Understanding the nature of any protest is vital in order to ensure that the nature of the response is appropriate. Violent and hard-handed responses to ethnic, religious or national movements have proven countless times to only incite further resentment and hatred. By simply treating protestors as criminals, arsons and murderers, and by denouncing their widely-revered spiritual leader, the Chinese Communist Party is threatening to exacerbate the divide between Beijing and Tibetans, as well as between Beijing and a great number of China's numerous other minority groups. Until the Chinese Communist Party acknowledges the discontent among many of its minority groups, it will inevitably see many more situations similiar to those in Lhasa as these groups become aware of the public attention in the West to the recent events. Attempts to covertly continue using the same confrontational responses that were successful in repressing any dissent under previous leaders (notably Chairman Mao and Deng Xiaoping) will prove more and more difficult in the era of instant communications.
The Western Perspective
By contrast, my trouble with the Western media's take on the riots has been that the majority of reports have neglected to provide a balanced account of the known facts. Instead, as if reporting on polling numbers, they have focussed on the number of deaths and contrasting statements produced by either the Chinese government or Tibetan leadership in exile. Little effort has been made to explain the actual known events of violence, and many disparate linkages have been drawn. This has contributed to a severe misunderstanding of the actual events, as well as promoted irrational and reactionary responses, which has done nothing but promote further division between China and the West.
Although many details are not clear, it is known that individuals within the riots had intentions of violently attacking symbols of Han Chinese living and working in Tibet. The vandalism and arson of Han-owned shops led to a significant loss of property and the loss of many innocent lives. These were not retaliatory acts targeting security forces, police or the army, but simply shameless acts of violence and murder. |
