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A group of ethnic Tibetans trying to flee Tibet were shot dead by Chinese troops on September 30, at a Himalayan pass near the border of China and Nepal.
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As the first same-sex marriage in the NPA, theirs is a union long awaited by comrades who support gay rights in the movement.
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October 16th, 2006 at 1:18 pm
Test
October 16th, 2006 at 4:34 pm
The shooting video was very dramatic. But I have one question. I know Chinese citizens are free to travel around today. Many of them have come to Malaysia, and they are even allowed to visit Taiwan, despite fear of defection to rich Taiwan. I know of Chinese citizens who have visited India.
My question is if anyone knows the answer is why are these Chinese being shot at? Are they trespassing the border? Is it possible to set up information booth so that they know how to do this legally? Certainly, Chinese people from places like Shanghai or Beijing have travelled to India so we know there are no legal restrictions for them to travel to India.
The shooting suggest that the Chinese border patrols shot the first couple of people, hoping to trigger fear to turn the rest of our comrades back. Chinese Tibetans are a little stubborn, if you have seen their worshipping routines, you will see the great pain they are willing to endure for their belief in the Buddha. This explains why the Chinese Tibetans that were not shot at are not stopping to help their fallen comrades. It is not because they are inhuman but perhaps they believe their comrade will be rewarded in heaven. So quite clearly, the shooting had no effect.
I think the proper way to deal with this is to educate them on the proper way to obtain travel documents and visa. I think the Chinese government today allows its citiznes to visit almost any country in this world. It is usually the rest of the world that harbours suspicion on accepting these Chinese as tourists and foriegn consulates(especially American and European) subject Chinese tourists to lengthy Visa interviews. I doubt that the Indian consulate will subject chinese Tibetans to these embarassments so they should have no fear or qualms about doing this legally if we can teach them how to do it.
October 16th, 2006 at 5:04 pm
“It is usually the rest of the world that harbours suspicion on accepting these Chinese as tourists and foriegn consulates(especially American and European) subject Chinese tourists to lengthy Visa interviews…”
Isnt that a bit rash for you to lay all anti Chinese sentiments on the West?
As I recall Malaysia has the very same if not worse attitude towards Chinese tourists.
Remember that Chinese woman being made to strip and do squat-jump in custody.
Because the morally austere Malays see Chinese women tourists as travelling hookers.
October 17th, 2006 at 11:58 am
“As I recall Malaysia has the very same if not worse attitude towards Chinese tourists.
Remember that Chinese woman being made to strip and do squat-jump in custody.”
This is a little off topic but I will address it since you brought it up.
In Malaysia, we do have a serious issue in general of police abusing their powers. They beat suspects up for example or make them do naked squat-jumps.
The video that captured what apparently looked like a Chinese national doing naked squats was in fact a Malay woman. See:
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=36421
in which I quote: “Opposition MP Teresa Kok was one of the few Malaysians who had a clear look at the face of the Malay woman who identified herself as the detainee taped doing nude squats in police custody.
‘I saw her face clearly. Her eyes and other features were exactly as I saw on the video clip, and I am sure she is Malay from the way she spoke,’ she said.”
That said, it is true that several Chinese nationals have also come forward and accused the Malaysian police of forcing them to do naked squats.
But this incident prove that the embarassing punishment of the Malaysian police were racial blind, that they subject moslem women as well as Chinese woman through the same torture; they were an abuse of power, but they were not targeted towards any specific groups.
My point is that these Chinese Tibetans are not trying to go to England or the US where it would be virtually impossible for them to get a visa from the consulates to visit those countries. They are planning to go to India and getting a visa to travel to India is much easier for Chinese citizens so they should consider the legal approach. We need to teach them how.
October 17th, 2006 at 1:07 pm
China strictly controls the movements of Tibetans — they are not allowed to make pilgramages to India. As well, China does not allow its citizens free movement outside of the country. I have known well-educated Shanghainese who have not been able to get exit visas. The government is certainly not going to issue them for Dalai Lama supporters.
Nepal has also detained migrants, the UNHCR generally considers these people to be politcial refugees.
For that matter China does not allow the free movement of people within its own borders. Although labor shortages in the Delta regions has lessened enforcement, permits are needed for internal travel.
October 17th, 2006 at 5:46 pm
so tell me what is this thing that I am reading:
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/09/08/china.passports/
“Chinese passports, once the preserve of a privileged elite, are now available to ordinary citizens of the world’s most populous country.”
I believe the travel restrictions imposed on domestic travel is to prevent places such as Tibet from being overpopulated by other ethnic groups. It is usually the other ethnic groups that have the money to relocate to Tibet. If the domestic travel restriction is removed, the other ethnic groups will move into all the other autonomous regions and populate them in no time. This is why I support the removal of this domestic travel restriction. It should be more like the US where citizens from the East can move to the West and occupy the newly annexed states from Mexico(meaning California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas).
We have similar domestic travel restrictions in Malaysia. I remember 15 years ago, Malaysians from Borneo can freely travel and relocate into Peninsular Malaysia. But Peninsular Malaysians that wish to visit Borneo must bring their passports(?) and those wanting to relocate there permanently must apply. Don’t quote me on this, cause I don’t remember well, but I remember there was some kind of a control on people from Peninsular wishing to migrate to Borneo. This is a deal that was struck when the Borneo states joined the federation of Malaysia because they feared the larger population from Peninsular Malaysia would overwhelm their local population if the mainlanders are allowed free movement into their states. To have domestic travel restrictions across state lines in a Federation is not abnormal.
Those wanting to visit the Dalai Lama shouldn’t tell authorities that that is their intention. I mean, if a Chinese prostitute wants to work in Malaysia, would she tell the authorities to give her a visa so that she can work as a prostitite? Of course not, she tells them she is going to Malaysia to study or for social visit. That’s what the Chinese Tibetans ought to do, give any excuse they can think of but don’t tell them I am going to visit the Dalai Lama. In the same fashion, an American wanting to be an Al-Qaeda member sure isn’t going to advertise that as his intention of going to Afghanistan.
“I have known well-educated Shanghainese who have not been able to get exit visas.”
This is a bit hard to believe unless your “friend” is a known “trouble maker”. The mainland Chinese I have met in Malaysia, many of them do not possess any special background and are able to get here. Some are daugthers of farmers, and mostly middle class families. Catering to tourist from China is even a big business now so I think there is something “odd” about your friend not being able to leave the country. There are even advertisement in China that tries to lure them to visit European destinations.
October 17th, 2006 at 5:54 pm
“But this incident prove that the embarassing punishment of
the Malaysian police were racial blind…they were an abuse of power,
but they were not targeted towards any specific groups.”
Its more like a class thing too I think. If you re a Chinese, how you get
treated by Malay authority or any other countries, depend on where you come from.
Say Singapore, or Hong Kong, I doubt Chinese from there will encounter
much hassle except where drugs are involved. But mainland Chinese always have
problems almost anywhere, despite all the talk about them being a growing
economic power.
I do not know for sure Malaysia have a race problem. Although I have heard about
October 17th, 2006 at 5:57 pm
…I do not know for sure Malaysia have a race problem, although
there have been a bumiputra movement afoot to restore economic parity
to ethnic Malaya. Understandable when you look at the disporpotionate
economic power the overseas Chinese enjoy in SE Asia.
October 17th, 2006 at 9:34 pm
The hukou system is not to keep ethnic Han out of places such as Tibet. Objections to removing the system come from prosperous coastal cities which fear being overwhelmed by migrants. The government has actively encouraged migration to Tibet and Western China.
The CNN link you pointed to talks of a relaxation of regulation in “34 big and medium-sized cities” mostly in the east. It does not talk of an elimination of regulations. If Chinese citizens were free to leave at will there wouldn’t be such a booming business for snakeheads.
You say moronic things solely to be provocative, don’t you?