…bullied loses control..human nature”..such phrases may not be out of place. until and unless we– who claimed to be the owners of tibet…begin the fight, there is no way we can lament the fact that no support is coming from any nation. the cart cannot run before the horse. those nations whose interests can be furthered by having a weakened china are hapless in not finding a handle over tibet when HH/TGIE are dying to be chinese citizens and dying to be a part of china and reap its economic benefits as if we were in exile for economic reasons.. awareness and sympathy alone can get us nowhere. half a century has taught us this. millions die everyday and millions born every day. there is no end to the task of awareness. world at large are well aware of slavery of a whole people on the roof of the world. the goal of independence has been enshrined in the hearts and minds of every tibetan since 1959 and all that TGIE/HH needs to do is show some respect and give practical shape to the dreams and desires of tibetan people and certainly act less fatherly to those faith driven who can’t speak up what’s in their heart. a govt acting on the true wishes of its people will not get its image hurt, rather gain more respect from freedom loving people around the world. middleway is the greatest political blunder and will be remembered as one 50 years from now just as i hold lama-aristo govt responsible for the death of tibet 50 years ago. to hell with ifs and buts. lets do our best by helping TIBETAN RANGZEN and MANGTSO PARTY come to power in dhasa through democratic elections and change the course of our struggle once and for all.
come storm, rain or sunshine, at the end of the day, it’s ourselves alone.
Mila Rangzen,
Please don’t dream! These days India is asking Chinese support to combat terrorism.
And America and many other European countries are closely engaged in bussiness.
Chinese lost is their lost.
And America and many other European countries are closely engaged in bussiness with China.
@ comment 9,
phuntsok jhordan la,
thanks for the info, sure to join you all on Saturday as on Friday I have some kind of unavoidable engagement with work.
please i request all the tibetan people in gta area to kindly congregate at the hall for the festival.
my love, ati la, be there.
TD,
freedom begins from the barrel of a dream! those incapable of dreaming are often the ones who got laid by depression! it is dream that has freed the slaves in america. it is dream that has freed majority of the united nations from colonization in the last 70 years. true dream entertains no deception in the space of its mind. it rises above those philosophies embracing defeatism, nonaction and waiting. finding no handle over tibet with which to further their interests other nations have no choice but to do business with mass murders. cruel world. hugging enemies that has a 1300 year old historical hatred toward a savage race is not the same as portorico or even saipan for that matter seeking to be part of america long ago.
rhetoric aside.
how is current state of things helping us get closer to our goal be it rangzen or autonomy?
what in your mind should we do to get there?
some basic idea?
In Mila, We trust. For Rangzen, we live.
Jamyang-la always attracts and activates peoples’ minds.And that is really great!I am a silent admirer of Jamyang-la’s works.He is one of the many that I look up to…not necessarily agree to all he writes,but most of the time there is nothing that I do not agree with him,and I always find some thing to learn from every time he writes.For that I thank you!Thank you for staying active on the Tibetan issue,working tirelessly at it,even at times your own life has been threatened for the same in the past.That did not shake you off one bit.That itself is a true mark of a hero in my vocabulary.
It does not take a genius to tell how informed I am of Tibetan politics.But I do say that I am not one to stay behind when the question is that of Tibet and its independence;after all I am a Tibetan at the end of the day.
I do agree each individual has his/her own view points regards to how they go about fighting for Tibet’s future.But fighting for any thing less than Tibetan independence is unacceptable in my book.
However,the question is how are we going to do that remains the biggest challenge.But taking up arms is probably not a good idea with the current situation we are in.The international corporate world has such tremendous influence on the world politicians that we do not stand a chance.If we keep our nonviolent struggle constant and resolute on Tibetan independence,and not yield an inch from it for now till we find some other stronger and more effective ways to act on,I think Tibetan brothers and sisters in and out of Tibet will be more united on this purpose and goal.Therefore Tibetan independence should be our clear goal to aim for and to achieve one as such.Back to “how are we going to do?”is going to be a constant challenge and a search till we find one.
“Tibetan independence is the only ultimatum”,however impossible China may seem.I truly believe, that, the truth has its own beauty of showing it in the end!Hope is the flickering light of the candle, and we are all bearers of that candle light…we will not let die!!! Bhoh-Rung-Zen!!!
t.d,
yeap, India is dependent on China to combat terrorism; USA and Europe are closely engaged in business with China….there’s hardly anyone who would support us at the cost of endangering their relationships with china. OMG what have we gotten ourselves into! The cause may be ours, but we have no control over it; the show may belong to us, but the ‘remote control’ is in someone else’s hand. And the worst thing is China hasn’t become superpower yet….the day it becomes is the day our cause breathes its last???
Guess what, we must send message to our brethren in Tibet that they must stop activism and putting their lives on line in the name of Free Tibet immediately coz they are suicidal and stupid, or wait till China’s economy starts going downward and its aim of attaining superpower status becomes a day dream.
is china helping india on combatting terrorism? asking is one thing, getting practical help in hand is quite another.
in fact it is china that has been sponsoring terrorism in india for decades in states like nagaland, manipur, assam, mizoram, tripura, megalia, kashmir, naxalites in almost every indian state. AK47 is freely supplied. it sponsors pakistani terrorist acts against india and also it supports anti-india elements in bangladesh. soft state that india is politically or in lay man’s language ‘a weakling’ evil neighbors are often at its throat.
go on waiting…till china’s economy goes down…till china becomes democracy…till china breaks apart like the soviet union…till china gets demilitarized…till china becomes buddhist…till china loses seat in the UN ..till china is plagued with disease and famine…till china starves and becomes so weak it can no longer support its legs….wait till doomsday! yes you are right waiting will take care of every thing! on the hand with each passing day we are nearing extinction like the american indians and Australian aborigines.
may those who lack will, personal pride, political brain and personal courage do not become the so called leaders of the tibetan multitude till the end of time!
may they all perish before before their first birth day anniversary!
India and china are going to clash sooner or later, not only related to economics, but also due to water shortage (watch china divert water from Tibet to supply China), regional power struggle, resources etc etc and it is high time for India to grow a backbone and actively seek to gather their assets. They have to choose whether they want to actively support Tibetans instead of this limbo-existence they have granted us so far and try to build networks within tibetan communities in exile and through that into Tibet and possibly into other chinese controlled indigenous people like Uighars. If you think that is far-fetched, then you haven`t been paying attention what China has been doing for the last few decades, supplyin arms, creating resistance against India inside India, around India and over India. Tibetans would be gladly and naturally be on India`s side, aside from the few traitors and cowards-hiding-behind-non-violence, but we still need more active support and assurances from India to really feel like a partner and not butt-fucked again like Nehru did with his Panchshil crap. India simply cannot afford to wait around while China does a ballet around it. Otherwise, before long, India is going to be integral part of China and of course it would have been part of China since beginning of mankind. Of course. If you say anything to the contrary, then it is against the law.
applied for rangzen membership a few days ago. TIBETAN RANGZEN and MANGTSO PARTY(TRMP) sounds good.
what’s the tibetan equivalent to english word “sir/maam” that can be used for the prince/queen and waiter with same sense of respect, since ‘kungon’ sounds feudalistic? genla/kushap? shichak officers get offended when i address them as such..or by their name or shingola! but they beam with a degree of pride and accomplishment when rustic villagers around go “kungon la! kungonla! literally does it mean real body?
any one please throw your thoughts on screen here so it gets in to my head. communicate! this is not a research paper!
To Mila Rangzen,
Yes, I agree with some of your points. Unfortunately, dreaming is the easiest thing that doesn’t need least effort. The more important thing is how to achieve that dream.
Everybody has a dream. But a very few know how to achieve that dream.
We need to take eggs without disturbing mother hen. (Tib saying བྱ་མ་དཀྲོག་པར་སྒོ་ང་ལེན་དགོས།)
In this context, I think mother hen means every country around us; from east to west, north to south. And remember, no country is willing to compromise their national interest.
So we should use our brains………..with help of latest possible technologies in a typical Tibetan style; wind-like soft and ocean-like gentle.
Sadly, it is still a dream!
Oh yes! We should use what we have.
Ummmmmmmm we have truth and support of ordinary people around the world.
And technology is available these days.
Recently the security adviser of India, Mr Shiv Shankar Menon, told media that neither India nor China can afford direct confrontation. This speech was given when Indian millitary secrets were stolen allegedly by China. It was through internet hacking from a third country. And last year, Chinese army entered into Indian soil and painted rock with red colour and wrote Zhongua, means China. Such incidences were happened over hundred times in a year. Still India do not want a direct confrontation with China.
We are not in Cold war. So voilence is against our own interest. Killing a few Chinese and destroying a few property of china will not serve any purpose.
Emotion has nothing to do with politics.
T.D,
you really need to stop being condescending and term everything we say as if it is mixed with emotion, like you are some sort of paragon of level-headedness and somehow struck the oil in ‘ground reality’. The reason why I stated it is inevitable is because there is a growing number of China experts or Asia experts like Jonathan Holslag who believe Chindia is unrealistic what with the growing presence of both nations and the taxing it will have on the regional power struggle, mixed in with natural suspicion, clash of political idealogy, lack of resources to feed 40% of world’s population, the water crisis that is in the horizon (tibet being in the middle of this) the current border issues and the influence each tries to inflict on the weaker nations around its axis. China has outmaneveoured India at every turn, Burma, Pakistan, and Nepal quite recently (I am sure we felt that). And per your example, China has been very aggressive in its border disputes and had mostly spanked India repeatedly. Although India hasn’t responded as it should have as China only understands strength, it doesn’t mean India will continue to take it. There is a growing resentment brewing within India and with continued China’s onslaught (I hope they keep it up). Although, they don’t say it is inevitable, I am of the school that believes it is inevitable.
We will benefit nothing if these two asian gaints fight a war. It just complicate Tibetan issue.
As long as pakistan is an enemy, India will remain tolerant to Chinese provocation. And China will not invade India like 1962. If they do that again, China will have to pay some heavy political price. That they will not do as India is comparatively under some kind of control.
I am not an expert on those things. But it is my personal opinion.
We should not expect political support from Indian government even a war broke out between India and China. India will definitely use Tibetan issue for their interest. That is all we can expect.
Never ever expect genuine support.
Some of our friends advocate violence as means to achieve our political goal. And they label non violence as coward. That reflects how far they are driven by emotion and stubbornness.
They want everybody on the same track. That is ridiculous.
Well, how do you figure it is not going to benefit us? It can’t be more complicated than the present state of affairs where it seems we are just sitting there while we slowly get choked to death. We would at least have a dog in the race, so to speak.
That may very well be true and brings up another contentious issue of China circling and dancing around India. I don’t see no reason why China wouldn’t invade India, as they have done it in 1962 and have recently encroached into Indian territory. India was so sure of India China bhai bhai slogan, china caught them with their pants down. They are already in Nepal and pretty much ordering them around. One thing about China is this: you can never trust them, in words or deeds. We should have learned our lesson long time ago.
There are people who are for non-violence but who are active and who are not afraid to lay down their lives for their cause ( are they violent not caring about their lives. I see so many twist about non-violence these days it is hilarious). I said there are many who hide behind this facade of non-violence and don’t do anything. There is a difference. Gandhi and Nehru took sticks to their head and went to jail for what they believed in and are really admirable as we have many in our own communities. I will never condemn people in Tibet resorting to violence like during march 14th commotion in Lhasa as I believe they have every right to do so. Whether it is beneficial or not, I won’t be able to tell but it certainly make leaders in China stand up and take notice and it definately helped to dispel this image of CHina as a happy neverland. I don’t pretend to know how to weight pain and happiness of living under oppression and simply existing.
TD,
tenzin tsundue’s bordercrossing in to tibet and tendor’s mount everest peaceful confrontation with chinese troops and tibetans in tibet screaming independence before batons, tear gas, guns, prison, beatings and torture is non-violence.
samdong’s hot movement on the chair in kashag office, submissive media statements and melodious bashans before tsuklakhang is non action.
the former deserves respect from men and women and the latter invites a swift kick to the rear.
non violence and non action are two very different creatures whereas the intellect in the library is often complimented by the emotion on the ground in the streets of any revolution any where on earth and any where in the history of mankind. if you ever go through fights against injustice physically, emotionally and intellectually you will realize that finally it boils down to the battle of wills and you have two choices; stay or flee!
read ‘common sense’ by thomas paine. it’s very relevant even today to our cause.
TD,
every little drop when collected makes the mighty ocean. heard about it?
if you haven’t then i have a good news for you. i just called the american commander in chief this morning and he has agreed to send you a nuclear missile with special capability. it has two different functions. one is you sit on it and press a button and it will destroy china completely and you can have not only tibet but even china for free. just one switch it takes! or you sit on it in a meditative pose and recite om mane padme hung mantra three times and make your wish. this mantrarized weapon does no physical damage to lives and property. when the missile reaches beijing the political mind of china toward tibet falls apart and a great sense of guilt, repentance and inner transformation overcomes the chinese leaders and in the next second tibet comes to you in freedom without requiring any further effort on your part.
Yes active non violence brings some degree of attention ..Just shouting ourselves hoarse about rangzen and hoping for some violent upheaval in tibet is also stupid. There are faktors which play into the whole situation which might not have existed a decade or two back.. Globalisation for one-so that news spreads much faster(twitter, mobile, internet…)and opinions are formed as swiftly as they change.
The growing power of China both militärily und economicaly-this is to Chinas advantage but in the same way china is dependent on the economies of other nations and wouldnt want to jeopardise that.
the rising number of people in China who are starting to protest -the number of protests increase each year!
a very slow but steady number of chinese who are trying to actually see the tibetan side of things.(I believe this is a segment we have to work on!)
I know Mila and company will laugh at me. But what are the options we are already doing what we can. My only hope isthat when HH passes away the Indian Government still has the respect it has for the TGIE that it has so far.Then Mila and his gang are free to do what they can!
No holds barred!!
Im not saying nonviolence is the best solution or that i condone violent struggle.Just that at this moment it sounds totally suicidal.
We know that many families in Kham have weapons.There are even some counties which we wont name here where reputedly every family has at least one weapon.
It seems the PLA is so corrupt they even sell guns in the black market.Most families hide their weapons. The reason there hasnt been an armed uprising is obvious. The overwhelming military presence. Unfortunately we have the most formidable enemy that we could wish for. Are you Mila telling me that these Tibetans are gutless. They would surely be able to gage the strength of the enemy!!
Being in the lions den is different then seeing it from outside!!
To mila,
I read the Tibetan translation of Common Sense when I was in school. And also a few pages from English version. It is 19th century stuff. we don’t need that at this time.
I hate the very word ‘REVOLUTION’. It means sudden and quick change. If we look back into history, revolution causes only disaster. Some people intentionally glorified those tragic events in order to fulfill certain objectives.
I am not a loyalist of Samdhong Rinpoche. Yet I admire his ability to lead Tibetan people in the right direction. Leading itself is an action.
S.Rinpoche is a gifted politician.
If you are asking our prime minister to come out on the street and shout slogans for Tibet, you are simply dishonouring our nation.
I like to quote here jigme lak’s last sentence;
Being in the lions den is different than seeing it from outside!!
To Gapshi,
When Indo-China war broke out, the Chinese government will tighten their grip on Tibet as it already became frontline.
And Tibetan pleatue is strategically advantagous to China. Therefore, any war with India will increase the importance of Tibet for China. China do not like to see strong India as they consider it longterm threat to national security and prosperity. So do the math, TibEnglish dude!
And India will not fight for us. That is for sure.
One thing I would like to tell you is that India is also a very strong nation. India is capable to defend itself from any threat.
Everybody knows that China can not be trusted. But china is too big to be left ignored.
And one thing I would like to ask you that who is comdemning our fellow Tibetans who beat a few chinese and burned some vehicles.
It was a disturbed expression of Tibetan people inside Tibet. The root cause is Chinese policy.
TD
how is current state of things helping us get closer to your goal be it any? any thing other than brain and technology which we are already using? in what direction is samdong leading us if at all he is leading? what good is the world ordinary people support when no nation as you admit is willing to compromise their national interests for us? people of india had gandhi leading them literally in the scorching dusty streets of freedom struggle and for the same reason nehru went to jail 14 times…all to dishonor their nation? jesus! are you in your right mind? to dismiss a booklet for independence simply because it’s 19th century stuff reveals your appeal to authorities, not reason. sticking to the merit of an argument means little to you.
well while non-state terrorists have killed tens of thousands and caused significant damage during the past century and a half but there is also an undeniable fact that some individual states have been responsible for far more terrorism than all non-state terrorist groups put together. A conservative estimate of state-instigated mass murder, forcible starvation and genocide against civilians for example, suggests that governments have been responsible for 170-200 millions deaths in the twentieth century alone. The few hundred deaths caused every year by non-state terrorists pales beside the massive death, destruction and de-stabilization caused by these states. Moreover, a great many states continue to employ terrorism on a considerable scale against their people today in places like Colombia, Haiti, Algeria, Zimbabwe, Myanmar, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Kashmir, Palestine, Chechnya, Tibet, North Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and elsewhere.
What are these people, terrorists or Nobel peace prize winners or both?
Menachim Begin, Sean McBride, Nelson Mandela and Yassir Arafat.
living in a strange world indeed.
jigme,
i have never said anywhere tibetans in tibet are gutless. but i know for sure our leadership is downright spineless. i can say this because i haven’t seen it stand upright for the past 36 years.
now that you have raised this question let me ask you….why are demonstrations since mar 2008 active only in amdo, kham and u? why is there no protest in tsang, toe, kongpo and ngari? is it because they have less access to information and technology? or do they have a genuine fear of the rebirth of the old order-feudalism where these regions suffered most under the lama-aristo govt for centuries? or are they being simply being lazy and less patriotic? or simply religious soft natured people? or is it self interested slavish nature? or just pure gutless? with their ability to react paralyzed completely by extreme fears of extreme consequences? i mean no disrespect to them. i am one of them. but i am no doubt curious. some from the said regions went to lhasa, protested and burnt down some buildings to the ground and paid with their lives with a bullet at the back of their head. bravo! i salute them.
Mila Rangzen,
I asked to use what we have now. How can we use which we don’t have. Think!
Then ask yourself what we have other than those two things I already mentioned before.
If you find any thing, that is good.
Technology is avialable these days. But we are not using any of them for our cause. Many of you people always claim yourself as some kind of modernised and awakened generation. If you really think so, then HACK chinese computer system and get those top secrets.
Then make PRC think twice.
And also you don’t need to kill anybody.
Any one of you have such capablity? I think we don’t have that so far.
Guns and bombs are just out of fashion! If you still don’t realize this fact, you are nothing but old rusty talking machine.
USE WHAT WE HAVE!
USE WHAT WE HAVE!
Nehru went to Jail for 14 times. Gandhi did hunger strike and lead street protest. That was great and historical phenomena. But we are living in another time with different political atmosphere. Please don’t copy from history. But of course we can learn from history.
There is a tibetan saying, dance to the rhythm of drum. (རྔ་ལ་དཔག་པའི་འཆམ་རྒྱོབས།)
hahahahhah
Mila –
I cant answer your question about why there was no protest from Ngari, kongpo etc…
Mebbe a lot of the younger generation there are pretty indoctrinated(Dalai lama =serf owner etc) -no idea !So mebbe its our job to jolt them into reality. For example a cousin of mine was pretty sure that Tibet was alwys a part of China(having been in achinese school and associating with chinese most of her life.) Thank god shes away from their clutches in exile now and shocked how history could be so cruelly distorted!
T.D
I am sorry to have a different view as you on Samdong.I think hes a lousy prime minister!
Few reasons
1. He sold off many profit making enterprises in the name of holier than thou policy.
2. He made us shout We want dialogue instead of freedom which is humiliating and frankly speaking sounds ridiculous
3. He chastises and scolds tibetans who seek asylum in the West(Again the image of the stoic Gandhian on a crsade against low sunk morality of the Tibetan refugee.)
Give me Tashi Wangdu kinda guy any day!!
td
top secrets from china will finally land up in american military headquarters since they, not us, are capable of using it to the maximum. in a worst scenario this could mean the death of many chinese. loose lips, sink ships! if i were you with that over flow of biological sensitiveness to mass murderers, i would not recommend that. but i m not you so it’s a good idea. a 12 year old brazilian boy who has this ability was hired by feds with a life time job in 2001. our govt should sponsor atleast 10 students per year in the computer field to the end to this end.
what’s the rhythm from chinese side? and what dance are you dancing? where is samdong leading us? i m asking this for the third time.
Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts.
Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.
ookmay lam sounds like the way of the weaklings. so i recommend “ookyoe” lam..the way of the strong. ha!
technically it’s so wrong. what it means is “between the extremes” chinese oppression is one extreme. fine. but to demand independence which is rightfully historically ours is another extreme? wait a minute. something is wrong here. i come to your home tonight and murder your parents and rape your sisters and you would talk about finding a middleway to this situation? if you dial 911 i will be in prison for life. that, according to your philosophy, is one extreme?
the best is “phamkhur lam”..way of the tolerant. ‘you took independence from us. fine. give us some cultural freedom’.
middle way can apply in a situation where both china and america want an island in the ocean where both have no historical ownership. divide it half half. simple!
JN,
it is my sincere request to you to write one paragraph answer to each rangzen question. many tibetans are confused. they have all sorts of strange questions. it’s hard to convince them. short clear answers will enlighten them.
100 questions and answers. it will be rangzen FAK(frequently asked questions) every tibetan will carry this booklet like mao’s red book. it will be very helpful.
thank you.
Mila Rangzen,
I just want to laugh at you! Sadly you are not here in front of my eyes.
You know China had stolen many american millitary secrets. And they are sneaking into Indian government computer system. Recently a highly classified millitary related secret was stolen by China.
Don’t be simple minded. They won’t start a war as soon as they got other’s secrets.
Our struggle is political struggle. You should know how to play politics. But you need some political cards to play the game. So think, what is the best card we could have.
I think hacker is not a rare kind of creatures.
At this time, you have given me one impression that you are lacking something as a true Rangzenwalla!
Jigme
There were many profit making enterprises owned by our government. But our government was in debt. I hope you knew that much.
Furthermore, those profit making enterprises were legally not owned by our government. Because Indian government does not recognise Ganchen Kyishong as Tibetan government in Exile.
So there were many loopholes.
As a responsible citizen, can you turn blind eyes on them?
You ought to find a solution. And Samdhong Rinpoche did that. Now our govrnment is free of debt.
Regarding the second point, you are confused.
Freedom and independence are different in meaning. Middle way seeks freedom(Rangwang), not independence(Rangzen).
On third point. Samdhong rinpoche wants tibetan settlement intact for many reasons. If you want to know those reasons, ask him yourself.
When I was in T.C.V school, we went to Gangkyi to see each department as a mini education tour.
When I was in Kashag, I noticed many group photos of previous kalons hanged on the wall in small corridor.
I was really surprised to see the presence of then kalon Tashi Wangdu in most groups. It seemed that most of his later life were spent in holding Kalon’s seat.
Did he achieve anything concrete during his long staying in kashag? I did not see anything.
If you want him to be next kalon tripa, don’t waste your vote. Choose another new one!
td,
what cards we have…middle way begging bowls? proud of that? ha! when it comes to creating those political cards then those muddle pathers in power have every excuse to back off. the philosophy of the weakling stands in the way!
civilizations stay or die depending upon the character of its leaders and people. glorification of the wimp mentality in the affairs of our govt caused the death of tibet and it continues to destroy any hope for a free tibet. i hope i am wrong but ask those warrior kings from 7th to 9th century ad.ask andruk gompo without whose militant effort the dalai lama and lama-aristo regime wouldn’t have reached safety in exile.
samdong is the worst politician in tibet’s history. he applied the simplification of monk’s life in to the complex affairs of men and women with children. that’s no achievement. his orthodoxy kills us. i would be the first one to commit suicide if he comes back as kalon tripa for the third time. as much as i believe in democracy i must confess that if in power i will not fail to whack the ass of weaklings black and blue who refuse to acknowledge that tibetan issue is nothing but independence. samdong chamchas will be sent straight to the gas chambers! let me stop wasting my time on pussies! no offense!
Gapshi,
Tibetan Youth Parliament,Europe has my full support to reach those goals. it may take time to convince the conservative folks but lets continue to push forward by educating the public and our mps who have the constitutional power to effect those changes. further democratization of our system is the only way to reduce the destructive politics of provincialism and sectarianism that’s plaguing our community. laicism is one such answer!
great job! bravo!
Mila Rangzen,
You do not know anything about Tibet! You are just puffed with emotion that clouds your mind to see things from different perspectives.
Our T.Y.C is filled with people like you. Whenever there is meeting, there is some kind of dispute among members. Consequently one member like vice president resigned and bla bla……
You people are very easy to provoke. That is your weakness. Don’t think yourself very brave and open minded.
I respect those who believe in Rangzen. Like Mr. Jamyang Norbu and Tatser Rinpoche. It is high time for Rangzen believer to show a face who can represent Rangzen. T.Y.C is hopless now.
I am not asking you to follow middle way. It is your choice. But what you are saying about middle way is not true at all.
If not gutless, the middlepather’s are to me definitely foolish. You only have to look at where we are now to understand why I think so. Kugpay Uzug rang gyab day na rag ya ghang yang me Re O. Do la gya thampa shey na rag ya ghang yang me Re O.
Middlepathers have to wake up and smell the warm breath of the vast majority of the Tibetan people they are sleeping in the middle of. These people only want one thing and that is RANGZEN. RANGZEN is the only solution that will work for the Tibetans.
If HHDL is to continue on the legacy of his predecessor then there should be only one goal, RANGZEN.
It seems highly unlikely that HHDL will change his position on Middleway even if he now realises that it has failed and may not have been a practical solution for the Tibetans in the first place. He has gone too far, said too many things and put too much into it that it would be embarassing for him to now retract his position and re-adopt Rangzen as the goal.
However, we have to test this possiblility by presenting a concrete support base to him in the form of a united voice representing majority of the Tibetans not only in exile but also in Tibet so that he will have a reason to tell the world why he is changing his position.
Nothing will make me happier if does that. And as a Rangzen believer I believe He must.
When I was in class VIII, the first ever referendum was held. The majority went to middle way at that time.
Nobody disagree with the result. But now somebody is claiming most Tibetan want Rangzen. I don’t understand what you people are trying to say.
His Holiness Dalai Lama has already declared that he is on semi retire. That means the final decision on the national policy lies in the hand of Kalon Tripa.
If PRC failed to produce some result, our government have every right to change our stance. But at that time, as Samdhong Rinpoche says, there will be no further concession. Instead of that, we have to return to Rangzen, complete separation.
What does it really mean when he says he is semi-retired? I for one can’t make anyting out of it and won’t venture to assume what it means.
Real change will not come without his express consent to a system which gives equal opportunity in the parliament for Rangzen voices. In other words, a party system. Just a Kalon Tripa making the decision is not enough as he/she can be easily derailed by Chithue mob mentality.
I for one can tolerate someone like Samdhong Rinpoche if we had a party system as we will have tools at our disposal to oppose or impeach him.
T.D,
No referendum was ever held. In September 1997, based on a preliminary poll (which details are hard to find), the fourth session of the 12th ATPD passed a unanimous resolution for dispensing with the referendum, leaving it to “His Holiness the Dalai Lama to decide according to the prevailing situation and changing political environment from time to time”. According to the Kashag, 64.60 percent of the opinions received demanded that the referendum be not held and favored for His Holiness and the Central Tibetan Administration to decide.
At that time, many people disagreed and made it known publicly. But obviously you were too young to hear them.
Please read the following essay from Jamyang Norbu; you may learn a few things…
Return of the Referendum
http://bit.ly/9dTT5K
Speaking of this infamous referendum, does anyone have a video copy of the speech delivered by Lhasang Tsering in January 1997, during the three-day workshop held in Dharamshala? A must-see debate. Compared to the insipid and apathetic presentations of Prof. Samdhong, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, it was a real boost!
Kalsang Phuntsok #57,
To me, semi-retired means 100% retired in home affairs but 100% active in foreign policies. Too bad, hey…? What about the other way around?
Hi Christophe, what about religious affairs. That would make him only 25% retired.
It is very sad indeed how some entity could channel a tragedy into a tool of support but I think it complements the human drive at the sametime. It is in our nature to brood and gain sympathy. By showcasing the atrocities of the chinese, tibetans in exile are exploiting someone else’s emotional and physical tribulations but at the same time helps mitigate the brutal experience of these Tibetans in Tibet. I would like to know what other ways would help solve the problem of our tibetan brothers suffering in Tibet. Fighting for Rangzen sure would worsen the case, at least in the short run. I think you are thriving on the same cult that you seem to renounce. You are a minority in the tibetan community representing the Rangzen fighters and thus a victim of certain injustices if not at the par of other global instances. That uniqueness or rather rarity brings you great support and admirers.
I get the vibe of a work of speculation and pseudo-conspiratorial from this article of yours.
Kalsang: if I’m not wrong, the Dalai Lama’s reference about his semi-retirement concerned exclusively the political arena.
Tenzin Jamyang,
Your comment makes the assumption that all the supporters of JN la and the Rangzen cause are fools, uneducated and credulous. On the contrary, they are not only educated and well informed people and represent all walks of life including monks/nuns and high ranking lamas.
Your assumption will fit more appropriately to describe the Middle Way crowd as most of them are only motivated by one thing, blind faith.
Sorry Mila, I was busy for a little bit with the Toronto Film Festival and Rangzen Moustaches, I didn’t get time to surf that much. Hey, I am going to add you to my facebook.
Right on, Kalsang.
The feeling is often the deeper truth, the opinion the more superficial one.Let’s not forget that the little emotions are the great captains of our lives and we obey them without realizing it. are not this struggle and even the mistakes one may make better, and do they not develop us more, than if we kept systematically away from emotions? When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion as is amply proved by the tone of postings here. the three things that has no emotion are the rocks in the nile river, ccp thugs and middleway regime! Any emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary. vice-president did not resign but was sacked! disagreement is a beauty in democracy that leads to wiser decisions. many heads are better than a single dickhead. as much as the demons wish TYC to go down in history it will, on the contrary, continue to remain the most democratic and the most respected and the most trusted and the most beloved organization in the tibetan world despite its occasional bumps and bruises along the weary way.
there may be a couple of tibetans who truly believe in the efficacy of middle way pills, the rest, when one day dalai lama comes back, after a jolt from the blue, to independence path after bidding goodbye to a life of middle way whiskey, will flock sheepishly literally in the backyard of rangzen, faith driven that they are.
freedom is not a gift. there is a price to pay. only rangzen revolution will ensure us free tibet like free france, free america!
good job! European Tibetan Youth Parliament!
This screaming for “combat” last September between chitues from Doetoe on one side and Utsang/Amdo chitues on the other side is a reminder of the existence of a hidden disease that spells darkness and internal bloodshed in the future unless something is done now while HH is alive to prevent such national tragedies. One wrong emotion. One violent look. One knife stabbing. All hell will break loose.
The only cure for this cancer is by putting HH wishes into practice now so there are no regrets later. It will reduce the present diseases and prevent many new ones from taking birth.
1. Multi-party democracy( I personally prefer bi-party which would include Tibetans from different province and sect in both the parties. This will reduce regionalism and sectarianism to a great extent and people will pay more attention to ideological wisdom and differences. If we introduce multi-party most probably there will be three major parties which will unfortunately be defined by the provincial lines despite some ideology in the party bible. Same disease will continue. For instance many Tibetans ill informed as they are believe that chushigangdruk is for khampas and TYC is for utsangs when the fact is they are open to all Tibetans for membership.
2. Separation of religion from politics(to reduce religious influence on political decisions. mixing religion with politics increases sectarianism)
3. One person one vote system. Very democratic.
4. Opposition party(to correct when ruling party errs. Power check and balance besides the 3 pillars.)
6. Lower house
7. upper house
7. deputy prime minister
8. Population/residency based MP representation
10. NO TO provincial AND SECTARIAN REPRESENTATION politics!
11. no to nepotism!
What obstacles can we expect in trying to achieve genuine democracy and how can we overcome them?
The greatest obstruction comes from the chithues themselves!
How? Why?
We can introduce those beautiful goodies of democracy only when exile-charter is transformed on this issue. But who has the constitutional power to change the charter? Chithues!
Will they change the charter?
No!
Why?
Because 1. They will not be where they are! Chitues! Fear of losing seats! Once party system comes up based on ideology, the political parties will choose their most educated/capable candidates for election and seats. Majority of the current chithues are school dropouts, mad monks and have next to no modern political education.
2. Fears from both Doetoe and Domey that there will be less Amdo/Khampa chithues since Majority in exile are Utsangs. Equal regional representation can be made possible in the upper house. This helps the middleway team in asking for autonomy. But in the lower house only locality/population based representation which is how it works in US, England and India and democracies around the world. Samdong who happens to be a minority Khampa is Kalontripa mainly because of Utsang votes as much as Obama is the president because of votes from white majority. So such fears that you will lose elections because you are not Utsang are baseless and undemocratic. We need to educate them. If you have it in you people will respect that and vote for you.
3. Fears from sects that they will lose their traditional power.
We urgently need to bring about a dramatic change in the “democracy” system we have now and time is now in exile(so in a free Tibet we will have a walking/running democracy!) however long it takes and whatever the price is! But we must ask first! Talk to the Chithues and put sense in their head. Awaken the people! Petition the kashag and parliament.
There sure must be many more hurdles but statelessness cannot be made an excuse not to implement it. In fact, it should be a reason to get it done so future generations will not be where we are today!
To quote HH “Union of Religion and Politics govt is outdated. Although democratic govt is not perfect but nevertheless it is the best form govt in the world. We must move on harmoniously with the majority, the era of religious head as head of state or political leader of Tibet is over”
Yes I believe…
1.Separation of religion from politics at the parliamentary/govt level will hugely reduce the destructive sectarian tendencies/persecution that has been witnessed in Tibet since 7th century. Those who vowed to lead a life of spiritual illumination need not worry about things mundane. You will worry about attaining enlightenment for yourself first so later on you can spiritually help all the 6 kinds of sentient beings toward Buddhahood.
2.bi-party system will have people from all regions/provinces/religions/sects therefore the destructive regional/sectarian tendencies will be greatly reduced.There can be disagreement or even some clashes on current issues and policies but it cannot spread like wildfire. as much as chokasum system is culturally very unifying it is unfortunately very destructive politically.
3.Population/locality based voting system will minimize those two tendencies/consciousness that has been largely responsible for all the internal fights that ultimately led to the death of our nation.
Can there be a resurrection?
Tibetan Youth Parliament,Europe has my full support to reach those goals. it may take time to convince the conservative folks but lets continue to push forward by educating the public and our mps who have the constitutional power to effect those changes. further democratization of our system is the only way to reduce the destructive politics of provincialism and sectarianism that’s plaguing our community. bi-party system and laicism are the answer!
great job! bravo!
I agree with all the points you made, Mila. Bravo!
gapshi,
what’s your facebook id? mine is my name used here. let’s look for more freedom warriors to get into rangzen alliance to create a rangzen political party soon. wimp mentality is spreading like parasites and eats up our society. this angers me more than the chinese who are after all our sworn enemies. married to rationalization, our own refuse to see reason. divorcing them is the first step!
long live jamyang norbu and lhasang tsering–the last two true independence warriors in exile!
Mila, my facebook doesn’t have my family name. But I already sent you a friend request.
Christophe
Referendum was held. I saw concerned officials from Security Department asking newly arrived Tibetans about their choice. I was in Dharamsala at that time.
One year later, when I was in front of Tsuklak Khang during 10th march, the final result was announced. I myself is the witness.
The voice of those people who opposed the referedum might not loud enough to hear at Upper T.C.V. Only 3 kms from Mcleod Gaj.
I remember a few Teachers were in favour of Self Determination.
Many of you people are accusing Middle way followers as blind faith. I see blind faith is everywhere. I encountered many people with rangzen ideology, but most of them just say rangzen is our birth right. No strategy. No other explanations.
And worst, they don’t know much about Tibet.
They could not speak their own language properly though they were raised in Tibetan community.
Still they are claiming Rangzen is the only thing they want. Isn’t it blind faith?
TD
You say TGIE was in debt and had to sell some enterprises . How did it mange to get into debt in the first place? And if that was so why were the enterprises sold for such cheap prices! when there were people lining up to buy them! If the intent was to create a positive balnce sheet surely they should have asked for what they were worth?
Secondly about the indian government recognising TGIE or not what difference does it have on its enterprises?I dont get it.
On your point about why he doesnt want tibetans to emigrate yes your rite I know the answer!
He wants them to eke out an existence (with organic farming of course ) in the shichags and have them as a showcase for foreign donors . Little does he realise that many who emigrate to the west make tremendous contribution to the tibetan cause sending money to their dependents in India and tibet as well as ensuring that the tibetans voices are heard throughout western parliaments!Theres also an emrging generation of well educated Tibetans who would only strengthen this resolve!!So farming away in a shichag isnt really a wonderful alternative!!
On your last point you ask what is Tashi Wandus contribution?
I ask you what is Samdhong rinpoches contribution? What would be his legacy.?
Chinese brothers and sisters?
Internal policy of china?
red tapism?
more centralisation?
????????????
TD #71,
Maybe a boy of VIIIth Class couldn’t make the difference between a referendum and a poll…? Unfortunately for you, the info I provided came directly from the Kashag. Why don’t you check directly with them, uh…?
At that time, the word REFERENDUM was widely used by everybody. In Tibetan the word མང་མོས་ཐག་གཅོད། was used everywhere. If it was a poll, then the equivalent Tibetan word should be བསམ་ཤོག .
To be frank, I learned this word during that period.
Jigme
“How did it mange to get into debt in the first place?”
You should ask this question to former Kalon Sonam Topgyal, your favourite kalon T.Wandu, and Kalsang Yeshi etc.
I don’t know that.
“Secondly about the indian government recognising TGIE or not what difference does it have on its enterprises?I dont get it.”
Use your brain. If it is beyond your understanding, then have patience to listen to other when they are giving explanation.
TD,
Perhaps you are not taking into account the ruthlessness of the Chinese government and sheer indifference and ignorance of the Chinese majority. They have already started to spread like virus in our country and now threatening to eliminate the remnants of our population and our way of life, all for the benefit of the few thugs living in the mainland. Perhaps you have not experienced Han Chauvinism and racial discrimination in your own land.
It is convenient to follow middle way because then we don’t have to do anything. We don’t have to protest, we don’t have to sit in hunger strikes, because China will come to its sense and you know His Holiness knows the best, who are we to say what’s best for Tibet. Let’s go back to living our lives, make money and pretend there never was a Free Tibet.
I can say for every Rangzen believer that it is hard to find ourselves in disagreement with a leader we admire so much. It was very painful to me personally to go against His Holiness on this issue. We have debated this issue over and over again in our minds. But I have no doubt that I have made the right choice. How can we look away from the truth and reality?
It takes a conscious effort to follow the Rangzen path. That’s why instead of living comfortable lives the Rangzen believers have chosen to actively participate in this struggle because it is something bigger and more sacred than any individual.
T.D,
This is from the 10th March Statement of His Holiness, in 1998: “…Last year, we conducted an opinion poll of the Tibetans in exile and collected suggestions from Tibet wherever possible on the proposed referendum, by which the Tibetan people were to determine the future course of our freedom struggle to their full satisfaction. Based on the outcome of this poll and suggestions from Tibet, the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies, our parliament in exile, passed a resolution empowering me to continue to use my discretion on the matter without seeking recourse to a referendum…” http://bit.ly/dDnsEm
Kalsang Phuntsok
We all know what is happening in Tibet and what kind of danger lies ahead of us.
But if you are accusing our government and His Holiness Dalai Lama of neglecting these facts, it indicates that you are either lying or knows nothing about Middle Way.
Nobody has chosen Middle Way just because they don’t want Rangzen. It is because of rapid cultural genocide in Tibet and the growing might of PRC’s economy and military, our government choose to compromise with Chinese.
Because of present situation where our enemy is among the global super power, we can not afford direct confrontation. Tactically it is suicidal. We are in no postion of attacking our enemy. And politically Rangzen means direct attack to our enemy. We are too weak at this time but it doesn’t mean we are cowards.
In another word, we should not think like Get Rangzen or Die trying (Get rich or die trying).
Dying is disappearing. What we should do is to survive as long as possible. The best way of surviving ourself is through Middle Way.
What we are seeking throught Middle Way from China is certain amount of freedom to run a democratic government within PRC. In this way we can terminate the inflow of non Tibetan people into Tibetan region and finally will cease the cultural genocide.
Because of the aforementioned dangers and situation, we need a rapid solution. And the Middle Way, though no evident progress made so far, is still considered best solution. Because it has certain qualities which diminishe political stubbornness of many die hard Chinese. And this is really happening.
We should always remind ourself of our own condition. Only then we can do something meaningful.
http://woeser.middle-way.net/
Christophe
You quote from the website which dedicates to the cause of Rangzen. And the quotation itself is a small paragraph taken from the original speech.
Therefore I have a good reason to think that this quoted paragraph can mislead readers as it happens everywhere.
T.D,
You have a real problem to admit your error. The website is the official website of His Holiness (not one “which dedicates to the cause of Rangzen”) and I provide a link for the full text. What more do you want?
TD,
I don’t want to try to convert you. I have no such desire. Please read the following quote from one of Lhasang Tsering la’s article. It expresses exactly what I feel about our situation.
“Independence is not only our natural and legal right – it is the express wish of the Tibetan people at large. Accordingly, the entire exile community does not have the mandate to alter the goal of independence, let alone the exile government.”
The 150 thousand or so living outside Tibet doesn’t have the right to alter the goal and aspiration of 6 Million living inside Tibet. If genuine autonomy is what you want, aim for complete independence. Then you might have a chance of getting there. Just passive overtures to a unrelenting enemy will accomplish nothing.
On your 58th posting, you quote from this website http://bit.ly/9dTT5K.
And again on your 80th posting you literally quote from the same website http://bit.ly/dDnsEm.
So I chose to neglect the second one. But to my embrassment, it turned out to be H.H website.
Is it E-magic?
However, I still hold my previous view. On 10th March of 1994, His Holiness declares ” I feel strongly that it would then be my responsibility, as I have stated many times in the past, to consult my people on the future course of our freedom struggle. Just as the late Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, stated in the Indian Parliament on December 7, 1950, I too have always maintained that the final voice with regard to Tibet should be the voice of the Tibetan people. Whatever the outcome of such a consultation, it will serve as a guideline for our future dealings with China and the re-orientation of the course of our freedom struggle.” http://dalailama.com/messages/tibet/10th-march-archive/1994
And four choices were given;
1.indenpendenc
2.self determination
3.Middle Way
4.Satyagraha.
And finally over 60% of Tibetan people had chosen Middle Way. Majority of them were living outside Tibet. So 40% of them might want either Independence or Self determination or Satyagraha.
I think you are among the 40%.
This strongly indicates that the Middle Way is chosen by the majority of Tibetan people even if it wasn’t a referendum you want.
After all people will choose the same!
Kalsang Phuntsok
Now you are relying on Mr. Lhasang Tsering Lak. Though I cannot agree with his statement, I truly respect his dedication and unwavering love for our fatherland.
If every Tibetan is like Mr. Lhasang Lak, then we can get Rangzen within a year. And Samdhong Rinpoche wants every Tibetan be like Buddhisattva.
But sadly all these are wishful thinking.
T.D,
As it has been said many times and by many observers, the “majority” was not expressing support for the Middle Way Approach but for His Holiness. And this is a big difference!
They trust him as Americans trust Obama.
It is as simple as that.
Does every Obama supporter knows his policies? I don’t think so.
Do you think it is reasonable to say that the “majority” was not expressing support for the CHANGE but for OBAMA?
There is no need to split hairs. Many writers wrote in the name of observers just to fill their belly. They need to say something new if possible against a famous person.
You can listen to them but the final judgement should be yours.
Dear Tibetan blogger, in order to show some respect and solidarity with our people in distress in tibet, can you stop nagging and pay little attention to their sobs.
While giant office buildings of Chinese Cummunist officails and their family’s dwellings are standanding high and strong, those cheap and low quality houses in so called New Socialist Villages in Kyigu were collapsed and about 98% Tibetans who forced to dwell in these villages were victims of this time’s earth quake. This is not only about a natural disaster, this disaster was resulted by wrong policies of the communist government.
The communist government forced Tibetan nomads out of grassland and their traditional anti-earth quake tents and forcefully relocated in those cheap and low quality and sub-standard dwellings, and now our brothers and sisters died, and we are crying and mourning.
Tibetan Mastiff,
I fully agree with you, but arguing here doesn’t refrain us from being active in other places. I’m thus pleased to inform you that we compiled last night a high-resolution satellite image of Jyekundo City prior to the earthquake of April 14, 2010, from around one hundred Google maps screenshots.
This image of 12212 x 5596 pixels can be downloaded from the following URL (23,4Mb):
http://www.rangzen.net/resources/downloads/?did=6
Please feel free to use it and distribute it wherever necessary. Among others, it could prove particularly useful in rescue efforts or in detailed reports. A credit to the Rangzen Alliance would be welcomed but not compulsory.
ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔ ཨོཾམཎིཔདྨེཧཱུྃ༔
we must keep our debate that is of national importance continued and at the same do what we could to our perished brethren in earthquake in Tibet, or Chinese repression. anyone who asks to do one is shortsighted.
keep it going!
to Tibetan Mastiff
I would like to point out that the poorly constructed buildings, while regrettable, is not targeted specifically at Tibetans, as the earthquake in 2008 demonstrates.
Although I must admit, internal civilian response in the mainland this time is markedly muted compared to 2008, when civilian aid giving reached remarkable levels.
Palestinians get world support for the peace process by hiding in mosques and blowing up civilian Israelis.
Tibetans in Tibet tolerate torture, rape, and murder and then get excited because the Brits or Americans say “Beijing should TALK to the Dalai Lama’s people.”
Clearly, the Chinese are the most barbaric people on earth. But are Tibetans the most naive? And which is more embarassing?
-Prescott
In ref to #78 posting:
You evaded the question “How did it manage to get into debt in the first place?” with a “I don’t know that”………??????
I am still paitently waiting for your explanation.
While fellow Tibetans inside Tibet were putting up resistance to oppression & brutality , their brethren in exile were helping themselves to the profits from the various businesses set up in ‘HH’s Charitable trusts’.
I agree with posting# 93 .
Keep it going – the debate on our national issue – external and internal!!
I never knew someone is waiting patiently for my reply! My reply is that since our government in exile is not recognized by Indian Government, all the hotels and small factories are registered in other’s name. So legally none of them are belonged to OUR GOVERNMENT IN EXILE.
And those people who were looking after those hotels and factories are not taking much responsiblity. Often they were incomptent. So business went down and debt was the result.
The only solution is privatisation.
Thankyou for taking the time to post your explanation. I was not expecting one – so thanks again.