Police Fire on Tibetan Protesters

Joseph Borawski, Saturday April 05^th, 2008, 3:19 PM, Global Social Protests Current Event (day late)

Police Fire on Tibetan Protesters

This week in Tibetan areas of western China, police have fired on hundreds of protesters which have resulted in the deaths of at least 8 people. The Chinese state media reported a government official was injured in what their media is calling a riot. In addition to these deaths and injuries, two monks committed suicide last month because of government oppression. These events are indicative that unrest in china is continuing, specifically in its Tibetan sections despite the ramped up massive security presence in response to the anti-government demonstrations.

The protests are the longest and most sustained challenge to almost six decades of Chinese rule in the Himalayan region. China’s response to these protests has brought attention and criticism from the international community as police have fired on Buddhist monks and ordinary citizens who had marched on local government offices in Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province near Tibet on Thursday. The protesters were demanding the release of two monks who had been detained after a search of their monastery had resulted in finding two photographs of the Dalai Lama. Radio Free Asia has stated that it has unconfirmed reports that up to 15 people were killed and dozens injured in the violence.

This degradation of the situation there in Tibet is really interesting, especially on the heels of the Olympic Games. For 57 years the Tibetans have been living under Chinese Rule, having to denounce their faiths, required “patriotic education” by the government and the exile of their religious leader the Dalai Lama. The world is putting a lot of focus on China during these events and perhaps it will cause positive change in the country.

Check it out here:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h5Z6bJwtN_roGSIUQiQnfbf2NkhgD8VRQ5KG0