Comments on On An Overgrown Path: Freedom to Tibet's serfs and slaves

I think it must be remembered that the _significan...

2008-07-14T00:06:00.000+01:00

I think it must be remembered that the _significant_ aid given to the uprising by the CIA (and extra-governmental agencies) was also coupled with _massive_ propaganda internally and abroad. The effects of this propaganda can still be seen today, as most discussions regarding Tibet don't even mention the brutal lives the _majority_ faced prior to when China reincorporated Tibet into its territory.

Anyways, on to my main point - when a nation is commonly discussed as "evil" and "bad" by some of the more reactionary sections of American society, it does NOT help the situation if the Liberals join arms with the reactionaries. A country's right to sovereignty must ALWAYS be mentioned when discussing Tibet, as anything less could lead us into an asinine international policy in the future.

Dude thanks for discussing Tibet related issue. Fr...

2006-07-05T18:33:22.343+01:00

Dude thanks for discussing Tibet related issue. Free Tibet.

Interesting article in today's Guardian about t...

2006-07-03T09:15:27.336+01:00

Interesting article in today's Guardian about the hydropower dam in Yunnan Province on the southern border of Tibet.

Regarding pre-1959 Tibet Sky Burial by the Chinese author (now resident in London) Xinran is recommended, Chatto & Windus ISBN 0701176229.

I love Harrison's "La Koro Sutro." It's some of th...

2006-07-01T19:26:35.613+01:00

I love Harrison's "La Koro Sutro." It's some of the nicest "morning" music around, though it is a bit more Indonesian in sound than Tibetan.

Scott you are quite right, and there is no claim i...

2006-07-01T18:50:43.440+01:00

Scott you are quite right, and there is no claim in the article that Tibet was a free, open or democratic society prior to 1959.

Before then Tibet's land was worked by serfs most of whom were owned by the lamas and were sometimes subjected to cruel conditions, particularly if they tried to escape. Before Chinese rule, over 700,000 of Tibet's population of 1.2 million were in serfdom. But it should also be remembered that the spectre of Chinese intervention has hung over Tibet since the start of the 20th century, and the Tibetan Resistance Movement who were defeated in 1959 received considerable support from the CIA.

Tibet has been the unwilling pawn of the super-powers for more than a century. I am not expressing horror at the comparison between pre and post - 1959 Tibet. But I am expressing horror at China's human rights record there since 1959

Interesting piece. I'm no expert, and there are cl...

2006-07-01T17:43:16.586+01:00

Interesting piece. I'm no expert, and there are clearly many and varied legitimate criticisms of Chinese actions in Tibet since 1959. However, from what I've read about pre-1959 Tibet, it perhaps should be noted that it was hardly a free and open society, let alone one which had many of the hallmarks of a "democracy."

This is not to be an apologist for the actions of China, but (as I understand it) it might be worthwhile to give a bit of balance to the commentary.