February 28th 2009
All Not Quiet On The Tibetan Front
J
ust because the Olympics are over and the world’s flitting focus is no longer on the Communist Chinese government’s repressive dictatorial rule, it doesn’t mean everything is peachy in Tibet and the neighboring southwestern Chinese provinces. From BBC:
A Tibetan monk has been shot after setting fire to himself during a protest at Beijing’s rule, reports say.
The incident happened in the Tibetan-populated town of Aba in southwest China’s Sichuan province during a gathering of more than 1,000 monks.
The monk, named Tapey, is said to have shouted slogans and waved a Tibetan flag, then doused himself with petrol and set himself alight.
Campaign groups said witnesses then saw Chinese police shoot the man.
The monk collapsed and was taken away by the police.
Chinese reports only mention the self-immolation, not the shooting – but people in the town told the media that the streets of the town, Aba, are swarming with Chinese police, and all of them are armed.
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the overthrow of Tibet and the escape into excile of the Dalai Lama. Consequently, the Chinese are trying to keep a tight rein on Tibet, but more bloodshed and more repression are sure to come.
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