

Tibet’s future

The limits of despair


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Here is an article on the subject from a French senator: Jean-Luc Melanchon's views - Translated mardi 15 avril 2008, par Isabelle Metral:

"Tibet has been Chinese since the fourteenth century. Lhasa was under Chinese, then
Manchu rule before the Kings of France ruled over Besançon and Dôle. How can one sensibly speak of the "1959 invasion" when the event took place within the context of the Chinese revolution? This amounts to saying that France "invaded" Vendee when our Republic's armies were sent there to fight the local royalist insurgents. The Dalai Lama and the other Tibetan lieges have accepted everything the communist China offered them, including (for instance) the post of vice-chair in the People's Assembly, which his
"holiness" took without a murmur. Until the communist regime decided to abolish serfdom in Tibet and the adjacent regions.

Turning against tradition, a movement of which I entirely approve, the communists repealed the codes under which the population fell into three categories and nine classes, with a corresponding scale of specific prices for human beings, while the owners of serfs and slaves had the power of life and death over them as well as the right to torture them. As to the status of women at the time, it is more proper not to mention it, but information is available to all those who have a strong stomach. The communist rule put an end to the violent clashes between local chiefs of this so-called non-violent heaven and to the various bloody chastisements that the monks inflicted upon those that broke the religious rules of which they were the guardians. Sharia's Tibetan version was brought to an end by the communists. The 1959 revolt was hatched, armed, equipped, financed by the USA in the context of the Cold War. So much for the charming traditions of the Dalai Lama's regime before the communists and the horrible "invasion" that put an end to it.

Since then, school attendance among Tibetan children has risen to 81% (against 2% in the blessed tradition-friendly regime). And life expectancy in the modern Chinese hell for the slaves in this vale of tears is now 67 instead of 35.5 - the sad proof of that people's annihilation being consequently the doubling of the Tibetan population since 1959, from one million to two and a half million.....”

On all these counts, the situation deserves greater circumspection, and greater respect for the Chinese than those preposterous commonplaces circulated by people who would never have themselves, their partners or children live under such a dismal regime as that of the Tibetan Buddhist monks. In the present circumstances I do not in the least sympathize with the "Government of Tibet in exile", of which his holiness is the only ultimate authority on each and every issue, and on which sit a number of the Dalai Lama's relatives: as great a number will seldom be found in any government (be it in exile) - not
to mention the fact that they hold key positions in the "exiled" business and finance .."

WikiLeak cables contain several dialogues regarding the dysfunctional exile diasporas,
their unemployed, the disappearance of their culture in India, and their close tie to U.S. If you are interested, search the internet for a more in-depth insight into the Dalai Lama past and presence including topics on religion persecution of the Shugden’s group, an accessory to war and violence, the illusion of democracy, CIA and Nazi link, union of religion and politics, where has all the money (UN refugee fund and charity $) gone, and the politics of reincarnation.
WikiLeak cables also disclose over 45% of the exiles have chosen to return to China. Since 2008, the Tibetan Chinese population has grown to over 5 millions

SoeurSourire in reply to Mishmael

A story repeated over and over again by paid Chinese propagandists on the Internet and still a lie. The Dalai Lama had to flee his country because his life was in danger, he didn't really want to but the population was so afraid for his life that they forced him. The CIA did fund some small rebellions but that never involved the DL. China on the other hand colonized a territory that had proclaimed independende in 1913 and stole, exploited and polluted a large mass of land and had nothing but contempt for the indigenous population which they consider backwards and stupid.

wudang wushu in reply to Peter Peter


The TE single out China to write 100s of articles on Tibet, BUT --- --- and never write about the abnormally high suicide rates of Native-Americans in "Red-Indian" Reservations

American activists are alarmed about the extremely high rate of suicides among Red Indians --- it is very much higher than the national average

Lots of TE anti-China propaganda these days



Jean Michel

Forcing the poor Tibetan monks to immolate themselves, as the Dalai Lama, is doing is not bringing any returns. The Dalai Lama should rather encourage his western supporters to immolate themselves. This would at least arouse the interest of the naive western poeple. The Dalai Lama should tell his western supporters that if they take the ultimate route they will be considered as Gods, at least by a few thousand Tibetan monks. The other Tibetans in exile, who number around 100,000 people will consider them as saints, which is not so bad after all. Then there will be around half a billion western people who will consider them as heroes. They can ignore the rest of the world population who will consider them as foolish clowns. But who cares about the opinion of 5 billion people when they will be gods among a few thousand Tibetan monks?


if these western media do wannna attack China, please change another way.It is totally bullshit here. My brother has worked in Tibet more than 3 years,he never told me that some monks wondered in the street, fearing somebody rushing toward their faces to punch them or doing something bad.there is just less 5% People in Tibet are monks!for the most young people in Tibet,they even do not know who is Dalai lama.no matter who wrote this shit, just pull your shit up and do what you are obliged to do.

Peter Robertson

The failure of the former slave owners, the Dalai Lama and his followers to restore the "Old Tibet" makes the Dalai Lama and his followers resort to religious coercion of some gullible and mentally sick Tibetans to commit self-immolation. Time and again these misguided people are manipulated to sacrifice themselves for "Old Tibet". Instead of helping them, the Dalai Lama and his followers uses them in a most cruel way to score cheap political points. What monstrosity! And this coming from a religious leader.


In fact, Tibetan monks setting themselves on fire in Qinghai is counter productive because even on the most remote chance of the TAR becoming independent. Qinghai will never be able to join Tibet. Qinghai has a Han and Hui Chinese majority, and in fact the largest city on the Tibet/Qinghai plateau (the same mountain plateau really) is Xining, not Lhasa, long a Chinese city with an Islamic flavour with thousands of years of history. The second most important Tibetan monastery Kumbum or known in Chinese as Ta'er monastery is a mere 30 km away from Xining, and has both features of Tibetan and Chinese architecture. The current Dalai Lama was born in a village nearby, which explains why he has a much more 'Chinese appearance' than some of the dark skin Tibetans in Tibet. It is a known fact that neither he nor his parents could not speak Tibetan, but only a pidgin of the Xining Mandarin dialect until they moved to Lhasa. The fact was that the Chinese Empire controlled and often time directly administered many areas which Tibetans live, which allowed the different ethnic groups to live side by side along each other. Even the term for the 'Tibetan province' Amdo, was most likely derived from the Chinese name 'Anduo Commandary' which means Many Peace, similar to the way Xining - Western Serenity was named.

Many of the monks who set themselves on fire were given extended training in Dharamsala, and were driven to Tibetan areas in Qinghai to self immolate. And as such they are unlikely to be locals. Perhaps it is even a form of intimidation to local Tibetans who cooperate with the Chinese authorities.


to some extent, it's a pity for people talking about "culture invasion", cultrue itself is changing all the time, can anybody imagine without acceptance of buddalism, what would tibet's culture like today? what if all chinese baned from seeing holleywood movies? why americans today like spice sauce more than past? communication happens, interaction happens, change happens, especially in this globalization era. we've seen the effort chinese goverment made to make a better life there. then what DL and tibetans expect? my opinion, the former wants authority, the latter extremly religious and less educated.

Daveycool in reply to Daveycool

Seriously. In the aftermath of the earthquake, they didn't want first aid, food, water, shelter, or even blankets. They only wanted the return of the Dalai Lama. They are a seriously brainwashed bunch.

I find accusations that the Dalai Lama encourages immolation to be without factual evidence, and to be totally out of line with the character and history of the Dalai Lama.

Despite what Chinese propaganda may wish us all to beleive, clearly these immolations are the result of personal decisions.

AusChin in reply to AusChin

As noted from the map. The territorial claim by the Tibetan exiles are frankly delusional. It extends past Xining and Lanzhou, massive Chinese cities with over 2 and 3 million people respectively, and this doesn't include the countryside and other towns where over 20 millions other Chinese also live. The Tibetan exiles imagined that they have exclusive rights to the land just because a few settlements and temples were allowed to form by China centuries ago.

If I was local, and the Tibetans show up thinking they could claim my land I would shoot them full of lead.

I have spent months speaking to Tibetan exiles and their exclusivist claims of 'Tibet for Tibetans' disgust me. I would spare no mercy in crushing these delusional people. Just like how Malaysia is currently crushing stupid Filipino terrorists who decides to waltz in and claim Sabah ignoring that the locals do not care for them at all.


what Dalai is doing is enhancing hatred between Tibetans and Han. I don't think the return of Dalai will change Tibet in any meaningful way. Those articles are quite misleading, leaving the impression that every Tibetan is against the Central government and Han. I still clearly remember how the so-called 'independent' BBC and CNN edited photos to fabricate stories and made distortion in 2008. Shame on those journalist and editors!!

Tibetannotchinese in reply to Sony Rain

I am a Tibetan and I think you need to learn about Tibet and Tibetan culture before you make any comment on Tibet. You should listen to the wishes of "Tibetan" people not "Chinese" government. It is clear the "China" wants "Tibet" but not "Tibetans".

wudang wushu



All the countries of the world recognizes that China have the sovereignty over Tibet

(1) Western Historians agree that China already had the sovereignty over Tibet since the Yuan Dynasty , contineuosly through the Ming, Qing Dynasties

(2) All the 18th, 19th 29th century Western , American, , British atlas and maps show that Tibet as a Chinese province

(3) When the first official British trade delegation arrived in Tibet in the 18th century, --- they were told by the then Dalai Lama that Tibet is a province of China ---- and that they need to get permission from the Emperor of China before they are allowed to trade in Tibet

(4) In 1860 the British signed the Anglo-Chinese Protocol on Tibet (in Beijing) --- and promised to consult the China govt before doing anything inside Tibet

(5) in 2007/6 the British govt announced that "Britain recognizes that...."Tibet is a part of China.....PERIOD"




silent night

A few of self-immolations just as a little stone was thrown into a big the South China Sea,but in TE angle,it becomes a bomb explodes in a little house.Who will care about those in China? almost none.

J Garfield

While some Tibetans are burning themselves to death at the instigation of the supporters of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan ex-slave owners including the Dalai Lama are are enjoying themselves in luxury with ill-gotten wealth. What a bunch of evil hypocrites! The only time when burning people to death was practiced was in the dark age of the Spanish Inquisition. History repeats itself with a twist in the form of self-immolation. The Dalai Lama and his supporters should be ashamed of themselves in steeping so low into such evil.


As an old reader of Economist, like many other readers I feel this article boring and biased. Why has it always been focused on a small group of people who are very specially religious. What are about average Tibetans?
Moreover, history has repeatedly shown the evilness of those made their voices heard or grabbed power through deaths of other people no matter how holy their idealism sounds.
I hate propaganda of Chinese government the same as the propaganda like article of Economist.


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