‘I am prepared to face China. I will go to Beijing'

Blood flows from the forehead of a Tibetan
monk beaten by police during a peace
rally in Kathmandu, Nepal.
(Photo: Brian Sokol / The New York Times)

The last thing China wanted, in the year it is to host the Olympic Games, was the world watching its army brutally suppressing protesters. One of the central myths the Chinese government propagates is the unity of the state and the happiness of the 55 ethnic minorities within it. The Chinese government had hoped to have a display of traditional Tibetan dancing at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. If it now moves to suppress the protests with force, it faces the possibility of an Olympic boycott. But if it lets the protests continue, the world will see how widespread is the unhappiness and resentment of China's Tibetan people. "Tiananmen is the face of China, the face of Beijing so many broadcasters would like to do live or recorded coverage of the square," said Yosuke Fujiwara, the head of broadcast relations for the Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Co. Casualty figures and details about the protests and China's response have proven difficult to confirm because China is tightly controlling the information and keeping out all foreign journalists. "You can't just host glamorous events for television while things are going topsy-turvy in your own backyard. The host has to allow thousands of journalists into the country - you won't be able to sweep anything under the rug." (Frank Walter Steinmeier for Bild newspaper) Aside from Tibet protests, the government said it foiled a plot this month by Muslim separatists in western China to blow up a China Southern Boeing 757. Foreign activists angry about China's support for Sudan, which is party to a civil war in Darfur, said this week they would demonstrate in Beijing during the games. After the Icelandic singer Bjork shouted "Tibet!" at the finale of a Shanghai concert this month, officials ordered tighter scrutiny of all performances. The Boy Scouts seemed to get caught in a response to both the sometimes violent Tibet protests and Bjork; police canceled all on-field entertainment for the exhibition baseball games, including the singing of the Chinese and U.S. national anthems. None acknowledged that harsh policies in Tibet have provoked the unrest. It's easier to keep blaming the Dalai Lama. Almost half a century after he fled to India, the Dalai Lama has raised the extraordinary prospect of travelling to Beijing and holding face-to-talks with the Chinese regime in an effort to resolve Tibet’s most serious crisis for two decades. -Published on Friday, March 21, 2008 by (Andrew Buncombe) The Independent/UK, (Lindsey Hilsum) Newstatesman, and The Associated Press historical footage: current: