OK, the events that transpired in Burma last September and October taught me not to hope, but still, a part of me came alive when I heard of
monks marching in the streets of Tibet against Chinese rule.
Not surprisingly, the Chinese government has cracked down, hauling monks away to secret prisons and even firing live ammunition into crowds. The protests in Lhasa turned violent, unlike the peaceful protests in Burma last year,
with ordinary citizens protesters stoning military vehicles and other property.
The protests by the monks themselves have continued to be peaceful.
It will be interesting to see how hard China will crack down upon them, especially as the world's gaze is directed at it in these months prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Clearly, China cannot afford to act anything like how the Burmese junta acted last year. If it acts similarly, then it is almost certain that the Olympics will face a major boycott from the West, one would hope at least.
These are the eye-witness accounts from Lhasa. While it's understandable that Chinese owned businesses will be targeted, due to the resentment among Tibetans of the favored treatment that Han Chinese migrants have been getting in their homeland, such violence against ordinary civilians will ultimately not be beneficial.
Any violence towards Han Chinese civilians by Tibetans will provide an excuse for China to carry out a bloody crackdown, an excuse that the world may well accept. And besides, violence against civilians is something I can never condone, however justifiable the arguments may be. The Dalai Lama has called for abstaining from violence and it would be better if the Tibetans directed their anger against the Chinese military occupying their homeland.
Unlike the junta's handling of protests,
China has been extremely efficient (ruthlessly efficient , some would say). This is proven by the fact that only now we're receiving news that this is going on, despite the fact it's been going on for the past few days now.
How China responds to this will be interesting. The time is now, because as noted, with the Olympics looming, the ruling cabal in China can ill-afford another Tiananmen Square ...
