The infinite sides of a circle

Tibet and China: their long history has given birth to many complicated political, military, social, and economic issues that dictate their relationship today. Tibet is the highest (plateau) region on Earth, located in at an average elevation of 4900m. Nestled into the feet of The Himalayas, this mountain range stretches between Tibet and Central and South Asia, making the Tibetan Plateau a key geographical stronghold for China as it overlooks the People's Republic. And, if one were to stage a military attack from that direction, you'll have conquer the Himalayas first. So, in terms of national security, the Chinese are not going to release this strategic spot without a nasty fight. And the biggest losers in this fight will be the Tibetan people, and this will not be a fair fight for the people who have been subject to unrest for most of their existence.

A forage into Tibet's long and varied history helps to lend some insight as to how and why Tibet has been contested over for so long and by whom: many have dipped their fingers (or rather, smashed their fists) into the honey-pot, including Mongolia, India, China, Nepal, and Britain. The current controversy over Tibet presumably stems from the Chinese claim over Tibet by the Communists, led by Mao Zedong in 1950. Yes, atrocities were conducted in the name of social, religious, and land reform: the oppression on the Lamas caused rampant civil unrest and guerrilla warfare; the Dalai Lama, with the help of the CIA, fled to refuge in India, who was politically pressured by the US and Britain to take in the Tibetan refugees. But, amidst the oppression, slavery and serfdom were abolished, and road infrastructure was built to India, Nepal and Pakistan. Then the Cultural Revolution and the Red Guards (who included Tibetans) inflicted more horrendous atrocities, particularly on the Buddhist heritage inherent to the Tibetan culture. The exact numbers of monasteries destroyed, and monks and nuns imprisoned, tortured, and/or killed varies depending on whose version of events you want to believe. Economic (but not political) reform has been in place since 1979: limited religious freedom has been returned, but controversy surrounds the whereabouts of the 11th Panchen Lama (allegedly secretly protected in Beijing), and the selection of the next Dalai Lama; these issues are highly contentious and are yet to be resolved.

History aside, the current situation in Tibet can draw many similarities from colonised countries and their relationship with their Indigenous peoples. The difference, however, is that Tibet is not a Chinese 'colony' as such, but the problematic complications of having many ethnic minorities within an ethnic majority parallel those from the colonisation of lands with Indigenous peoples. China's ethnic majority are the Han people (91.9% of the population), and China officially recognises 55 ethnic minorities and the Taiwanese Indigenous people (which is sub-classified in to 13 groups by the ROC Taiwanese Government). Unrecognised groups (over 730 000 people) include foreign nationals who are Chinese citizens, whilst Hong Kong and Macau are not even included in this demographic audit. Ethnic minorities can differ greatly in appearance, religion, beliefs, customs, traditions, lifestyle, dialect or language. Parts of Western China can resemble the Middle East with mosques outnumbering the stereotypical Chinese architecture, and the regions that border the former Soviet Union are home to people with piercing blue eyes and blond hair who speak perfect dialects of Chinese. As always, looks are deceiving and all these regions and people are Chinese and China officially recognises them as so.

So was China picking on Tibet during the Cultural Revolution? Across China during the Revolution, alleged counter-revolutionaries, intellectuals, religious figures, artists, and writers were persecuted, 're-educated', tortured, killed, or all of the above. No religious activities were allowed: temples, churches and mosques were destroyed all over China. Ancient buildings and historical sites, antiques, books, art, and other artifacts of Chinese culture and customs were completely purged. The ethnic minorities of China suffered the most: not only the Tibetans but alleged separatists in Inner Mongolia were witch-hunted, Muslims were persecuted, Quarans destroyed, and the Hui (Muslim) people massacred, Korean language schools smashed, and royal palaces of people from the Yunnan province burnt to the ground. By no account am I excusing China from taking responsibility for past actions of oppression and invasion in Tibet, but the human rights abuses and destruction of heritage during the Cultural Revolution was not specific to Tibet or the Tibetan people.

With such an ethnically diverse population, the Chinese Government has a full plate on its hands to ensure cultural preservation and equal rights for all ethnicities. China's laws now guarantee equal rights to and actively promotes the (often preferential) economic and cultural development of all ethnic minorities in China. Numbers-wise, ethnic minorities are not bound to the one-child policy, and as a result the growth of ethnic minority populations is faster than that of the Han majority. Ethnic minorities also often reside in regional 'autonomous areas', where freedom of religion (subject to Governmental approval), culture, traditions, customs, festivals, and ethnic languages (with Mandarin as the official language) are allowed and transport infrastructure has been built. Many monasteries, mosques and other places of religious worship have been rebuilt, repaired, and reopened to the public. In addition, minorities are represented at all levels of Government, educational institutions have been established for ethnic minorities, and health care for ethnic minorities is being continually improved and addressed. These multi-faceted levels of recognition of ethnic minorities and respect for diverse traditions, cultures, and customs, although far from perfect as the economic development allegedly favours Han people in 'autonomous areas' and human rights abuses and oppression are allegedly still in force, still far surpasses the respect shown by many Western countries to their Indigenous people and ethnic minorities.

So, before one blindly berates the Chinese for the human rights abuses in Tibet, consider looking in your own backyard at how your Indigenous people and ethnic minorities were and are being treated. Now multiply those problems by a factor of about a hundred to cater for all the ethnic minorities in China: sounds hard, right? If Tibet were to be granted independence based upon ethnic considerations, what about the other Chinese ethnic minorities: why aren't their homelands granted independence as well? If that were the case, China has a high probability of dissolving into the civil unrest of warring states, which as history tells, simply does not work for anyone involved. But the dissolution of China would certainly wipe this growing economic giant off the map, and who would this benefit the most? Furthermore, the Tibetan Autonomous Region in China encompasses the provinces of Ü-Tsang and western Kham in traditional Tibet; Amdo and eastern Kham are now in regions of the Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu, and Yunnan provinces. To ask for independence for Tibet would mean breaking up these Chinese provinces, and this is no easy task.

Doesn't anyone else find it hypocritical that countries such as the US are jumping up and down over human rights issues in China when it very poorly treats its native Americans, still practises capital punishment, is largely responsible for the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and now the global 'war on terror', Guantanamo Bay, and the obvious racism rife in its own country? Dare I mention our sunburnt country and its history and current relationship with the Indigenous peoples, and our refugee policy? Yes, China has a very dirty record of human rights, but so does just about everyone else. And why kick up a stink now and not five, ten, fifty years ago? Oh right.There wasn't an Olympics then and Chinese economy and communist Government didn't hold so much power and influence.

I'm sitting on the fence with this one: I declare myself far too ignorant of the issues and cultures involved to be worthy of forming a valid and useful opinion. I would like to see peace returned to the Tibetan region and its people, but at the moment both sides are steadfastly holding onto their demands such that nothing can be achieved. In the meantime, I do wish that people would stop to think, and consider that perhaps the issues are not as clear-cut as they seem, and that the media (Western and otherwise) don't always tell the whole story as they are playing out their own agenda and/or reporting to higher powers. So, before you hastily download an opinion and run out protesting for one side or the other, get informed and then make your own mind up from the contradictory information from Tibet's ancient history to now. Who's right? Who knows, but more than enough people have suffered and died already that more ignorance is not going to do anyone any favours. That and people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.