The protests that started out in Tibet’s capital of Lhasa and soon spread throughout the country come less than two weeks before the start of the Olympic torch relay. The starting part of the Olympic torch relay will be in Tibet. Beijing, China had won the bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. While Beijing is trying to keep the sports event and the nation’s politics separate, it is easier said than done.
Many Tibetan exiles and pro-Tibet independence groups plan to use the torch relay locations to stage their protests. Recently, Tibetan exiles living in both India and Nepal have started to march towards China. It is said that the march is supposed to last between 3 to 6 months at least.
The march had started on the anniversary where Chinese forces occupied Tibet.
Many groups plan to use the free press coverage at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, to publicize their causes. The cause of an independent Tibet is one of the woes surrounding the Beijing Olympics. China’s crackdown in Lhasa, Tibet, has further agitated the issue that could add to a possible public relations nightmare for China’s Olympic Committee.
“This is a critical time for us,” the Dalai Lama explained. While he is the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama says that he does not control the people. Tibet is predominately Buddhist as it would make the Dalai Lama the Buddhist leader.
The Dalai Lama had compared the recent crackdown to the suppressed uprising back in 1959. As a result of the failed uprising, the Dalai Lama was forced to flee into exile. From then on, the Dalai Lama had lived in exile in India ever that one incident.
While the Dalai Lama believes that Tibet should be autonomous, he does acknowledge that more activists have gone the route of radicalism. The violent protests that started on Friday is one example as Tibetan protesters destroyed Chinese owned stores in Lhasa. He said that he already received a request from the people of Tibet that he should not ask for the demonstrations to stop.
The Dalai Lama said: “I’m a spokesman for the Tibetan people, not the controller, not the master. It’s a peoples’ movement, so it’s up to them. Whatever they do, I have to act accordingly.”
In that respect, the Dalai Lama is concerned about everything. However, in that same respect, he explains that he feels a sense of powerlessness. He did say that he does support using the Beijing Olympics as a stage for protests.
Recently, Hollywood actor Richard Gere who supports Tibet’s autonomy and is a convert to Buddhism said that he plans to boycott of the Olympics if China continues its harsh crackdown on the Tibetans.
However, the Tibetan exiles and pro-Tibet independence groups will also be joined by other human rights groups. Various human rights groups will also use the publicity surrounding the Beijing Olympics to publicize China’s record on human rights.
There will also be groups that will protest that China is also not doing enough to end the violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. It is noted that China has a grip on Sudan’s economy. China buys the most oil from Sudan as New Mexico Governor and former Democratic hopeful Bill Richardson had explained during last year’s CNN Democratic debate.
Tibet and Darfur are the two issues that could hurt the Beijing Olympics.
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