Buddhist monks of Tibet cannot write letters to world leaders
or the UN unlike the Muslims clerics in Palestine and South Asia. The Tibetan
monks also cannot get the media attention that some of the Islamic terrorist
groups get, which perpetrate heinous crimes in Israel and India. However, the
suffering of Tibet is well established in the past, although the information
has declined drastically in the past few years. The UNHRC (United Nations Human
Rights Council) during its recent sessions in Geneva last week (September
21-22) leveled intense criticism against China regarding its human rights
violations in Tibet. In addition to the
EU statement, the USA, Germany, France and UK also expressed concerns and
released independent statements on human rights violations in Tibet. Still the
media coverage of Tibet issue is meager when compared with other issues raised
at UNHRC. Even Dalai Lama’s speech at the Parliament of European Union (EU) in
France got scant media attention than the incendiary retaliatory statement
issued by Chinese administration in Tibet. The Tibetan administration expressed
anger at Dalai Lama merely for speaking up for the rights of Tibet, and said
that its “highest priority” in Tibet is to curb Dalai Lama’s influence. It is
clear that China is treating Tibet not only as its subsidiary territory, but
also exploiting it with its Han-centered administrative policies.
It is also surprising that the concerned Human right groups focus
is India, Israel and to some extent on the West, but fail to raise their voice
against state supported atrocities or terror activities committed in other
parts of the world such as China (Tibet), West Asia, Middle East or Pakistan. The
mild mannered Buddhists do not want to appear rash, or blame anybody for their
misfortunes under totalitarian regime in current state of Tibet. But there is
no excuse for the rest of the world community to remain silent on Tibet. Tibet
hardly gets the attention it deserves. Hence, Tibet takes a back seat on the
world stage, even though it is on the verge of collapse, if not in human terms,
but in ecological terms, which when finally it happens would push the world in
to an emergency situation. Should the world stay silent to the environmental
and ecological cost of Tibet?
Tibet would have existed as a happy land akin to Bhutan if
India and Tibet had not committed the missteps that they had committed between
1950 and 1960. Especially, India’s Himalayan mistakes are noteworthy in this
instance. Under Nehruvian shortsighted foreign policy India surrendered all its
treaty rights and in a more shocking gesture accepted Tibet as part of China on
April 29th 1954. It is a mistake and more so since China has not
given any written commitments on borders with India either accepting the
McMohan line or western borders at the Aksai Chin. The shortsighted Nehruvian
policies of 1954 still haunt India in its relations with China and Pakistan. In
return for this generous gesture from India, China returned battles at Barahoti
(south of Niti pass) on 17th July 1954. Nehru also did not know
about the secret talks between China and Pakistan in 1954 and applauded China
at Bandung Afro-Asian conference. The result is that Pakistan surrendered its
occupied Akai Chin area to China and China continued incursions into Indian
territories on its borders, which also culminated in the war of 1961. All this
is part of China’s global expansion plan including its Northern Eurasia and
Africa extension plan. Tibet and Pakistan were mere pawns in this major plan of
China to reach its international markets. However, the most important question
is, should the world remain and and watch the ecological and human cost
inflicted on the world due to China’s expansionist plans?
Chinese hegemony in Tibet brings forward two very important
issues for the world: the first is geo-political and strategic balance of power
and the second is ecological and environmental damage that could result in
worst consequences in the form of climatic effect for the rest of the world.
International strategy is evolving fast in the Tibetan
borderlands. China has formed a formidable alliance with Russia and Pakistan.
China is also moving ahead in collaboration with Russia in forging relations
with Iran and other Eurasian states as far as Turkey. Unless an equally
formidable alliance of nations is evolved in the South Asia and Northern
Eurasia that works to liberate Tibet and Mongolia from the tight control of
China, balance of power will shift in favor of China. Current conventions of
geopolitical strategy proposes evolution of multi-polar world in the next
decade, however, the current changes in Asian alliances seem to indicate the
global power balance shifting in favor of China and Russia emerging as strong
allies and also as counter balance to the EU (European Union) and US (United
State of America).
Although it may not seem as urgent the environmental damage
in Tibet is as important as the geo-political strategy. The ecological issue is
of immense importance. World had witnessed damaging floods across South Asian
in the last decade. With the warming climate, and incessant developmental
projects undertaken in Tibet mining, power sector, hydro-electric and
geo-thermal projects, in addition to the transportation projects (road, rail,
and flight network) may cause increased geological activity in the rest of the
lower Himalayan zone. The lower Himalayan region is densely populated than
Tibet and any geological change might cause immense damage, which will have a
direct bearing on the lower regions (India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Nepal and
Bangladesh). The world could not stand mute to the ecological and geological
damage being done to Tibet through the Chinese interventions, which will also
indirectly have an effect on the environment of the rest of the world.
Dalai Lama was precisely right in his recent comparison on the
immense ecological damage of Tibet akin to the raging fire on the roof of the
world. The comparison is very apt, since Tibet (3700 meters above the sea level)
is the highest plateau of earth, and numerous rivers have their origin in the
Himalayan zone. Melting glaciers on the Himalayas bring increasing water flow
into the Himalayan Rivers and lakes, resulting in damaging flash floods in
India, Nepal, China, Japan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Compounded with this
warming climatological issues are the geological fault lines of Himalayas, which
result in earthquakes that are constant and unpredictable. China has always
focused on road and train routes, and hydroelectric and water projects in the
Himalayan region with little regard for it neighbors. China works hard to
promote positive image of itself, calling Tibet ‘China’s Tibet’ and organizing
tourism, mostly for Han Chinese from the rest of China. Tourism in Tibet
increased hundred-fold between 1960 and 2010 which is reaching to about 15
million tourists generating about 18 billion Yuan ($3 billion) in 2015. Han
centered tourist development commercialized Tibetan culture and religion with a
view to providing an opportunity for Han Chinese to experience the minority
cultures in its borderlands. Tibet is slowly losing its identity and
individuality, while quickly becoming a romanticized spiritual tourist destination
for other Chinese to visit. There are immense limitations on foreign travel to
Tibet. Hence, very little news or information comes out of Tibet, if at all any
news leaked out, it is always about the happy camping stories in the mystic
land (Shangri-la) of Tibet.
Tibetans are held under tight control, and monks commit ‘self
immolation,’ to express their opposition to Chinese rule. But there is only a
limited role any protest can play in a peaceful Buddhist society to demonstrate
its woeful living conditions. Chinese propaganda films depicting Dalai Lama and
the Buddhist monks have failed to capture the loyalty of Tibetans. China is
using the plan of ‘waiting game’ on Tibet. It is only waiting for the current
Dalai Lama to leave this world. If the current conditions of Tibetans are woefully
difficult now, one can only imagine a ‘reign of terror’ to be unleashed once it
gets full command of Tibet, following Dalai Lama’s exit from this world.
Syria may be strategically important in the West Asia, but
Tibet is also equally important in the Eurasia and the broader Asian regional
co-operation, which may have significant consequences for the world. When Tibet
holds such important place in the world, any thing that happens there must be
of concern for the rest of the world. One must seek more information rather
than the simple official notes that trickles out of Chinese administration in
Tibet. It is important that the world must pay close attention to Tibet and
work for a permanent solution to the Tibet issue. It is time the world paid
special attention to Tibet.
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