Tibet
Tibet is an inalienable part of China in spite of religiousauthorities who have their sights set on dismembering the Asiangiant, inciting their followers to violence and chaos in an attemptto covert it into a new version of Kosovo.CAPTION:THE DALAI LAMA WITH BUSH AND PELOSI WHEN HE WAS DECORATED.
Recent unrest in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa -a provocation promotedfrom abroad by the Dalai Lama- left 19 people dead and more than 300injured at the hands of the demonstrators.Some western governments are hoping for the failure of the Beijing2008 Olympic Games; and the Dalai Lama is a disciplined solider thatdoesn't bite the hand that finances his separatist actions.What's the history of Tibet?Several studies confirm its existence as part of Chinese territory.The Ming Dinasty, which governed the country between 1368 and 1644,exercised state sovereignty over the region. From 1644 to 1911 it wasunder the Qing Dynasty, in both cases on its own accord. Until the20th century the area, crisscrossed by ancient trade routes, wasdisputed by Mongol invaders, Nepalese and the British. The UnitedStates also got involved in Tibetan affairs, especially after thebeginning of World War II.With the strengthening and expansion of the Buddhist religion, powerwas concentrated in two leaders: the Dalai-Lama and the Panchen-Lama.The serfs made up 80 percent of the population and lived insemi-slave conditions. They had an owner to whom they had to givemore than half of their earnings and who could give them to otheraristocrats. This was all abolished with the entrance to power of thePeople's Liberation Army (PLA) and the implementation of democraticreform in 1959.CAPTION:THE UNREST CAUSED MATERIAL DAMAGE OF MORE THAN US $30 MILLION.Immersed in backwardness and feudal domination, the territory was apotential stronghold from where the toppled classes could endangerthe young Peoples' Republic of China. The PLA, led by the CommunistParty, arrived to the Tibetan plateau in October 1950 and defeatedthe army of feudal landowners. On October 26, 1951, the PLA enteredLhasa and in the same year drafted a plan for the peaceful liberation
of Tibet that contemplated joint administration by the local andChinese government, and agrarian reform was implemented. The feudalclass, displaced from power, began its counterrevolutionaryactivities, converting monasteries into warehouses for arms suppliedby the CIA. In March 1959, the CIA backed an armed rebellion of thelarge landowners. After the Chinese Army defeated the uprising, theDalai Lama and his principal collaborators in the hierarchy andnobility fled to India. From there they continued their actionsagainst China, supported by western governments, principally theUnited States, in their attempt to destabilize China.What's the current situation of people in Tibet?In feudal Tibet there was no electricity, roads or hospitals. Thesituation changed dramatically with the arrival of socialism, withgreat progress made in its infrastructure and in the living standardof the population. Starting in 1961, they began to hold generalelections and for the first time the old serfs and slaves obtainedthe right to be landowners. Today the people have the right toparticipate in the administration of their state and local affairs asstated in the Constitution.Governmental policies applied since then have resulted in a drop inthe infant mortality rate and a rise in life expectancy from 35 to 67years.Last year, Tibet's gross domestic product was US $4.78 billion. Theregion has a population of 2.61 inhabitants of which 92.2 percent areTibetans, and per capital GDP was over US $1,750 in 2007.Since 1994, the rest of China financed 2,861 development projects inTibet amounting to an investment of US $1.3 billion. The region hasthe highest altitude train system in the world, inaugurated in 2006,and which joins Lhasa with Beijing and other cities, ending Tibet'slongstanding isolation. The local economy has maintained an annual
growth rate of over 12 percent during 7 consecutive years.What are Tibet's strategic resources?It is rich in hydraulic resources that connect the country to thesouth and center of the continent and is known as the Water Tower ofAsia, as the Qinghai-Tibet plateau is an important source of waterfor China. Water has become one of the principal resourcescommercialized in the region, especially since the first train routeto the area lowered transportation costs. Tibet also has China'sleading copper deposits, located at the Yulong mine, and has greatreserves of iron, lead, zinc and cadmium. Geologists say there isalso important oil and natural gas reserves, but the hardness andaltitude of the land makes their extraction costly and complex.Who is the Dalai Lama?According to legend, he is the reincarnate of Bodhisattva, patron ofTibet. The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the 14th and hasresided in Dharamsala, in the north of India, since 1959 when heproclaimed a "Tibetan government in exile," which has not beenrecognized by the international community. Openly tied withWashington, he has been welcomed by both Republican President GeorgeW. Bush and Democrats like House of Representatives speaker NancyPelosi, who is urging the US government to boycott the BeijingOlympic Games.Decorated with the gold medal of the US Congress, he has been praisedby Bush for his efforts in favor of freedom, democracy and humanrights.The Dalai Lama has called the war in Afghanistan a "liberation," thewar in Korea a "semi-liberalization" and the Vietnam War "a failure,"noted Cuban leader Fidel Castro in a recent article.What objectives are sought with the current campaign against China?The goal is to discredit China using a well-known tool: a media
campaign where "repression" and "human rights violations" arejuxtaposed with any incident inside its borders.With the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games as the current objective ofthis destabilization campaign, China has published a book of lies andtruths, in Mandarin, where it refutes the distortions being spread bysome western media about the March 14 events. It also discusses thehistory, religion and culture of Tibet and the origin of theseparatist attempts.
Recent unrest in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa -a provocation promotedfrom abroad by the Dalai Lama- left 19 people dead and more than 300injured at the hands of the demonstrators.Some western governments are hoping for the failure of the Beijing2008 Olympic Games; and the Dalai Lama is a disciplined solider thatdoesn't bite the hand that finances his separatist actions.What's the history of Tibet?Several studies confirm its existence as part of Chinese territory.The Ming Dinasty, which governed the country between 1368 and 1644,exercised state sovereignty over the region. From 1644 to 1911 it wasunder the Qing Dynasty, in both cases on its own accord. Until the20th century the area, crisscrossed by ancient trade routes, wasdisputed by Mongol invaders, Nepalese and the British. The UnitedStates also got involved in Tibetan affairs, especially after thebeginning of World War II.With the strengthening and expansion of the Buddhist religion, powerwas concentrated in two leaders: the Dalai-Lama and the Panchen-Lama.The serfs made up 80 percent of the population and lived insemi-slave conditions. They had an owner to whom they had to givemore than half of their earnings and who could give them to otheraristocrats. This was all abolished with the entrance to power of thePeople's Liberation Army (PLA) and the implementation of democraticreform in 1959.CAPTION:THE UNREST CAUSED MATERIAL DAMAGE OF MORE THAN US $30 MILLION.Immersed in backwardness and feudal domination, the territory was apotential stronghold from where the toppled classes could endangerthe young Peoples' Republic of China. The PLA, led by the CommunistParty, arrived to the Tibetan plateau in October 1950 and defeatedthe army of feudal landowners. On October 26, 1951, the PLA enteredLhasa and in the same year drafted a plan for the peaceful liberation
of Tibet that contemplated joint administration by the local andChinese government, and agrarian reform was implemented. The feudalclass, displaced from power, began its counterrevolutionaryactivities, converting monasteries into warehouses for arms suppliedby the CIA. In March 1959, the CIA backed an armed rebellion of thelarge landowners. After the Chinese Army defeated the uprising, theDalai Lama and his principal collaborators in the hierarchy andnobility fled to India. From there they continued their actionsagainst China, supported by western governments, principally theUnited States, in their attempt to destabilize China.What's the current situation of people in Tibet?In feudal Tibet there was no electricity, roads or hospitals. Thesituation changed dramatically with the arrival of socialism, withgreat progress made in its infrastructure and in the living standardof the population. Starting in 1961, they began to hold generalelections and for the first time the old serfs and slaves obtainedthe right to be landowners. Today the people have the right toparticipate in the administration of their state and local affairs asstated in the Constitution.Governmental policies applied since then have resulted in a drop inthe infant mortality rate and a rise in life expectancy from 35 to 67years.Last year, Tibet's gross domestic product was US $4.78 billion. Theregion has a population of 2.61 inhabitants of which 92.2 percent areTibetans, and per capital GDP was over US $1,750 in 2007.Since 1994, the rest of China financed 2,861 development projects inTibet amounting to an investment of US $1.3 billion. The region hasthe highest altitude train system in the world, inaugurated in 2006,and which joins Lhasa with Beijing and other cities, ending Tibet'slongstanding isolation. The local economy has maintained an annual
growth rate of over 12 percent during 7 consecutive years.What are Tibet's strategic resources?It is rich in hydraulic resources that connect the country to thesouth and center of the continent and is known as the Water Tower ofAsia, as the Qinghai-Tibet plateau is an important source of waterfor China. Water has become one of the principal resourcescommercialized in the region, especially since the first train routeto the area lowered transportation costs. Tibet also has China'sleading copper deposits, located at the Yulong mine, and has greatreserves of iron, lead, zinc and cadmium. Geologists say there isalso important oil and natural gas reserves, but the hardness andaltitude of the land makes their extraction costly and complex.Who is the Dalai Lama?According to legend, he is the reincarnate of Bodhisattva, patron ofTibet. The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the 14th and hasresided in Dharamsala, in the north of India, since 1959 when heproclaimed a "Tibetan government in exile," which has not beenrecognized by the international community. Openly tied withWashington, he has been welcomed by both Republican President GeorgeW. Bush and Democrats like House of Representatives speaker NancyPelosi, who is urging the US government to boycott the BeijingOlympic Games.Decorated with the gold medal of the US Congress, he has been praisedby Bush for his efforts in favor of freedom, democracy and humanrights.The Dalai Lama has called the war in Afghanistan a "liberation," thewar in Korea a "semi-liberalization" and the Vietnam War "a failure,"noted Cuban leader Fidel Castro in a recent article.What objectives are sought with the current campaign against China?The goal is to discredit China using a well-known tool: a media
campaign where "repression" and "human rights violations" arejuxtaposed with any incident inside its borders.With the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games as the current objective ofthis destabilization campaign, China has published a book of lies andtruths, in Mandarin, where it refutes the distortions being spread bysome western media about the March 14 events. It also discusses thehistory, religion and culture of Tibet and the origin of theseparatist attempts.
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