By David Taller
(Letters to the Editor)
The brand new Qinghai-Tibet railway is yet another blow to Tibetan independence in a long and bloody history. The high-speed, high-altitude train is helping the Chinese export their culture and their political beliefs into Tibet as well as export all the Tibetans’ cultural wealth and natural resources in Communism’s second attempt to rid the world of the Tibetan way of living. The two-pronged attack that is happening right now is no different from the first one launched during the Cultural Revolution by Chairman Mao Zedong nearly 50 years ago. These new battles are not being fought with guns and tanks but with politics, money and media.
First, the Tibetans are stripped of any means of obtaining wealth in their traditional ways. The Chinese are developing farm land. After that, massive bombardments of propaganda and immigration from China proper fill the region. Beijing’s lies travel very far and even influence foreign policy in many democratic nations but as Chinese propaganda fills Western ears, many important truths are being hidden about the railway and about the Chinese rule in Tibet.
Buddhist monasteries and convents were ransacked during the reign of Mao. Their priceless artifacts were melted down and sold as bars of gold or cutlery. The monks and nuns were thrown into prisons similar to Abu Ghraib or Camp X-ray but faced worse torture. The truth also remains captive as those stuck in Tibet are not free to express their beliefs.
A rift is being created in the new generations in Tibet. Much like youth all over the world, the new generations in Tibet are forgetting their roots. Some separatists are becoming restless and soon there will be serious militant factions. Others are forfeiting independence and quickly adapting to the mainland lifestyle of trying to rapidly acquire money. Buddhist teachings discourage both violent action and hoarding material possessions.
The United States, whose entire republic lies on the basis of self-determination, has invited the spiritual and political leader of Tibet to its country numerous times yet the White House is silent in the debate for Tibetan independence. Worst of all is Canada. This new attack on Tibet is being powered by Canadians. That famous Québécois company Bombardier supplied every train for the railway. If it had not, the railway might not have become operational for an indefinite period of time.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, people thought the Communist bogeyman was sent to the back of the closet and the back of our collective consciousness. There were new enemies lurking in new places and the West could not be bothered by old news.
