The Dwindling Flame: Tibet, China & The Olympics

The Olympic flame arrived Monday in Beijing. It burned not gloriously with humanitarian ideals, but sadly under the shadow of shame. It was not fully celebrated by the host city, but hurried along its way with limited participation by the populace. Totalitarian China, so leery of dissent, so ready to crush protest, couldn't even trust its own citizens to celebrate the event. It wasn't that the government was afraid of riots; after all, they know how to send in tanks to deal with student protesters. But free speech might have ruined the stage-perfect moment. The world might have seen a Tibetan grandmother or sympathetic Chinese activist unfurling the Tibetan flag! Couldn't let that happen....

After arriving at the airport, the Olympic torch was rushed along a top-secret route to a somewhat empty Tiananmen Square. There, president Hu Jintao and 5,000 invited guests watched dancers perform and balloons float away in the sky. A banner read: "Transcendence. Integration. Equality."

It should have read: "Control. Suppression. Censorship."

How long can China's dictatorship survive? (It is important to remember that the Chinese people are essentially under house arrest, as are the Tibetans.) And how much time remains before Tibet's people and culture are crushed by the economic control and political oppression of their giant occupier?

During the first half of the 20th century, Tibet was a de facto separate nation. Although China has exercised control over Tibet since 1951 through the use of force, it is an immoral and shameful state of affairs. If the Ukraine, Kosovo and East Timor can have their independence, why not Tibet?

Tibet belongs to the Tibetans, who reject China's authority and seek freedom. Similarly, China doesn't belong to its Communist-party rulers. It belongs to the Chinese.

There will be protests in some form at the Olympics: about Tibet, about the lack of human rights and democracy in China, and about China's policy on Darfur. What will China do? Will they arrest foreign athletes who wave Tibetan flags? Will they confiscate cell phones and shut down the internet? Will they close down CNN's offices in Hong Kong? Will they ban foreign journalists from the games, once "trouble" (free speech) begins?

The Beijing event should be the most politically charged Olympics since Berlin in 1936, and already is inextricably tied to the fate of Tibet.

Comments

[aqi]

If you know the Tibet's history and China's history, you will know the Tibet is a part of China .Like American Indian in America,Tibetan is one of the 56 nations of China,No matter what the Kuomintang's president JiangJieShi and No matter what the Communist Party 's president MaoZeDong were not admit the independent of Tibet,Tibet is one of the province of China.I'm just a citizen of China ,if you are not believe me,you can come here to see,welcome to China,my English is very poor ,Sorry!

[K-Dog76]

yawn

[Halsey]

We boycotted the Moscow Olympics because the S. U. invaded Afghanista­n..DOH!..w­e should have let them HAVE it!... but oh...how grand that China is hosting this world event... can't ignore 5 billion consumers.­..wait..th­ey don't American goods..we buy THEIR crap...

how did it come to this.

[EspritDeVoltaire]

Absolutely correct, Chris. Perhaps you should have a talk with Tom Doctoroff who wrote the post last Friday praising Chinese totalitarianism. He's very proud of working hand in glove with the repressive regime. You can find him scurrying along with the torch gushing accolades for his Chinese masters.

[Observer1]

Dear Chris: If you have nothing to say, don't say it. A man from California, living in Rio regurgitating
what you think is commentary . What a waste of time and space.