西藏拉薩大規模騷亂 - 极品民工

The Dalai Lama has launched a fierce attack on Chinese rule in his Tibetan homeland, saying his people had experienced "hell on Earth". Five decades of Chinese rule had caused "untold suffering", Tibet's exiled spiritual leader said, accusing Beijing of creating a climate of fear. He also repeated his demand for Tibet's "legitimate and meaningful autonomy". His words came on the 50th anniversary (2009/3/10) of a failed uprising against Chinese troops which led to his exile. China says its troops freed Tibetans from effective slavery in a feudal society. It is planning to mark March 28th - the day in 1959 on which the Communist Party dissolved the existing local government in Tibet - as 'Serfs' Emancipation Day'. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu described the Dalai Lama's statement as "lies".

[Dalai Lama]

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Lobsang Samten is a tiny 18-year-old who wears the red robes of a Tibetan Buddhist nun. Her head is shaved to a fine, black stubble. It is hard to believe that this shy, diminutive woman raced over a Himalayan glacier as Chinese border police shot at her and 74 other Tibetans trying to escape to Nepal. Their crime? The desire to go to school, practice their religion and see the Dalai Lama.

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Tibetan exiles have finished (2008nov23) a week-long meeting to discuss the future of their campaign against Chinese rule in Tibet. They gathered in the town of Dharamsala in northern India, where the Dalai Lama lives in exile.

"This past week was the first time in half a century of exile that hundreds of Tibetan representatives from all over the world came together to discuss the future of their movement. They'd gathered at a time of crisis - when six years and eight rounds of talks between the Dalai Lama's envoys and the Chinese government have broken down, with China refusing to make any concessions on giving Tibetans more autonomy. Some in the Tibetan exile community say if China's going to be that way, Tibetans might as well call for independence."

Talks earlier this month between China and Tibetan exiles on the future of the Himalayan region failed to make any progress. Chinese officials blame the failure on the Tibetans, whom they believe still want independence for the region. Although the two sides have engaged in "frank and sincere" talks, there are still "serious divergences" of opinion, according to the Chinese. It was the eighth time the two sides met for discussions since 2002.

In October, the Dalai Lama said he was losing hope that dialogue with China would achieve any settlement. Anti-China protests that erupted in March in Tibet - the worst in two decades - were crushed by Chinese security forces. In the aftermath, China promised fresh talks over the disputed territory, but the Dalai Lama recently suggested such gestures were insincere. The Dalai Lama has lived in Dharamsala, in northern India, since fleeing Tibet after an abortive uprising in 1959. In September the Dalai Lama was briefly hospitalized in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay) after suffering stomach pains. He had just returned from an 11-day trip to France, one of a number of foreign trips he has made this year to highlight the issue of Tibet. China has stepped up its verbal attacks on the Nobel peace prize-winner since the violent protests in March. Beijing has accused the Dalai Lama of stirring up unrest, a charge he denies.

Anti-China protests led by Buddhist monks began in Lhasa on March 10th and gradually escalated into rioting. China says at least 19 people were killed by the rioters - but Tibetan exiles say that nearly 100 were killed by the Chinese security forces as they moved to restore calm. The unrest was the worst in the region in 20 years.

The Chinese government has been blaming the Dalai Lama and his followers for inciting the trouble, with the goal of undermining the Beijing Olympics and promoting Tibetan independence. After the riots, pro-Tibetan protesters threw China's global Olympic torch relay into disarray as it passed through several cities, including London, Paris and San Francisco. The Dalai Lama has denied Beijing's charges and repeated his position that he wants increased autonomy for Tibet within China, not independence.

While China says it has an historic and cultural claim to the territory, Tibet's cause has been championed by many in the West. Watch two leading academics analyze both sides of the dispute. China says Tibet has always been part of its territory, though Tibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before the twentieth century, and many Tibetans remain loyal to the Dalai Lama, who fled in 1959 and currently lives in exile in India.

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Riots erupted in Tibet Friday (2008/3/14) on the third day of protests against China's rule over the province. The violence is the worst in Tibet since 1989 and seems to end the hopes of China's leaders for a quiet Olympics. 西藏拉薩發生大規模騷亂，暴徒搶掠燒車破壞，當局指十二人死亡，藏獨人士說一百名示威者被殺。有在當地旅遊的港人說，拉薩街頭人流稀疏，有坦克駐守。西藏自治區政府指證據顯示是達賴集團策劃襲擊。自治區政府證實死亡人數增至二十二人，包括一名民警三名暴徒，另有六百二十四名民眾、公安及武警受傷。至今有二百多人向公安投案。

Tibet

The Tibetan capital Lhasa has seen heavy clashes overnight between Chinese police and protesters. The normally peaceful Tibetan Capital Lhasa was last night a place of gunshots, fires and heavily-armed police. A week of protests against Chinese rule had led to escalating tensions between monks and security forces. Last Monday (3/10) a group of protesting monks were arrested, prompting more monks to march on the capital calling for their release. Eye witnesses say the latest clashes occurred after police prevented a further protest yesterday. By last night Chinese shops were being smashed and parts of old Lhasa caught fire. As paramilitary police patrolled the streets, gun shots were heard and tanks were seen near the iconic Potala Palace.

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The biggest protests by Tibetan monks in 20 years have spilled over into some Chinese provinces. Tibetans have demonstrated in China's northwestern province of Qinghai and the neighbouring province of Gansu. It follows protest marches around the world to mark the 49th anniversary of an uprising against communist rule in Tibet. On Monday (3/10), 500 monks marched through the Tibetan capital, Lhasa. The human rights group, Amnesty International, condemns what it calls the harsh crackdown on the monks in Lhasa. It is calling on China to immediately release all those detained. China's foreign ministry says the protests are illegal and threaten social stability. In a related development, Indian police have arrested 100 Tibetan exiles trying to walk to their homeland from the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Tibet and the Olympics 3/13 SB120535896141831595

China says preparations are in place to stop campaigners opposed to Beijing's rule of Tibet from protesting in the Himalayan region before and during the Olympics. Pro-Tibetan independence groups have already sought to use the Olympics as a platform to publicise their cause with publicity stunts in Tibet and Beijing. Last April five Americans from Students for a Free Tibet staged a demonstration on Mount Everest in which they called for Tibetan independence. And in August, during celebrations to mark the one-year countdown to the Games, another six foreign free-Tibet activists staged a two-hour protest on the Great Wall near Beijing. Authorities now warned anyone aligned to exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama to stay clear of the region. Meanwhile Beijing will tighten controls on foreign performers after singer Bjork referred to Tibet at a Shanghai concert.

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ALL EYES ON LHASA

Interactive map: Central Lhasa | Photos: Tibet Protests

The World: Tibet protests | Complete Coverage: TROUBLE IN TIBET

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