By Gelek (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-04-09 07:27

Since March 10 the riots which have broken out in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and in several Tibetan-inhabited areas in Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan provinces, have sent shock waves in and out of the country.

This violence, in which people were injured, and shops looted and set on fire, has been organized, masterminded and incited by a certain group.

The riots of March 14, coincided with the anniversary of the so-called "Tibet uprising" in 1959. Several monks in the Lhasa riot carried flags of the "snow lion", symbol of the so-called "Tibet independence" movement. This is solid proof that the Dalai clique has never given up efforts to separate Tibet from the rest of the country.

It gives the lie to the Dalai Lama's statements that he has given up his bid to seek independence for Tibet.

In his statement on March 28, the Dalai Lama even said he would guarantee ethnic Han people "he has no intention to split Tibet from the country or cause a rift between the Han and Tibetan peoples".

Melvyn Goldstein, a well-known US scholar in Tibetan studies, explains the contradiction between the Dalai Lama's words and deeds.

In his book entitled The Snow Lion and the Dragon, Goldstein points out: "The Dalai Lama has several options. He can continue his current international campaign, trying to keep China on the defensive in the global arena through human rights attacks while striving to garner more support for his cause in Washington and Europe.

"The Dalai Lama and his supporters have become extraordinarily adept at this. However, the reality of the situation is that the United States and other Western countries have clearly demonstrated they are unwilling to alienate China over human rights in general or Tibet in particular.

"Thus, like players on a losing football team who are awarded stars for their helmets for good plays, these international successes make everyone feel good but do not change the outcome of the contest. And to the extent that they antagonize the Chinese and encourage rigidity among the exile leadership, they may exacerbate an already dangerous situation.

"Implicit in continuing the current policy is hope - the exiles' hope that the flow of history itself will provide the victory they desire, that Communist China will soon disintegrate like the Qing dynasty in 1911 and the USSR in 1991, and that this will afford them the opportunity to regain control over Tibet."

After China started economic reform and opening up more than three decades ago, it has risen as a remarkable power in the world. Today, China is politically stable, has a booming economy and a prosperous market. People's lifestyles are improving dramatically year by year, minority ethnic groups are getting along well with each other, and the country is playing an increasingly important role in international affairs.

Anyone can plainly see that China will be able to maintain its current growth momentum for at least another decade. It is just a dream of the Dalai Lama and his followers to think they can achieve Tibet independence in circumstances described by Goldstein.

As an ethnic Tibetan scholar, I am deeply concerned about the welfare of my people. Therefore, I have been visiting Tibet at least once every year in the last three decades.

My studies during these visits show that Tibet has witnessed significant progress in political, economic and cultural terms thanks to the democratic reform, the policy of regional ethnic autonomy, and the economic reform and opening up.

Most Tibetans enjoy the right to administer their own affairs in the region and have an equal political position with people of other ethnic groups.

As a result of the huge financial input and technological support from the central government, the Tibetan people today lead a better life than before. Their traditions and religious beliefs are well respected and preserved. Modern culture is also being absorbed by some Tibetans.

According to my annual studies, most Tibetans are content with their current lives and the policies of the Communist Party of China.

All these facts are a positive response to the policies of the Party and the central government concerning regional ethnic autonomy, religion and economic reform.

They have also resulted from the active participation of the Tibetan people in the political life.

According to their experiences in the last several decades, the Tibetans have developed more trust in the Party and central government.

From our academic studies aimed at objectivity and fairness, we do not see any signs that suggest "the Tibetan people are living in fear", as the Dalai Lama asserts.

On the contrary, more and more Tibetan people, especially those living in the rural areas, are more concerned that their peace and happiness might be harmed by the separatists.

The violence that took place in Lhasa and several other cities was not only against the will of most Tibetans, but also contradictory to the belief in benevolence as prescribed in Tibetan Buddhism.

What makes Tibetan people live in fear is not economic reform, nor the Tibetan policies of the Communist Party, but the efforts of some groups trying to restore feudal serfdom in Tibet before it was banished in 1959, and their attempts to pull Tibet into the quagmire of terrorism, like what is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In an open letter by the Dalai Lama, he said he was willing to be a member of the People's Republic of China, and approved and supported a harmonious society as raised by President Hu Jintao.

If he really means it, he should strongly object to all separatist activities, and stop inciting ignorant monks to violence.

As a Tibetan, I fully believe that the monks involved in the Lhasa riot had done so for the sake of the Dalai Lama.

There is a Chinese saying "it is better for a doer to undo what he has done".

After the peaceful liberation of Tibet, the democratic reform, the economic reform and opening up, the people living in Tibet and the Tibetan-inhabited areas in other provinces have chosen the socialist way with Chinese and Tibetan characteristics. They are seeking a society of democracy, freedom, harmony, development and prosperity. Any activities of separatism, violence and terrorism will be condemned by the people in Tibet, in China as a whole, and across the world.

Definitely, the Olympic Games, long awaited by the Tibetan people, will be held successfully in Beijing this summer, and the riots will fade away in the long march of the Tibetan people toward modernization.

The author is Deputy Director of the China Tibetology Research Center based in Beijing.

(China Daily 04/09/2008 page8)