Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: a letter from tibetan

I am a Tibetan Chinese, but I feel shamed by some of my compatriots!
I am from the Aba County in the Sichuan Province of China, and in my
home county, most inhabitants are ethnically Tibetan, Qiang, or Han. I
am a Tibetan. Should you have any doubt about my identity, please feel
free to look me up by my identification: 51322219*****0473.
(Translator��s note: that identification is similar to social
insurance number, so for security reasons the author does not publish
the complete identification on a public forum.)
I would love to see some of my Tibetan kinfolks repent about their
actions when they read this article.
How alluring is the concept of freedom! It is surely glorious and
right to seek one��s freedom. However, I do not understand why we have
to seek this freedom when we already have it. The actions of some of
my Tibetan kinfolks are bringing shame to our brother ethnicities, as
well as our government. Yes, it is right for us to value our own
history and our own beliefs to continue the majestic spirit of King
Gesar*. When I was at the Seda Buddhist College, I learned the full
Epic of King Gesar from the scriptures, and King Gesar brought pride
to all of us Tibetans and us Chinese. King Gesar is a hero, he has
brought good lives to all of us, yet is H.H. the Dalai Lama capable of
such? I would like to compare the accomplishment of our hero and the
Chinese authority. I would not like to talk about the Dalai, because
he shames me too much to make such comparison on his behalf.
1. We Tibetans are grateful.
Senor, Zhuoda, and Dunzhu*,
You often come to this forum, and it appears from your speeches that
you have already forgotten the teachings of your parents: when you
receive, you give back.
(*Translator��s Note: These are the names of the author��s relatives
whom he is addressing. )
Do you still remember the stories the Dedideng Grandpa* told us? In
case you forget, I shall remind you: he tells that we Tibetans are
grateful.
(* Translator��s note: The author refers the Grandpa as A-Mi in his
mother dialect.)
Grandpa said that when the Chinese took over Tibet, we Tibetans were
truly librated. We were no longer suppressed by those aristocrat slave
owners, and we were no longer their slaves or serves. The government
gave us livestock and farms, and they even let us share the
aristocrats�� mansion!
Then the authority sent their troops to build us the road to Lhasa.
They really did it, and Grandpa clearly recalled the horrendous
hardship while building that road! They had to make their own gun
powder to bomb the boulders, and on that day 17 people sacrificed
their lives for us. They were buried by the fallen rocks.
The authority transported salt and tea for us, but they did not ask
anything in return, and replied that it is given by the government.
The villagers carried their own barley to feed the trucks, and said:
��It is tough for the trucks to carry so much to us!��
Then the central government left two of those trucks for the village,
and asked nothing in return. After the road was built, we could really
go to Lhasa on automobiles!
Later on, we had a drought that strained the grass field, so the
livestock did not gain enough fat. In the same year, the winter was
exceptionally harsh, and countless livestock froze to death. We were
hopeless, but right at the time, the authority informed us that the
central government was sending us resources. We could not believe it
initially, but in two days, the trucks truly brought us food, duvet,
and all that we need. Our fathers performed the long prostration on
the grass field out of appreciation: they were not thanking the
heavens or the Dalai Lama. Instead, they were grateful for the aid
from the government, and the support from the rest of China.
2. To the Separatists:
When it comes to the time of our generations, we have experienced the
real progress brought by the central government.
Senor, could you please tell me who has installed electric lights to
your home, and who has implemented the satellite TV receptor for you?
Could you also tell me who has built the hospital for our village, and
where the doctors are from? On whose budget do we have a free way, and
who has built telephone system for our village? Who pays the tuition
for our younger siblings, and who takes care of us during natural
disasters? Do you recall that year of landslide? Your uncle��s* house
was destroyed, and who built him a new house? That is right, you are
now distinguished because you study abroad, but do you recall Dr.
Zhang from Sichuan University? He supports your studies, but what are
you doing while you are abroad? What have you done to our country? Do
you care about how your family and Dr. Zhang, your benefactor, thinks
about you?
(*Translator��s note: here the author refers to his acquaintance��s
uncle��s wife as Mi-er. Mi-er means mother��s brother��s wife in his
language.)
Now that we also have the railway, do we still live under poverty? You
know we are not impoverished, but Dalai Lama still leeches from us.
His adherents sit in the temple, and are inaugurated as Living
Buddha��s at his will. Yet all they do is to touch the foreheads of
villagers, and our village folks become obliged to send piles and
piles of hard earned money to their temple. The central government has
helped us Tibetans so much, yet they do not even charge tax from us.
They consider our situations difficult, so they cancelled our
taxation. We give our money to the temple, and then we go to the
government for financial aid. Did the government say anything? No, all
they say is that: ��We respect the religious feelings of every
ethnicity.��
Those who want to separate Tibet from the rest of China, are you
really suppressed? Who is slaughtering you? No body does that. Making
up such stories will make you despicable to the entire humanity.
3. To International Friends:
I know you are friends with my brothers, and they suggest you to come
to this forum, so I would like to a few words to you in the following
passage.
In China, we Tibetans enjoy equal rights as every other ethnicity, and
in addition we enjoy the minority welfare. I am sure you have heard
rumors such as that the Tibetans are ethnically cleansed by the
Chinese, or the Chinese government brutally suppresses the Tibetans��
protest. You may have also heard that all Tibetans are protesting for
independence, or that the Chinese government does not support actual
construction for Tibetans and all they do is for colonization. My
friends, those rumors are simply what they are: rumors! Let me tell
you what is happening in my homeland. I believe I have more authority
to talk about my home than anyone else.
The central government has been supporting Tibet ever since it
implemented the ��Open Door Policy��, and the following are what I
find to be some of its most substantial aid:
1. Tibet is one of the first minority regions where the central
government cancels the taxation.
2. It is not true that Tibet lacks freedom. Tibet is one of the
autonomous regions of China, and we Tibetans have been ruling Tibet
with our own hands.
3. We also enjoy various aids from the central government. The central
government gives national funding to encourage college graduates to
come to Tibet, and help the construction in education, manufacturing
etc.
4. The central government has built a railway for Tibet in order to
help Tibet��s economical growth. Meanwhile, during natural disasters,
the central government always aids the Tibetan people with all of its
power.
I also want to make a few other points:
1. We Tibetans are not discriminated. The other ethnicities treat us
as brothers, and we enjoy all the rights and welfare applicable to
other Chinese citizens.
2. We Tibetans are truly grateful for the rest of China. It is not
true that all Tibetans are protesting for independence. In my
hometown, the population is 70% Tibetan, but there are only a few
carry ambitious schemes. They are only one out of four thousand, and
those people are scorned as trash in my hometown. My friends, you are
educated, and freedom embracing individuals, please do not be fooled
by those who are despised by even their own people.
3. We Tibetans are not impoverished: Tibet has a higher mean household
income level than most of China. In my hometown, on average each
household has 40 cattle and 100 goats. The average household��s profit
from cattle, wool*, and medicine trade is approximately 100,000 RMB
(14,271.44 USD**), while an average person has annual income of 20,000
RMB (2,854.289 USD). Yet because most people choose to donate much of
their earning to the temples, the do not appear as well off as their
income indicates.
(Translators Note:
* The author suggests in the article that in his hometown, cattle wool
is also traded in addition to traditional wool from lamb or goats.
** The currency exchange rate is quoted on April 11, 2008)
4. The Tibetans are not suppressed during the recent riot. The illegal
protesters are constrained by the different levels of police according
to international charter, and only the violent protesters who attack
the officers are forcefully arrested. I wonder if the situation is
treated any differently in your country.
I believe my brothers will not deny the above statements, so please
ask them for further clarification.
[ Last edited by xiaozhuo at 16-4-2008 10:39 ]

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