[PEN-L:9674] FW: Dalai Lama/Today's Tibet

["Craven, Jim" <jcraven@xxxxxxxxx>]

This was forwarded to me for which I am grateful and I thought it might add
some information to the discussions.

Thanks to Macdonald Stainsby for taking the time to share this.

Jim Craven


-----Original Message-----
From: Macdonald Stainsby [mailto:mstainsby@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 1999 3:44 PM
To: jcraven@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: Fwd: Dalai Lama




>TODAY'S TIBET
>by Macdonald Stainsby
>
>>                     The most screenplayed and least explained of the
>>national liberation movements currently spoken of in the mainstream
>>press is undoubtedly that of Tibet. We are treated to emotion evoking
>>images of terror and sorrow in such Hollywood offerings as "Seven Years
>>In Tibet" and "Kundun". Short of content and discussion, these movies
>>provide any decent person with ample righteousness in condemning
>>"atrocities" carried out by a heartless, power hungry and expansionist
>>Chinese Communist Party.
>>
>>                   There are countless groups from all sorts of first
>>world (i.e.- Imperialist) countries pressing for a "Free Tibet!" using
>>the charming and seemingly humble Dalai Lama as their spokesman of
>>reference.
>>The Dalai himself has been awarded the Nobel peace prize, adding fuel to
>>a cause that, it would seem, only racists and Chinese bureaucrats and
>>Nationalists would dare oppose. Yet there are several things that do not
>>add up, and many secrets not spoken about all this that cry for
>>clarification. It does not seem that such information is forthcoming
>>from those who wished to be viewed as the bearers of expertise on this
>>"untouchable" issue. So let's "touch" the issues.
>>
>>
>>                 Some questions either omitted or refuted through gross
>>distortion are begged, such as: 1. What was Tibet like during the period
>>before People's Liberation Army intervention? 2. Who is the Dalai Lama
>>now and historically? What is the Chinese argument to maintain
>>jurisdiction? 3. Has Tibet ever been sovereign? Why do Bill Clinton and
>>other decidedly anti-liberation leaders and governments wish to embrace
>>"Tibetan Freedom"? 4. Aside from the one-sided stories of murder and
>>mayhem, what new policies have been implemented in Tibet since the
>>occupation? 5. For a poor, third world region what does "freedom" amount
>>to in practical terms, outside of the (newly raised) slogans of
>>"American style democracy"?
>>
>>                  These questions, usually afforded dismissal when not
>>merely accorded ommission by the mainstream press, require real,
>>objective answers for all those seeking the best interests of Tibet and
>>her inhabitants.
>>
>>                  Unlike the "Shangri-la" image of Tibet before 1959
>>usually portrayed by movies and Richard Gere types, Tibet was a lot more
>>complicated and unpleasant than what is spoken today. The reality seems
>>almost a matter of common sense. What region, dirt poor and neglected
>>has ever been the site of merely "religious and spiritual harmony"? The
>>Tibet of old was, in fact, a theocracy. Religious rites were law, and
>>public input was never sought. In the charter of law, women had no
>>rights, being only those who produced further Tibetans. Tibet may have
>>benn very much a land of spiritual wealth, but as is often the case,
>>this was dependant entirely on your material wealth. A country with only
>>land that was barely productive for cultivation of sparse crops and
>>little else, the wealth was almost non-existent. In order to achieve
>>some form of economy without damaging economic, religious and political
>>privelige, Tibet had only around 100 families who owned nearly all the
>>land in what was a de-facto serf-feudal economy. As was done in
>>establishing relations with the "Post-Communist" Russian Federation, any
>>so-called independant Tibet would be required to return "stolen" (i.e.
>>Nationalized) property to it's pre-'59 owners. Some estimates have gone
>>as high as 20 percent of the population being outright slaves, bought
>>and sold. These numbers are inconsistent with two facts: There were not
>>enough people in Tibet with resources to provide subsistence to slaves
>>for such a large figure, and the feudal slavery that was the lot of
>>ninety percent of Tibet was far more cost effective for the nobility
>>than the cloak of religion. Five percent is the number that most
>>objective non-partisan researchers agree on.
>>
>>                     Monks had to be male, and inherit the social status
>>of the previous generation in what was an inaccesible inner-ring of
>>power. Slaves and serfs who ventured to break free of their social
>>position were subjected to torture, such as live-skinning and tortuous
>>burns to keep them in place and serve as an unspoken warning to others
>>who might dare the same revolt. The image fostered of Tibetans studying
>>prayers and meditations is far more mis-leading than it is outright
>>false. As already mentioned, Tibet was spiritual for those with the
>>material to back it up. However, this picture is propagandistic because
>>Tibetans has an overall literacy rate estimated at less than 5 percent.
>>"Estimates" need to be gathered because the leadership of Tibet would
>>never attempt such a humane census. Only two schools, both run by the
>>monasteries, existed before 1959. Both of these educated the next crop
>>of priveliged monks. Lacking the access to education and innundated with
>>a reactionary brand of Buddhism, Tibetans who were very poor even
>>developed a legend that if you kill a rich foreigner, you will inherit
>>his "luck". Infant mortality was higher than anywhere else in mainland
>>China.
>>
>>                         As with most, if not all feudalisms, any wealth
>>deemed important to the hierarchy of Tibet was just taken. In other
>>words, when the livestock (almost only yaks and sheep) was limited for
>>meat, a serf would watch helplessly as the monks carted them off for
>>their own consumption. As neccessary, this was done by murderous force.
>>
>>                        As far as the Dalai Lama, do not be deceived by
>>his "respectable" credentials. Nobel Peace Prize winners have included
>>such men as covert operation king Henry Kissinger, supposedly for
>>bringing peace in VietNam, which only he and his cohorts had prevented
>>through bombimg campaigns for the previous 20 years. This "prize" was
>>the Wests' answer to the Stalin Peace Prize, awarded to Paul Robeson,
>>among others. In fact, the Dalai Lama has been on the CIA payroll and
>>contact list since before the 1959 intervention. The Dalai's role was
>>less than peaceful, much less than moral. In 1951, the Tibetan
>>authorities signed an agreement with the Communist Party of China that
>>was in the mold of all the other Sino-Tibetan charters; Tibet was an
>>autonomous region of China with her own local authorities, answerable to
>>the central government in Beijing. This did not signify a new motherland
>>for Tibet, rather, it showed a new administration for the old
>>motherland. The new government, being a socialist governing body, laid
>>out a plan for the slow transformation of Tibets' property relations ,
>>to be completed by 1964. This was too much for a priveliged elite
>>dependant on those relations, so when the CIA approached the Dalai and
>>his patrons in the late `50's, he was very accomadating. In 1959 there
>>were undoubtedly many Tibetans who wanted an end to their centuries old
>>domination. A state was now demanded by the theocracy, and even the
>>poorest peasants who wanted to live without China joined up---at first.
>>When the PLA arrived to put down the "revolt" of the aristocrats, the
>>slogan of the national revolution of a decade previous, "land to the
>>tiller" was raised. This left the Dalai Lama with mostly only Monks and
>>slave owners (As well as quite a bit of American sponsored weaponry) to
>>fight with, the peasants either opting out of the fight or joining the
>>Communists. With this, the foreign sponsored "uprising" was quickly
>>crushed, and the land reform sped up by five years, freeing many
>>de-facto slaves in the process. The Dalai Lamas' escape was so well
>>orchestrated against tremendous odds, it has been said to have become a
>>legend insise the CIA. The Dalai Lama, in a total about face from his
>>previous attempts to work with the new government, started talking about
>>"Tibetan Independance" and the like. At this point, the Dalai Lama and
>>company got heavily involved in the CIA, receiving hundreds of millions
>>of dollars of aid and weaponry throughout the sixties and seventies to
>>start a terrorist-style "contra war", much of the type which terrorised
>>the young Nicaraguan revolution into submission throughout the Eighties.
>>In an article just released on Oct 7 in the NY Times, the Dalai Lama
>>stated in his defense that the money all went to "the cause", and not
>>him. Okay, so he's an agent of the CIA, but not a corrupt one. This is
>>hardly relevant. The real "crime" that the PLA commited was to eliminate
>>religious theocratic rule and economic power, something our friend the
>>Dalai Lama has not forgiven them for to this day.
>>
      The Chinese maintain that Tibet has not been
>>independant for 700+ years, which is almost accurate. In fact, Tibet has
>>not been independant for 1300 years, since before being ruled by the
>>Mongols. The first Chinese revolution of the twentieth century, taking
>>place in 1911, left much of China in disarray. According to the Dalai
>>Lama's exiles, Tibet was "free" from 1912 to 1951. Possibly he has a
>>de-facto argument, but then so would any province in China not directly
>>under Chiang Kai-shek's thumb during this period. No country ever
>>extended diplomatic recognition to Tibet. Prior to the defeat of Britain
>>in attempting to maintain India as a colony, Britain tried to push Tibet
>>(briefly) as a "lost" part of India. An unsuccessful attempt at drawing
>>up British passports for Tibetans was completely abandoned when it
>>became futile to try and hold on to India. With the destruction of the
>>greater portion of the British empire, so the death of "greater India"
>>in Tibet. No other attempts of splitting or recognizing Tibet as
>>seperate from China would occur until the rise to prominence of the
>>Dalai Lama as part of the Cold War. All this encompasses Tibet's 1300
>>years of legal (or at least recognised) incorporation into the Mongol or
>>Chinese empires, far longer than Northern Ireland in Britain, Quebec or
>>First Nations in Canada or Texas, Hawaii, California not to forget
>>Puerto Rico in the United States.
>>
>>                     All of this is not to discount that Tibet has very
>>clearly constituted a seperate nation. There are many dozen distinct
>>nations in China alone. From Hawaii and Mexico to India, to Peru all of
>>these indigenous nations are just the tip of the iceberg
>>internationally. Many, many groups that most North Americans have never
>>heard of constitute legitimate nations. Most have never been independant
>>states. On this note, Texas has been (briefly) an independant, sovereign
>>state. There is also a "Republic Of Texas" movement that has been
>>involved in exchanges of gunfire with cops. No one is duty bound to
>>support a sovereigntist movement by mere virtue of its existence.  Quite
>>often, the bed-fellows that one could end up with are clearly worse than
>>the current state of affairs.
>>
>>                    With all the media hype around this issue of "Free
>>Tibet", it is clear that the rulers of the western world support the
>>return of the Dalai Lama to his former throne. In contrast to their
>>callous silence on the Kurdistani, Native American and East Timorese
>>genocides, to name but only three of a current age, why are they so
>>concerned about Tibet? The current Chinese government is an enigma to
>>western policy makers. On the one hand it claims to be "communist", on
>>the other it allows massive inflights of foreign capital to over-exploit
>>her workforce. China maintains nuclear capabilities, yet she has sold
>>off guaranteed jobs, education and "the Iron Rice Bowl". In the final
>>analysis however, what people define China as is just a label. Western
>>speculators have been wasting no time in recognising the "good and bad"
>>aspects of modern China, to their view. At the final analysis to
>>Washington,  The Chinese can not be forgiven for their independance.
>>While massively preffered by the West than the old Mao years, China
>>still sets her own interest rates, foreign policy and laws- all while
>>running a state that has a large portion still nationalised. This is the
>>real "crime" that China commits today, as Noriega's Panama, Saddam
>>Hussein's Iraq and Qaddafi's Libya have made quite clear. Bill Clinton
>>and the Pentagon will support the Dalai Lama as long as possible.
>>
>>                  The economic reasons are not as clear in Tibet as they
>>are in Iraq. Tibet has few resources worth much, and not enough to be
>>noticable to any Imperialist economy, or even the Chinese, who as
>>mentioned spend more money on than they receive from Tibet. Ripping out a
>>chunk of China would weaken her internally and militarily, however. The
>>"Roof of the World" is very difficult to access clandestinely from
>>either India or Nepal. But a China without the Tibet region is very
>>accessible with tanks, aircraft, etc..., and the Dalai Lama is not
>>likely to be very resistant to using Tibet for American Foreign policy,
>>as he has been doing precisely that since 1959. China, since 1949, has
>>been under not one countries' dictates and the "Government in Exile" is
>>already as such, dependant on Western Europe and the United States.
>>
       Since the 1959 riots, hundreds of schools have been
>>built to supplement the previously existing 2. For the fist time in
>>Tibetan history now, literacy is more common than uncommon. The life
>>expectancy was 35, now it is 69 years of age. Poor peasants, serf slaves
>>and outright slaves have all been distributed land for each and all (In
>>1960 some tens of thousands of newly emancipated slaves were invited to
>>a bonfire where all the old property deeds were burned. The Communists
>>hosted the event, but they were not the prime participants). Womens
>>rights at least entered the 20th century, which is bad enough. The most
>>important feature of the 59 "chasing out" is the achievement for
>>Tibetans of what most constitutions cherish, the legal seperation of
>>church and state. No one in North America would get very far calling for
>>a fundamentalist Catholic state, although there are many like Pat
>>Robertson and John Hagee who try hard to establish one.
>>
>>                  The Chinese experiment called "The Great Proletarian
>>Cultural Revolution" of the sixties and seventies is very divisive, even
>>on the left alone. Some refer to it as "power politics and Cult Of The
>>Personality gone mad" and others call it the "Greatest advance of
>>democracy in history". Regardless of your personal take on all that,
>>what happened in Tibet at the time was the worst of Chinese occupation,
>>to be sure. Outside Chinese smashed cultural relics, destroyed Temples
>>and denounced much of what was historically linked with Tibet. Today, it
>>is a different story. Billions of Yuan have been poured into restoring
>>and rebuilding the temples of Tibet. Religious schools for monks have
>>been opened up, but slaves and privelige have not been restored.
>>
>>                  The Dalai Lama, and all movements associated with him
>>and his "facts" can not be seen as areliable source on Tibet today, for
>>he has not been to Tibet in nearly Forty years. His motives behind his
>>"facts" are clear by virtue of their inconsistency. In the early
>>Sixties, he claimed that Tibet had apopulation of 2 million. Then,
>>overnight, he was claiming twelve million. Then it was 3, then 6....
>>
            The number of residents is not the only number that
>>has fluctuated according to whatever is selling at the time. To start
>>cries of "genocide" the Dalai Lama stated "3 million deaths in Tibet".
>>When it finally became apparent that Tibet had less than 1.5 million
>>people in '59, the cry became "1.3 million deaths". We need ask: Did
>>each Tibetan woman of child bearing age give birth to over 20 kids?
>>Unlikely, but that is the only way to account for this death toll, when
>>today's ethnic Tibetan population is 2.2 million.
>>
>>                   The argument often used with me is that the Dalai Lama
>>is not the "Free Tibet" movement. When this becomes true, the "facts"
>>the movement promotes will not be exactly those of the "Government In
>>Exile".  At this point, a more honest but not fanatical and
>>propagandistic look into abuses of Tibetans can occur. But for now,
>>heart tugging, apolitical movies, some written by SS mombers, will be
>>more important than the truth of Tibetan history. Probably into the
>>foreseeable future.
>>
>>                  The Tibet of today is open up for tourism. In fact the
>>Chinese government is encouraging such, putting out several periodicals
>>explaing their (biased, to be sure) version of events. In Tibet, you
>>will see monks, lots of Chinese government personnel, and uncomfortable
>>residents, to be sure. You will not see people carted off for speaking
>>to you, and ethnicTibetans are the over-whelming majority. This reality
>>will negate the claims that Tibet is being assimilated to change the
>>make up of society. It would be right in front of your eyes.
>>As important as what you see, will be what you don't. No slaves being
>>whipped in public, no women being sold on a market. No one being forced
>>to sell land "to Him".
>>
>>                   Tibet is a very economically backward region, with all
>>the trappings of the third world very close to reality every day. That
>>reality gets closer every time the Dalai Lama gets more press in his
>>attempts to return to the throne. Chinas' "reform and opening up drive"
>>are reaching the rural areas last. Thus, Tibet may have a precarious
>>future under the current CPC, but not so its' present. As already
>>mentioned,  Tibet is actually a loss-leader economically as more money is
>>coming
>>from the central government into Tibet than from Tibet outwards.
>>Schools, electricity plants and the like come from the CPC-public
>>treasury. Never in history have any imperialist countries ever executed
>>such a relationship. If the Dalai Lama has his way, Tibet would be
>>merely tourist based, and killing rich foreigners for luck would
>>probably become legend again. What little resources Tibet has would be
>>sold to the highest bidder and mercilously exploited. Former Serf
>>families would lose their land to the magic of the "market". To preserve
>>(culturally) Tibet, the only answers are: Pressure China to allow more
>>autonomy for the Tibetan region, while simultaneously convincing the
>>Dalai Lama to accept the CPC offer as spiritual but not political head
>>of Tibet (however it must be noted that we must first determine if
>>Tibetans do, in fact, want this. There is currently no realistic way of
>>finding out; we only hear "yes" or "No" ). Try to get Tibet to bypass
>>the "reforms" as much as possible, to continue the development of the
>>Tibetan Autonomous Region on a healthy scale. Make it obvious what the
>>"Government In Exile" is really being motivated by, and who sponsors
>>them to seperate. This may not be as emotionally comforting as picking a
>>"righteous side", but it has a real chance of helping Tibet, Tibetans
>>and their culture far more than spreading the lies of an American
>>backed, deposed Monarch.
>>
>>Macdonald Stainsby, 1998,99
>
>
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