It's the 50th anniversary (today) of the initial Tibetan uprising against Chinese troops entering their country.I managed to visit Tibet in the summer of 1988 when it was 'relatively' straightforward to gain access to the country ... this was all prior to the demonstrations focused around Tiananmen Square in Beijing, after which internal travel became a lot more difficult.
I've got nothing but wonderful memories of that visit and my thoughts are very much with the many, many Tibetans who showed us such warmth and kindness during the time we spent in their country.
11 comments:
Following the upsurge of protest in the last year in Tibet the Chinese government has responded by placing its army in the area in lieu of the 50th anniversary of the failed Tibetan uprising. Is it morally right on the part of the Chinese government? Should Tibet be declared as a free state? Share your views with us at
www.allvoices.com/journalism .
Hannah
Thanks for the comment - personally, I agree with the Dalai Lama's approach of seeking legitimate and meaningful autonomy for Tibet, an arrangement that could enable Tibetans to live within the framework of the People's Republic of China.
Andrew
Meanwhile, back in the real world.....
Anonymous
I'm afraid IT IS all too real for many millions of people in Tibet.
Andrew
Andrew, oooh capital letters, I am impressed!, however, according to a recent poll, we, the people of Edinburgh do not trust or buy in to you, or your party's stance on anything. Thus you are in opposition and your views are either not valued or preposterous. You therefore seek to divert attention from the real travails of the local people whom you were elected (sic)to represent. This nonsense about some far away enclave on the other side of the world is really none of your business and I resent paying (as I do as a taxpayer) for the bandwidth and your time pondering the imponderable. meanwhile back in the real world....i.e. Edinburgh i.e. your wee patch ie the parochial sma council you ebb your life away on i.e. the here and now.
~ the mantle of the noble crusade befits the noble ~
Given the Leader of your party decided to renounce any support for the Tibetans this post is a bit rich!
When it was politicaly expedient to drop the tibetans for a Chinese Begging bowl, Brown Duly Drop them like a hot pot of nooldes!
Next Labour will be saying their still socialist!
Andrew,
As a reader of this blog, I take exception to the "Anonymous" views expoused here.
I believe the understanding of and opinions on world siutations are completely relevant. In fact I would be very concerned if this was lacking.
The comment ..."This nonsense about some far away enclave on the other side of the world is really none of your business.."... I find particualry offensive. As an internationalist and still member of Amnesty International, I strongly believe it is ALL our business to engage with the fate of our fellow humans, wherever they be on this planet.
I find such sentiment offensive on your blog and would ask you to consider removing it.
As for the second comment, Gordon Brown did meet the Dalai Lama in London and of course a developing relationship with the Chinese will allow us greater influence in the human rights area. To think this would not be an aim, is simply naieve or cynical beyond belief.
Tom
Anonymous 1
I sense we may not have much in common politically - that's fair enough :-(
... but please; read the banner of my blog "both work & personal"; read how I've categorised this post "personal"; and if you still don't like reading the blog content then I can only remind you its not compulsory to do so.
Thanks for looking by anyhow ...
Andrew
Anonymous 2
Thanks for the comment - can only refer you to later comments from myself/others ...
Andrew
Tom
Thanks for the comment - I obviously agree with the thrust of your arguement concerning the topic at hand ...
... but, I've got a long-tradition (hardly ever broken) of having no 'comment moderation' at all on this blog and only ask for civility and relevance in all posts.
Despite disagreeing with the two anonymous posts, I don't think they warrant deletion - indeed, I'm pretty confident others can make up their own mind on the pros and cons of the arguements being putting forward.
Andrew
Andrew,
Please forgive my poor spelling ( just re-read ) in my comment...never in haste or anger I believe!
Tom
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