SOME GOOD READING

H

ere are some articles I've come across over the past few days which make for valuable reading, in my opinion.

Former Beijing bureau chief for the Washington Post, Dan Southerland, writes that China's new crackdown in Tibet brings back his memories of trying to cover the uprising in 1987. It's a very interesting account of playing hide-and-seek with security officials determined not to let the story leak out, and even sneaking back into Lhasa after the lockdown (having had to go all the way to Chengdu to file his first story). He writes that the current uprising is much more widespread than any previous unrest over the past nearly 50 years (obviously referring to the 1959 rebellion, in which Chinese military leaders claimed at the time to have killed approximately 87,000 Tibetans).

In the same vein but more current, journalist Jonathan Ansfield has a long two-part account of his adventures playing cat-and-mouse last month with security roadblocks and various other Chinese officials -- trying to get into the Tibetan areas from Lanzhou, and later trying to get the story out of Tongren. These appear on Melinda Liu's blog at Newsweek, one to watch. Part 1 and Part 2.

A tourist writes in the New York Times of his experience being sent out of Dege, in western Sichuan province, where he was Caught Between a Crackdown and a Tibetan Welcome.

Rebiya Kadeer had an op-ed in Washington Post on Tuesday: Not the Torch of Liberty. Ms. Kadeer was a successful Uyghur businesswoman until she was convicted of leaking state secrets by sending newspaper clippings to her husband abroad. She spent 6 years in a Chinese prison, and now lives in exile.

An 18-year old Tibetan youth risked his life to flee his country; eleven years later he risked it again by going back inside with a hidden camera. My Tibet: Secret report from the roof of the world. The resulting documentary was broadcast Monday on British Channel 4 "Dispatches": Undercover in Tibet.

And if there are any Han Chauvinists reading here (again, Mao's term, not mine), do yourselves a favour and read these two articles written by your fellow Han (non-chauvinists). They're translated to English, and quite valuable for others to read as well. Wai China Digital Times for having them translated:

China Digital Times » The Dalai Lama’s Wisdom and Ignorance of the Han

China Digital Times » First Time I Feel Ashamed to be Han, and Lucky to Not Be a Party Member

And one more, for the far lefties among us. Joshua Michael Schrei examines the leftists' conundrum over Tibet, and takes on Grunfeld and Parenti in the process: A Lie Repeated - The Far Left’s Flawed History of Tibet. Don't worry -- Schrei is certainly no "neo-con".

Labels: China, Tibet

- posted by Agam @ 2:46 PM 0 comments

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