Tibet Protests 2008

Guide Note: On April 4, 2008 violence in Tibet began again when Chinese officials clashed with monks and protesters during a search for picutres of the Dalai Lama in Sichuan province. This is following the protests of March 10, 2008, in which Tibetan Buddhist monks marched in the capital, Lhasa, sparking a chain of events that led to an outbreak of violence on March 14, 2008. Protesters in Lhasa attacked numerous Chinese businesses and ethnic Chinese residents. Sources say that as many as 80 people are dead. China puts the death toll at 10. On March 16, Chinese police arrived in force and appeared to secure the capital, while protests spread to ethnic Tibetan communities in neighboring Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces. The Dalai Lama decried Chinese policy for perpetrating "cultural genocide," while maintaining that the 2008 Beijing Olympics should take place as planned. Protests against the Chinese administration of Tibet had been steadily escalating since the middle of 2007. As the violence in Lhasa has subsided, the intensity of protests abroad has increased, and repeatedly threatened to turn violent. Criticism from foreign governments has, thus far, been done through private channels but many people expect measures such as Olympic Protests to be necessary if China does not respond. Due to censorship of reporting coming from Tibet and restrictions on foreign journalists in the region, a full picture of the events has yet to emerge.

Causes

  1. Deep background: Most Tibetans view the province as a sovereign nation to be ruled by the Dalai Lama
  2. This forms the basic grievance of the Tibetan Independence movement
  3. China asserts its historical right to the area, which it officially annexed in 1951
  4. 1959: Armed rebellion erupted leading to a period of decades in which Tibetan culture and Buddhist religion were suppressed by China, sometimes violently
  5. Chinese government policy has been to settle the area with ethnic Chinese, thus reducing Tibetan influence on public life and private institutions
  6. March 10, 2008: Monks defy Chinese authorities and march into Tibet's capital, Lhasa
  7. The March 10, 2008 march marked the 49th anniversary of the 1959 rebellion
  8. 2008: China hosts the Olympics, its possible that Tibetans are using this extra scrutiny to raise the profile of Tibetan Independence

Fast Facts:

  1. The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, reigns in exile in Dharamsala, India
  2. Tibet was officially placed under Chinese control in 1951, via pro-Chinese elements in the Tibetan government
  3. Protests calling for Tibetan Independence have been escalating since 2007
  4. The largest demonstrations in 20 years began on March 10, 2008
  5. A march from India into Tibet, scheduled to coincide with the 2008 Olympics is currently underway
  6. Taiwan allowed Tibetan activists to hold a "Tibetan Olympic Torch Rally"
  7. In a concert in Shanghai, Bjork shouted "Tibet! Tibet!" at the end of her song Declare Independence

The Mahalo Top 7

  1. Comment Is Free (The Guardian): Hard Lines Help No One (April 10, 2008)
  2. Times Online: Chinese Police Kill Eight After Opening Fire... (April 4, 2008)  WARNING: Pop-ups
  3. The Guardian: Interactive Guide: Unrest in Tibet
  4. Reuters: Chronology: Day by Day Record of Tibet Protests
  5. VOA News: China Faces Increasing International Scrutiny over Tibet (March 28, 2008)
  6. The New York Times: Simmering Resentments Led to Tibetan Backlash (March 18, 2008)
  7. YouTube Video: Tibetan Monks Embarrass China - 27 Mar 08 (Time: 3:04)


Tibet Protests 2008 Photos

Tibet Protests 2008 News

Effect on the Olympics

Aftermath and Reactions

Protests Spread

Suppression of News

Protests Turn Violent

Initial Protests

International Response

Tibet Protests 2008 Background and Major Events

Protests in Nepal

March From India

Bjork Controversy

Olympic Protests

Protests in Taiwan

Tibet Protests 2008 Videos and Media

Tibet Protests 2008 Blogs and Commentaries

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