Dans les rues de Lhassa vendredi, une "chasse aux Chinois" --- d'après Aujourd'hui la Chine
le 17/3/2008 à 15h33 par AFP
Lors des émeutes de Lhassa, des groupes de jeunes tibétains se sont lancés dans des "chasses aux Han", l'ethnie majoritaire en Chine, s'en prenant aux résidants chinois et déversant leur haine sur leurs commerces et restaurants, selon le témoignage d'un touriste.
Afficher l'image Des Tibétains s'en prenant à un restaurant chinois, selon la télévision pékinoise
Des Tibétains s'en prenant à un restaurant chinois, selon la télévision pékinoise
"Quand ils commençaient à pousser des cris, vous pouviez être sûrs qu'ils étaient derrière un Chinois", explique Juan Carlos Alonso, un touriste espagnol de 46 ans.
"Ils ont attrapé une fille dans la rue et l'ont emmenée vers une porte avant de la battre et de la frapper à coups de pierre. Elle appelait désespérément à l'aide et je ne sais pas comment elle a pu s'en sortir", poursuit-il, précisant avoir vu au moins 35 Chinois couverts de sang, mais pas de morts.
"Beaucoup de Chinois s'enfuyaient pour sauver leur peau", se souvient M. Alonso lors d'un entretien avec l'AFP dimanche soir à l'aéroport de Chengdu (sud-ouest de la Chine) avant son départ pour l'Espagne.
Juan Carlos Alonso résidait dans un hôtel du coeur historique de Lhassa, lieu des émeutes, après être arrivé le jeudi.
"Leur but était de tout détruire sur la rue principale, en commençant par les magasins et les restaurants chinois", dit-il.
"Le pire c'est que les patrons de restaurants et les Chinois qui se trouvaient dans les rues devaient se cacher. Ils ont baissé leurs rideaux, mais cela n'a pas arrêté les Tibétains, ils les ont sortis et frappé avec des pierres. Ils avaient des couteux, des pierres, des machettes, des couteaux de boucher -- ils utilisaient tout ce qui leur tombait sous la main".
"Je n'ai pas eu peur, je savais qu'ils n'en avaient pas après moi. Les Tibétains n'en avaient qu'après les Chinois".
Le touriste espagnol décrit une foule de jeunes adolescents tibétains, à peine âgés de 20 ans, et peu de moines.
Des moines bouddhistes avaient commencé à manifester lundi dernier, à l'occasion du 49e anniversaire du soulèvement de Lhassa qui avait abouti à l'exil du dalaï lama.
Dès son arrivée, M. Alonso explique avoir senti une tension palpable entre les policiers chinois et les Tibétains.
Après les émeutes, tout autour de son hôtel, ce n'était que désolation.
"Rien n'a été épargné, ils ont tous brûlé".
Dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi, les forces de l'ordre ont commencé à affluer, avec des véhicules blindés. Alonso et un couple de touristes néerlandais, avec lequel il s'était lié d'amitié, ont alors décidé de partir.
"Il y a eu des coups de feu (le vendredi soir). Puis le samedi matin aussi, à plusieurs reprises".
En repartant samedi matin vers l'aéroport, Alonso a pu voir des militaires partout.
"L'un d'eux est venu vers nous en criant, très agressif, avec son fusil il a tiré en l'air. Je me suis dit: +Faites qu'il ne baisse pas son fusil, ou alors c'est en fini pour nous+.
Notre dossier spécial sur la crise au Tibet
Tibet
Tibet et jeux olympiques
Dans les rues de Lhassa vendredi, une "chasse aux Chinois"
de Aacitoyen le Dim 21 Fév 2010 13:36
- Aacitoyen
- Messages: 473
- Inscription: Sam 19 Jan 2008 16:55
Scenes de lynchage de Chinois par des Tibetains
de Aacitoyen le Dim 21 Fév 2010 13:55
Tibet: des touristes décrivent des scènes de lynchage de Chinois par des Tibétains --- d'après l'AFP
Autre source : Le Parisien ; Le Grand Soir
KATMANDOU AFP, 18 mars 2008
De jeunes Tibétains déchaînés ont caillassé et battu des Chinois et ont mis le feu à des boutiques, avant que l'armée ne restaure le calme à Lhassa, la capitale du Tibet, ont raconté mardi des touristes qui arrivaient de la région himalayenne.
"C'était une explosion de colère des Tibétains contre les Chinois et les musulmans", a rapporté à l'AFP John Kenwood, un Canadien de 19 ans qui a décrit des scènes d'une violence extrême.
Selon le récit de M. Kenwood et d'autres touristes qui sont arrivés mardi par avion à Katmandou, la capitale du Népal, des bandes de jeunes ont battu et roué de coups des Chinois hans, accusés par les Tibétains de détruire leur culture et leur mode de vie par leur arrivée massive dans la région.
M. Kenwood affirme ainsi qu'il a vu vendredi quatre ou cinq Tibétains caillasser et frapper "sans pitié" un motocycliste chinois. "Ils ont fini par le mettre à terre, ils l'ont frappé sur la tête avec des pierres jusqu'à ce qu'il perde connaissance. Je pense que ce jeune homme a été tué", relate-t-il, sans être sûr que la victime soit morte.
Le gouvernement tibétain en exil a affirmé mardi que le bilan "confirmé" du nombre de victimes des récentes violences au Tibet s'élevait à 99 morts. Pékin a assuré de son côté que "13 civils innocents" avaient été tués et a affirmé ne pas avoir tiré de coups de feu pour mettre fin aux émeutes.
Les Tibétains "jetaient des pierres à tous ceux qui leur tombaient sous la main", ajoute M. Kenwood.
"Les jeunes agissaient et les vieux les encouragaient en criant, en hurlant comme des loups. Tous ceux qui avaient une apparence de Chinois étaient attaqués", confirme Claude Balsiger, un touriste suisse de 25 ans.
"Ils ont attaqué un vieil homme chinois qui passait sur sa bicyclette. Ils l'ont frappé très violemment sur la tête avec des pierres, de vieux Tibétains sont intervenus pour les arrêter", détaille-t-il.
M. Kenwood a assisté à une scène de sauvetage similaire survenue alors qu'un Chinois demandait grâce à une foule armée de pierres. "Ils lui donnaient des coups de pied dans les côtes, il avait le visage en sang", raconte-t-il. "C'est alors qu'un homme blanc est arrivé (...) et l'a aidé à se relever. Il y avait autour d'eux une foule de Tibétains, pierres à la main; il a gardé le Chinois près de lui, a fait des gestes vers la foule, et ils l'ont laissé emmener le vieil homme en sécurité".
A l'écoute de ces récits de touristes, un porte-parole du gouvernement tibétain en exil, Thubten Samphel, a qualifié ces violences de "très tragiques".
Les Tibétains "ont reçu pour consigne de de pas utiliser la violence dans leur combat", a-t-il dit à l'AFP par téléphone.
Les manifestations ont débuté le 10 mars, à l'occasion du 49e anniversaire du soulèvement anti-chinois de Lhassa en 1959.
Samedi, les autorités chinoises avaient repris le contrôle de la capitale tibétaine. L'armée a notamment ordonné aux touristes de rester dans leur hôtel d'où, selon leurs dires, ils ont pu entendre des coups de feu et les détonations de grenades lacrymogènes.
Lundi, les touristes étaient à nouveau autorisés à circuler mais régulièrement, ils devaient montrer leur passeport à des points de contrôle.
"Les magasins étaient complètement brûlés. Toutes les marchandises étaient dans la rue, brûlées. De nombreux bâtiments étaient vides", témoigne Serge Lachapelle, un touriste canadien.
"Le quartier musulman était complètement détruit, toutes les boutiques étaient détruites", déclare M. Kenwood.
Autre source : Le Parisien ; Le Grand Soir
KATMANDOU AFP, 18 mars 2008
De jeunes Tibétains déchaînés ont caillassé et battu des Chinois et ont mis le feu à des boutiques, avant que l'armée ne restaure le calme à Lhassa, la capitale du Tibet, ont raconté mardi des touristes qui arrivaient de la région himalayenne.
"C'était une explosion de colère des Tibétains contre les Chinois et les musulmans", a rapporté à l'AFP John Kenwood, un Canadien de 19 ans qui a décrit des scènes d'une violence extrême.
Selon le récit de M. Kenwood et d'autres touristes qui sont arrivés mardi par avion à Katmandou, la capitale du Népal, des bandes de jeunes ont battu et roué de coups des Chinois hans, accusés par les Tibétains de détruire leur culture et leur mode de vie par leur arrivée massive dans la région.
M. Kenwood affirme ainsi qu'il a vu vendredi quatre ou cinq Tibétains caillasser et frapper "sans pitié" un motocycliste chinois. "Ils ont fini par le mettre à terre, ils l'ont frappé sur la tête avec des pierres jusqu'à ce qu'il perde connaissance. Je pense que ce jeune homme a été tué", relate-t-il, sans être sûr que la victime soit morte.
Le gouvernement tibétain en exil a affirmé mardi que le bilan "confirmé" du nombre de victimes des récentes violences au Tibet s'élevait à 99 morts. Pékin a assuré de son côté que "13 civils innocents" avaient été tués et a affirmé ne pas avoir tiré de coups de feu pour mettre fin aux émeutes.
Les Tibétains "jetaient des pierres à tous ceux qui leur tombaient sous la main", ajoute M. Kenwood.
"Les jeunes agissaient et les vieux les encouragaient en criant, en hurlant comme des loups. Tous ceux qui avaient une apparence de Chinois étaient attaqués", confirme Claude Balsiger, un touriste suisse de 25 ans.
"Ils ont attaqué un vieil homme chinois qui passait sur sa bicyclette. Ils l'ont frappé très violemment sur la tête avec des pierres, de vieux Tibétains sont intervenus pour les arrêter", détaille-t-il.
M. Kenwood a assisté à une scène de sauvetage similaire survenue alors qu'un Chinois demandait grâce à une foule armée de pierres. "Ils lui donnaient des coups de pied dans les côtes, il avait le visage en sang", raconte-t-il. "C'est alors qu'un homme blanc est arrivé (...) et l'a aidé à se relever. Il y avait autour d'eux une foule de Tibétains, pierres à la main; il a gardé le Chinois près de lui, a fait des gestes vers la foule, et ils l'ont laissé emmener le vieil homme en sécurité".
A l'écoute de ces récits de touristes, un porte-parole du gouvernement tibétain en exil, Thubten Samphel, a qualifié ces violences de "très tragiques".
Les Tibétains "ont reçu pour consigne de de pas utiliser la violence dans leur combat", a-t-il dit à l'AFP par téléphone.
Les manifestations ont débuté le 10 mars, à l'occasion du 49e anniversaire du soulèvement anti-chinois de Lhassa en 1959.
Samedi, les autorités chinoises avaient repris le contrôle de la capitale tibétaine. L'armée a notamment ordonné aux touristes de rester dans leur hôtel d'où, selon leurs dires, ils ont pu entendre des coups de feu et les détonations de grenades lacrymogènes.
Lundi, les touristes étaient à nouveau autorisés à circuler mais régulièrement, ils devaient montrer leur passeport à des points de contrôle.
"Les magasins étaient complètement brûlés. Toutes les marchandises étaient dans la rue, brûlées. De nombreux bâtiments étaient vides", témoigne Serge Lachapelle, un touriste canadien.
"Le quartier musulman était complètement détruit, toutes les boutiques étaient détruites", déclare M. Kenwood.
- Aacitoyen
- Messages: 473
- Inscription: Sam 19 Jan 2008 16:55
Tourist video shows riot, flames in Tibetan capital
de Aacitoyen le Dim 21 Fév 2010 14:25
Tourist video shows riot, flames in Tibetan capital --- d'après CNN
(CNN) -- Australian tourist Michael Smith says he was eating lunch in a restaurant in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, on Friday when he heard an explosion and saw smoke.
(Video shot by an Australian tourist shows protesters in the streets of Lhasa, Tibet, last week.)
As armored vehicles and trucks carrying Chinese soldiers rushed past, Smith started videotaping.
"We're standing here in the middle of Lhasa and the place has just [expletive] exploded," Smith narrated during the rioting.
Smith, who was traveling in Tibet when anti-Chinese rioting broke out Friday, returned home this week with dramatic video of the violence in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, which aired on Australian TV on Wednesday. Video Watch Smith's video of chaos in streets »
Tibetan exile groups maintain at least 80 people were killed by Chinese security forces that day, but Chinese authorities insist they acted with restraint and killed no one. Instead, China says 13 "innocent people" were killed, some brutally burned, by the Tibetan rioters.
No apparent deaths or injuries were seen on the video, which Smith shared with Australia's ABC News, a CNN affiliate.
The video shows Tibetans smashing windows and setting fire to Chinese shops and cars, while people are heard cheering. It also shows Chinese security forces, but no clashes between them and the rioters.
"It's absolute mayhem on the streets," Smith said.
Other video released of the rioting was broadcast by the Chinese government's CCTV, and it did not include pictures of Chinese security forces.
Smith said as he made his way back to his hotel on Friday, he "met so many Tibetan people on the streets, so many young Tibetan boys just screaming for Tibet's freedom."
"We don't have any freedoms," one young Tibetan male shouted to Smith's camera.
"The Tibetan people are going crazy," Smith said. Photo See protests around the world over Tibet »
Many of the businesses targeted by the rioters were operated by Han Chinese, China's largest ethnic group. The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, has blamed the violent protests on deep resentment fueled by Chinese treatment of Tibetans as "second-class citizens in their own land."
Tibetan activists said an influx of Han Chinese from other provinces is threatening their ancient culture.
While many of these "Free Tibet" activists demand independence from China, the Dalai Lama said he wants only "genuine autonomy" so that Tibetans can preserve their heritage. Video Watch Tibetans on horseback storm a Chinese town »
Meanwhile, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported Tuesday that more than 100 people surrendered themselves to police and admitted involvement in the clashes last week in Lhasa.
Tibet's regional government said 105 people had turned themselves in to authorities by 11 p.m. Tuesday (1:15 p.m. ET), Xinhua said.
Authorities had urged those who participated in the protests to turn themselves in, offering them leniency if they did.
"Those who surrender and provide information on other lawbreakers will be exempt from punishment," Xinhua quoted a police notice as saying.
(CNN) -- Australian tourist Michael Smith says he was eating lunch in a restaurant in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, on Friday when he heard an explosion and saw smoke.
(Video shot by an Australian tourist shows protesters in the streets of Lhasa, Tibet, last week.)
As armored vehicles and trucks carrying Chinese soldiers rushed past, Smith started videotaping.
"We're standing here in the middle of Lhasa and the place has just [expletive] exploded," Smith narrated during the rioting.
Smith, who was traveling in Tibet when anti-Chinese rioting broke out Friday, returned home this week with dramatic video of the violence in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, which aired on Australian TV on Wednesday. Video Watch Smith's video of chaos in streets »
Tibetan exile groups maintain at least 80 people were killed by Chinese security forces that day, but Chinese authorities insist they acted with restraint and killed no one. Instead, China says 13 "innocent people" were killed, some brutally burned, by the Tibetan rioters.
No apparent deaths or injuries were seen on the video, which Smith shared with Australia's ABC News, a CNN affiliate.
The video shows Tibetans smashing windows and setting fire to Chinese shops and cars, while people are heard cheering. It also shows Chinese security forces, but no clashes between them and the rioters.
"It's absolute mayhem on the streets," Smith said.
Other video released of the rioting was broadcast by the Chinese government's CCTV, and it did not include pictures of Chinese security forces.
Smith said as he made his way back to his hotel on Friday, he "met so many Tibetan people on the streets, so many young Tibetan boys just screaming for Tibet's freedom."
"We don't have any freedoms," one young Tibetan male shouted to Smith's camera.
"The Tibetan people are going crazy," Smith said. Photo See protests around the world over Tibet »
Many of the businesses targeted by the rioters were operated by Han Chinese, China's largest ethnic group. The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, has blamed the violent protests on deep resentment fueled by Chinese treatment of Tibetans as "second-class citizens in their own land."
Tibetan activists said an influx of Han Chinese from other provinces is threatening their ancient culture.
While many of these "Free Tibet" activists demand independence from China, the Dalai Lama said he wants only "genuine autonomy" so that Tibetans can preserve their heritage. Video Watch Tibetans on horseback storm a Chinese town »
Meanwhile, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported Tuesday that more than 100 people surrendered themselves to police and admitted involvement in the clashes last week in Lhasa.
Tibet's regional government said 105 people had turned themselves in to authorities by 11 p.m. Tuesday (1:15 p.m. ET), Xinhua said.
Authorities had urged those who participated in the protests to turn themselves in, offering them leniency if they did.
"Those who surrender and provide information on other lawbreakers will be exempt from punishment," Xinhua quoted a police notice as saying.
- Aacitoyen
- Messages: 473
- Inscription: Sam 19 Jan 2008 16:55
Blogdai Interviews Kadfly
de Aacitoyen le Dim 21 Fév 2010 15:28
Kadfly était présent lors des émeutes de mars 2008 au Tibet, il a mis sur son blog les photos de l'évènement. Ces photos ont été frauduleusement reprise par les média du monde entier, et déformée pour travestir la réalité.
Son blog ne semble plus accessible mais les photos sont disponible ici.
Voici ici son interview.
Blogdai Interviews Kadfly --- d'après le blog de Blogdai
Who is Kadfly you ask? None but a single young traveler who happened to be in Lhasa when the uprising began. Kadfly's photos were the first and most definitive account of events on the ground during that turbulent time. His reporting of the situation in Lhasa on his blog trumped any official Chinese attempts to stifle coverage. He's been hailed as brave, threatened, applauded and cursed simply for being willing to give as unbiased account of the Lhasa riots as he could. He speaks directly to blogdai below. -=BD
(Above)Police at the Lhasa riots. Photo by Kadfly, NOT the BBC, NOT Reuters, NOT CNN, and NOT The New York Times
Hi Blogdai,
I forwarded your questions to my kadfly e-mail to verify my identity since I post about this e-mail address in this post (along with why I no longer have access to the photos on my SD card). It is also for my own purposes as I would like all blog-related correspondence to now go to this address. (Kadfly@gmail.com) If you need me to make a post or something on the blog to further verify my identity just let me know.
I will try my best to answer your questions below:
(blogdai questions in bold)Much has been made of the Riots in Lhasa. Both the Tibetan and Chinese versions differ significantly. What, from your first-hand observations, started the whole thing and what seemed to be the greatest instigating factor?
It seems the protests by the monks in the days leading up to the 14th led to a response by the Chinese and this response in turn led directly to the riots. The whole thing on the 14th really seemed to kick off with the blockading of the Ramoche Monastery: this seemed to infuriate ordinary Tibetans and the riot began minutes after the Chinese police were dropped off on Beijing Donglu to close the alley leading to the Temple.
Which media side seems to be the worst at fairly representing events as you witnessed them?
I haven't been that exposed to what the Chinese media is reporting, to be honest. But the photo cropping allegations (CNN and the trucks being stoned) and the use of pictures of police brutality from Nepal to illustrate stories about what was happening in Tibet does make me believe the Western media has not tried particularly hard to fairly represent the event. But as I said, I'm not aware of what the Chinese is doing so I cannot really compare the two. That said, I do hold the Western media to a higher standard than their Chinese counterparts, for obvious reasons
.
Your photos have been picked up (uncredited) by the BBC, CNN and the front page of the New York Times. Some media renderings show only partial aspects of your photos which may imply a meaning that differed from the original photo. What is your opinion/experience with the Western media's use of your material and coverage of the events in Lhasa?
My main concern is how the Western media decided to completely ignore the violence of the protesters and concentrate on the resulting crackdown, which I actually had not witnessed. They used the police shields photo as a sign of Chinese strength, for example, without pointing out that seconds after the photo was taken the Chinese police actually fled for their lives.
As you may have observed, the Olympic torch relay has become a public relations disaster for the Beijing and International Olymice committees. Your coverage of events in Lhasa differed from the official Chinese version of events and may have been a significant catalyst in the torch demonstrations we see worldwide today. Did you ever have a sense of the importance your live coverage of the riots would carry in terms of world events today?
No, and I still don't think it has been very important, to be honest. I think all of this would have happened with or without our photos. Tibetans know this year is their chance to really force the issue.
There are many theories that ethnic Hans were just trying to work and make a living in Lhasa and that the real obstinance resided in the PCC and Chinese administration in Tibet. Do you think such a two-tiered Chinese presence exists in Lhasa?
I really don't think I am familiar enough with Lhasa or Tibet more generally to comment on this. But I think it is plausible: I met an ethnic Han person from Singapore who ran a coffee shop in Lhasa, for example, who I sincerely doubt is trying in any way to crush Tibetan independence. Similarly, I met an ethnic Han person from Hong Kong who was looking to start his own company in Lhasa who would regularly laugh at the official Chinese coverage of the riots.
Internet access was heavily scrutinized during the riots and the Chinese government has threatened to block all connections during the olympics. Did you feel watched or scrutinized during the times you posted to your blog from Lhasa?
At the Yak Hotel we first uploaded photos via the public internet room. A man (I think one of the managers of the hotel) came into this room mid-afternoon, yelled at the girls who worked there for letting us use the computers, and went to each computer and turned them off without saying a single word to any of us. But for some reason (they probably just forgot) they left private internet connections within rooms open so once we had a laptop we were again free to upload photos. As time went on I often felt like people might be listening to my cell phone or reading my blog postings and e-mails but I think this was paranoia more than anything. The internet police were definitely not trying very hard to shut down either internet connections or the cell phone network.
Tibet is scheduled to reopen May 1 to tourists. What will they find in Lhasa?
Some ruins, troops/police still in the streets but life as usual other than that is my guess. This has basically been the situation since March 18th, from what I hear.
Your blog received hundreds of postings during your stay in Lhasa. Many posters were angry pro-government supporters. Have you received any further or secondary contact from Chinese officials or supporters since your departure from Tibet?
No. All contact with those who read my blog who I do not know personally has been limited to the comments section with the exception of you and a few journalists.
Did you receive any other significant contacts, invitations or acknowledgements from your coverage?
Only from you. I will be receiving some portion of $2800 US from Reuters (a portion is going to our journalist contact who brought my blog to the attention of the major news agencies and negotiated on our behalf) which I will be donating and I have been interviewed by some media outlets.
How was the border crossing into Nepal? We understand security was stepped up significantly, is this true?
No, actually. Security may have been beefed up before the 20th or after (the day we arrived in Zhangmu) but crossing that particular day was extremely easy (and there were no extra officers than was necessary). Everyone in our group was hiding their memory cards and the such but it was completely unnecessary. The Chinese customs people appeared bored if anything and didn't even ask if we had come from Lhasa. It couldn't have been any more ordinary except for the journalists on the Nepalese side.
The world seemed quite taken by your coverage. Perhaps it was because you came off as a concerned traveler who was just caught up in the moment. Do you have any plans to re-visit Tibet? What, if anything, can you tell us about your immediate furture plans?
Yes, I would love to revisit Tibet. I don't have any plans at the moment but I know I will return. I will be finishing my trip in India and flying home at the end of the month.
Good, bad, indifferent or otherwise, is there anything you would like to add?
Not at the moment, but feel free to ask more if you need to.
Hope this helps,
Kadfly
Son blog ne semble plus accessible mais les photos sont disponible ici.
Voici ici son interview.
Blogdai Interviews Kadfly --- d'après le blog de Blogdai
Who is Kadfly you ask? None but a single young traveler who happened to be in Lhasa when the uprising began. Kadfly's photos were the first and most definitive account of events on the ground during that turbulent time. His reporting of the situation in Lhasa on his blog trumped any official Chinese attempts to stifle coverage. He's been hailed as brave, threatened, applauded and cursed simply for being willing to give as unbiased account of the Lhasa riots as he could. He speaks directly to blogdai below. -=BD
(Above)Police at the Lhasa riots. Photo by Kadfly, NOT the BBC, NOT Reuters, NOT CNN, and NOT The New York Times
Hi Blogdai,
I forwarded your questions to my kadfly e-mail to verify my identity since I post about this e-mail address in this post (along with why I no longer have access to the photos on my SD card). It is also for my own purposes as I would like all blog-related correspondence to now go to this address. (Kadfly@gmail.com) If you need me to make a post or something on the blog to further verify my identity just let me know.
I will try my best to answer your questions below:
(blogdai questions in bold)Much has been made of the Riots in Lhasa. Both the Tibetan and Chinese versions differ significantly. What, from your first-hand observations, started the whole thing and what seemed to be the greatest instigating factor?
It seems the protests by the monks in the days leading up to the 14th led to a response by the Chinese and this response in turn led directly to the riots. The whole thing on the 14th really seemed to kick off with the blockading of the Ramoche Monastery: this seemed to infuriate ordinary Tibetans and the riot began minutes after the Chinese police were dropped off on Beijing Donglu to close the alley leading to the Temple.
Which media side seems to be the worst at fairly representing events as you witnessed them?
I haven't been that exposed to what the Chinese media is reporting, to be honest. But the photo cropping allegations (CNN and the trucks being stoned) and the use of pictures of police brutality from Nepal to illustrate stories about what was happening in Tibet does make me believe the Western media has not tried particularly hard to fairly represent the event. But as I said, I'm not aware of what the Chinese is doing so I cannot really compare the two. That said, I do hold the Western media to a higher standard than their Chinese counterparts, for obvious reasons
.Your photos have been picked up (uncredited) by the BBC, CNN and the front page of the New York Times. Some media renderings show only partial aspects of your photos which may imply a meaning that differed from the original photo. What is your opinion/experience with the Western media's use of your material and coverage of the events in Lhasa?
My main concern is how the Western media decided to completely ignore the violence of the protesters and concentrate on the resulting crackdown, which I actually had not witnessed. They used the police shields photo as a sign of Chinese strength, for example, without pointing out that seconds after the photo was taken the Chinese police actually fled for their lives.
As you may have observed, the Olympic torch relay has become a public relations disaster for the Beijing and International Olymice committees. Your coverage of events in Lhasa differed from the official Chinese version of events and may have been a significant catalyst in the torch demonstrations we see worldwide today. Did you ever have a sense of the importance your live coverage of the riots would carry in terms of world events today?
No, and I still don't think it has been very important, to be honest. I think all of this would have happened with or without our photos. Tibetans know this year is their chance to really force the issue.
There are many theories that ethnic Hans were just trying to work and make a living in Lhasa and that the real obstinance resided in the PCC and Chinese administration in Tibet. Do you think such a two-tiered Chinese presence exists in Lhasa?
I really don't think I am familiar enough with Lhasa or Tibet more generally to comment on this. But I think it is plausible: I met an ethnic Han person from Singapore who ran a coffee shop in Lhasa, for example, who I sincerely doubt is trying in any way to crush Tibetan independence. Similarly, I met an ethnic Han person from Hong Kong who was looking to start his own company in Lhasa who would regularly laugh at the official Chinese coverage of the riots.
Internet access was heavily scrutinized during the riots and the Chinese government has threatened to block all connections during the olympics. Did you feel watched or scrutinized during the times you posted to your blog from Lhasa?
At the Yak Hotel we first uploaded photos via the public internet room. A man (I think one of the managers of the hotel) came into this room mid-afternoon, yelled at the girls who worked there for letting us use the computers, and went to each computer and turned them off without saying a single word to any of us. But for some reason (they probably just forgot) they left private internet connections within rooms open so once we had a laptop we were again free to upload photos. As time went on I often felt like people might be listening to my cell phone or reading my blog postings and e-mails but I think this was paranoia more than anything. The internet police were definitely not trying very hard to shut down either internet connections or the cell phone network.
Tibet is scheduled to reopen May 1 to tourists. What will they find in Lhasa?
Some ruins, troops/police still in the streets but life as usual other than that is my guess. This has basically been the situation since March 18th, from what I hear.
Your blog received hundreds of postings during your stay in Lhasa. Many posters were angry pro-government supporters. Have you received any further or secondary contact from Chinese officials or supporters since your departure from Tibet?
No. All contact with those who read my blog who I do not know personally has been limited to the comments section with the exception of you and a few journalists.
Did you receive any other significant contacts, invitations or acknowledgements from your coverage?
Only from you
. I will be receiving some portion of $2800 US from Reuters (a portion is going to our journalist contact who brought my blog to the attention of the major news agencies and negotiated on our behalf) which I will be donating and I have been interviewed by some media outlets.How was the border crossing into Nepal? We understand security was stepped up significantly, is this true?
No, actually. Security may have been beefed up before the 20th or after (the day we arrived in Zhangmu) but crossing that particular day was extremely easy (and there were no extra officers than was necessary). Everyone in our group was hiding their memory cards and the such but it was completely unnecessary. The Chinese customs people appeared bored if anything and didn't even ask if we had come from Lhasa. It couldn't have been any more ordinary except for the journalists on the Nepalese side.
The world seemed quite taken by your coverage. Perhaps it was because you came off as a concerned traveler who was just caught up in the moment. Do you have any plans to re-visit Tibet? What, if anything, can you tell us about your immediate furture plans?
Yes, I would love to revisit Tibet. I don't have any plans at the moment but I know I will return. I will be finishing my trip in India and flying home at the end of the month.
Good, bad, indifferent or otherwise, is there anything you would like to add?
Not at the moment, but feel free to ask more if you need to.
Hope this helps,
Kadfly
- Aacitoyen
- Messages: 473
- Inscription: Sam 19 Jan 2008 16:55
'Oh my God, someone has a gun ...'
de Aacitoyen le Dim 21 Fév 2010 16:01
'Oh my God, someone has a gun ...' --- d'après Guardian
The Guardian, Saturday 15 March 2008
This is an eyewitness account of a foreign resident in Lhasa who took refuge in a hotel close to the centre of the Tibetan capital yesterday. The city was gripped by violence after protesters and police clashed
"Oh my God. Oh no. That's crazy. One hundred people are trying to stone one man. A man was trying to cross the street with his motorcycle - they were trying to stone him but it's so crowded I can't see whether they got him or not.
"We came out for a walk about at about five today. I knew something was happening because there were a lot of people on the street. We were on Sera Street, which goes to the [Klukang] monastery. It sounds like the noise came from there; it sounds like at first they had been fighting in the temple.
"We saw people running and people in this hotel told us to get in quickly as the crowd was coming. They seem OK here, maybe the owner is Tibetan. All the other hotels have smashed windows.
"The residents are very angry. They are throwing stones at anyone who is Han [Chinese] or from other minorities like the Hui, who are Muslims. It seems like it's ethnic - like they want to kill anyone not Tibetan.
"I would say it's a riot here but I think in the centre it's worse. There's a lot of smoke - we can see it where there have been burnings. I heard people saying the authorities were firing, using guns. We don't know.
Here we have seen people trying to stone anyone they can - Han and other minorities, not foreigners. The Tibetans had stones and knives. I saw Chinese people running away - there was nothing they could do.
"We don't see any police around here. Maybe they're all in the centre and are too busy. It's very violent.
"Oh my God. Someone has a gun in front of me. There's a group of about 20 people - two of them have handguns. They are walking the street.They're shooting. They didn't have uniforms, but the way they were in a group I thought maybe they were police. They went down the street and the first one fired, that's for sure - I think the others did; there was so much noise I can't be sure. Then some of the citizens threw stones, but not at them - in the other direction. So I don't know if they were police or maybe Tibetans.
"I have just been out to get my things. We are staying at the hotel tonight. There are still people on the streets but only Tibetans - if they see anyone
Chinese they throw stones.
"Three times people raised their arms and then when they saw I was white they stopped it. The thing that surprised me most was that I saw no police or soldiers.
"I saw three people assaulting a man - I was 50 metres away, but I think he was Chinese. They kicked him and then one man had a knife and used it. He was lying on the floor and the man put the knife in his back, like he wanted to see he was dead.
"I had to get away, there were people throwing stones.
"When I came back he was gone - I don't know if he's dead. Then I saw people who had obviously been beaten or stoned. There wasn't blood on them but they were so shocked.
"This area used to be a place where Tibetans and the Chinese were friendly.
"I think this is going to get worse. One person told me 300 people have died in the city centre [the Guardian has no information to substantiate this claim]. I just don't know."
The Guardian, Saturday 15 March 2008
This is an eyewitness account of a foreign resident in Lhasa who took refuge in a hotel close to the centre of the Tibetan capital yesterday. The city was gripped by violence after protesters and police clashed
"Oh my God. Oh no. That's crazy. One hundred people are trying to stone one man. A man was trying to cross the street with his motorcycle - they were trying to stone him but it's so crowded I can't see whether they got him or not.
"We came out for a walk about at about five today. I knew something was happening because there were a lot of people on the street. We were on Sera Street, which goes to the [Klukang] monastery. It sounds like the noise came from there; it sounds like at first they had been fighting in the temple.
"We saw people running and people in this hotel told us to get in quickly as the crowd was coming. They seem OK here, maybe the owner is Tibetan. All the other hotels have smashed windows.
"The residents are very angry. They are throwing stones at anyone who is Han [Chinese] or from other minorities like the Hui, who are Muslims. It seems like it's ethnic - like they want to kill anyone not Tibetan.
"I would say it's a riot here but I think in the centre it's worse. There's a lot of smoke - we can see it where there have been burnings. I heard people saying the authorities were firing, using guns. We don't know.
Here we have seen people trying to stone anyone they can - Han and other minorities, not foreigners. The Tibetans had stones and knives. I saw Chinese people running away - there was nothing they could do.
"We don't see any police around here. Maybe they're all in the centre and are too busy. It's very violent.
"Oh my God. Someone has a gun in front of me. There's a group of about 20 people - two of them have handguns. They are walking the street.They're shooting. They didn't have uniforms, but the way they were in a group I thought maybe they were police. They went down the street and the first one fired, that's for sure - I think the others did; there was so much noise I can't be sure. Then some of the citizens threw stones, but not at them - in the other direction. So I don't know if they were police or maybe Tibetans.
"I have just been out to get my things. We are staying at the hotel tonight. There are still people on the streets but only Tibetans - if they see anyone
Chinese they throw stones.
"Three times people raised their arms and then when they saw I was white they stopped it. The thing that surprised me most was that I saw no police or soldiers.
"I saw three people assaulting a man - I was 50 metres away, but I think he was Chinese. They kicked him and then one man had a knife and used it. He was lying on the floor and the man put the knife in his back, like he wanted to see he was dead.
"I had to get away, there were people throwing stones.
"When I came back he was gone - I don't know if he's dead. Then I saw people who had obviously been beaten or stoned. There wasn't blood on them but they were so shocked.
"This area used to be a place where Tibetans and the Chinese were friendly.
"I think this is going to get worse. One person told me 300 people have died in the city centre [the Guardian has no information to substantiate this claim]. I just don't know."
- Aacitoyen
- Messages: 473
- Inscription: Sam 19 Jan 2008 16:55
Eyewitness account of Lhasa violence
de Aacitoyen le Dim 21 Fév 2010 16:03
Eyewitness account of Lhasa violence --- d'après Guardian
guardian.co.uk, Friday 14 March 2008 15.35 GMT
A western tourist in Tibet describes the moment violence erupted in Lhasa:
"I was out at the Dazhou temple when it kicked off, about 1pm today. As we came out a lot of people began rushing through - one guy was shouting and holding a traditional dagger. He was a young guy in his 20s.
"We followed the crowd - we had no idea what was going on. By the time we got into main square outside he was standing on top of a police 4x4, kicking the light on the top. Then he came down onto the bonnet and was beating the windscreen with another weapon, I don't know what.
More and more people were gathering round – every time he screamed they were whooping back at him. The numbers were getting bigger the whole time.
Everyone was out on the roofs or looking out of the windows.
You could see the police presence building up in cars - they weren't on foot. I wasn't too nervous at first. The guy was moving through the crowd by now, I assume to get away - he had blood on his hands but I think it was his own. Then he disappeared.
"Even after he had gone the crowd was getting nosier - they were throwing their prayer scarves into the air. They started throwing bricks and stones and sticks - anything they could find - at the police station right next to the main square. They turned over a couple of police cars and set fire to them.
"The Tibetans said to us, 'Don't worry, foreigners are welcome - it's just the Chinese'. But we started moving away up the road. I saw three snipers positioning on the roofs around the square - when I looked back they were very clear and my friend said he saw at least ten, that was why he wanted to move away.
"The crowds were throwing stones at any passing cars. There were police cars with holes in the glass. Looking down the street, there were blockades of soldiers across the main road running through the city and in front of the Potala Palace.
"Two hundred yards away there were lines of soldiers with riot shields and helmets. Up beyond them were two troop carrier vehicles and beyond that there were police.
"We managed to get on a minibus out of there and get back to the hotel. There was a lot of black smoke as we left the centre and we saw seven big troop carriers heading into town full of soldiers.
"The police have told we are not allowed to leave the hotel now. There were rumours they were bringing in martial law but I don't think they have – it sounds as if the flights and trains will be running tomorrow."
guardian.co.uk, Friday 14 March 2008 15.35 GMT
A western tourist in Tibet describes the moment violence erupted in Lhasa:
"I was out at the Dazhou temple when it kicked off, about 1pm today. As we came out a lot of people began rushing through - one guy was shouting and holding a traditional dagger. He was a young guy in his 20s.
"We followed the crowd - we had no idea what was going on. By the time we got into main square outside he was standing on top of a police 4x4, kicking the light on the top. Then he came down onto the bonnet and was beating the windscreen with another weapon, I don't know what.
More and more people were gathering round – every time he screamed they were whooping back at him. The numbers were getting bigger the whole time.
Everyone was out on the roofs or looking out of the windows.
You could see the police presence building up in cars - they weren't on foot. I wasn't too nervous at first. The guy was moving through the crowd by now, I assume to get away - he had blood on his hands but I think it was his own. Then he disappeared.
"Even after he had gone the crowd was getting nosier - they were throwing their prayer scarves into the air. They started throwing bricks and stones and sticks - anything they could find - at the police station right next to the main square. They turned over a couple of police cars and set fire to them.
"The Tibetans said to us, 'Don't worry, foreigners are welcome - it's just the Chinese'. But we started moving away up the road. I saw three snipers positioning on the roofs around the square - when I looked back they were very clear and my friend said he saw at least ten, that was why he wanted to move away.
"The crowds were throwing stones at any passing cars. There were police cars with holes in the glass. Looking down the street, there were blockades of soldiers across the main road running through the city and in front of the Potala Palace.
"Two hundred yards away there were lines of soldiers with riot shields and helmets. Up beyond them were two troop carrier vehicles and beyond that there were police.
"We managed to get on a minibus out of there and get back to the hotel. There was a lot of black smoke as we left the centre and we saw seven big troop carriers heading into town full of soldiers.
"The police have told we are not allowed to leave the hotel now. There were rumours they were bringing in martial law but I don't think they have – it sounds as if the flights and trains will be running tomorrow."
- Aacitoyen
- Messages: 473
- Inscription: Sam 19 Jan 2008 16:55
Crackdown as 10 burnt to death in Tibet riots
de Aacitoyen le Dim 21 Fév 2010 16:06
Crackdown as 10 burnt to death in Tibet riots --- d'après The Sydney Morning Herald
Violence erupts ... rioters fan the flames of rage in Lhasa, Tibet, over the weekend in three days of monk-led protests on the anniversary of a 1959 uprising. Photo: Reuters
Benjamin Morgan Chengdu, China, March 16, 2008
FOREIGN tourists yesterday told of the fear and chaos that gripped Lhasa, Tibet, as deadly violence erupted, before Chinese authorities seized control in a massive show of force.
"I saw a lot of people with wounded heads and blood and ambulances and tanks and policemen all over," Bente Walle, 58, said at Chengdu airport after flying out from Lhasa following Friday's unrest.
"I was very close to it when [the rioting] began. I heard no gunshots, but I saw a lot of fires and everybody was running and my guide told me, 'We have got to run.' Someone put us in their house and closed the door."
Ms Walle, from Denmark, said it took her and her guide 1½ hours to reach safety from the house, because the fighting in the streets meant taxi drivers would not take them close to their hostel.
"So he dropped us off on the road and we had to run again," she said.
"But I felt safe [when we were back at the hostel] and this woman [the guide] held my hand. But I don't want to do it again. It was very frightening."
Tibetans had begun tying white prayer scarves to their doors and cars so that the rioters would not ransack their property, Ms Walle added.
Chinese businesses - including the Bank of China - appeared to have been targeted by the rioters, as fires broke out across the city.
Chinese state television showed rioters ripping off the grille in front of the Bank of China, while the London-based Free Tibet Campaign reported that a Chinese jewellery shop had been demolished in the heart of the city.
China said yesterday 10 people had been burnt to death during the violence, which followed three days of monk-led protests on the anniversary of a 1959 uprising that was suppressed and during which exiles said that thousands of Tibetans died.
Ms Walle said Lhasa looked "like a ghost town" yesterday after the Chinese military regained control.
But in fresh violence elsewhere Tibetan Buddhist monks protested in China's north-west Gansu province, with security forces using tear gas to disperse the biggest rally.
In the Nepalese capital Kathmandu about 200 Tibetan refugees demonstrated outside the UN office before being dispersed by a police baton charge yesterday.
Australia joined calls from Western states for China to show restraint but Asian states elected not to speak out about the riots.
"We urge the Chinese Government to allow peaceful expression of dissent," Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith said.
"We call on Chinese authorities to act with restraint and to deal with protesters peacefully."
Beijing set a "surrender deadline" and showed the first extensive television footage of rioting in Lhasa, signalling a crackdown after the worst unrest in Tibet for two decades.
Violence erupts ... rioters fan the flames of rage in Lhasa, Tibet, over the weekend in three days of monk-led protests on the anniversary of a 1959 uprising. Photo: Reuters
Benjamin Morgan Chengdu, China, March 16, 2008
FOREIGN tourists yesterday told of the fear and chaos that gripped Lhasa, Tibet, as deadly violence erupted, before Chinese authorities seized control in a massive show of force.
"I saw a lot of people with wounded heads and blood and ambulances and tanks and policemen all over," Bente Walle, 58, said at Chengdu airport after flying out from Lhasa following Friday's unrest.
"I was very close to it when [the rioting] began. I heard no gunshots, but I saw a lot of fires and everybody was running and my guide told me, 'We have got to run.' Someone put us in their house and closed the door."
Ms Walle, from Denmark, said it took her and her guide 1½ hours to reach safety from the house, because the fighting in the streets meant taxi drivers would not take them close to their hostel.
"So he dropped us off on the road and we had to run again," she said.
"But I felt safe [when we were back at the hostel] and this woman [the guide] held my hand. But I don't want to do it again. It was very frightening."
Tibetans had begun tying white prayer scarves to their doors and cars so that the rioters would not ransack their property, Ms Walle added.
Chinese businesses - including the Bank of China - appeared to have been targeted by the rioters, as fires broke out across the city.
Chinese state television showed rioters ripping off the grille in front of the Bank of China, while the London-based Free Tibet Campaign reported that a Chinese jewellery shop had been demolished in the heart of the city.
China said yesterday 10 people had been burnt to death during the violence, which followed three days of monk-led protests on the anniversary of a 1959 uprising that was suppressed and during which exiles said that thousands of Tibetans died.
Ms Walle said Lhasa looked "like a ghost town" yesterday after the Chinese military regained control.
But in fresh violence elsewhere Tibetan Buddhist monks protested in China's north-west Gansu province, with security forces using tear gas to disperse the biggest rally.
In the Nepalese capital Kathmandu about 200 Tibetan refugees demonstrated outside the UN office before being dispersed by a police baton charge yesterday.
Australia joined calls from Western states for China to show restraint but Asian states elected not to speak out about the riots.
"We urge the Chinese Government to allow peaceful expression of dissent," Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith said.
"We call on Chinese authorities to act with restraint and to deal with protesters peacefully."
Beijing set a "surrender deadline" and showed the first extensive television footage of rioting in Lhasa, signalling a crackdown after the worst unrest in Tibet for two decades.
- Aacitoyen
- Messages: 473
- Inscription: Sam 19 Jan 2008 16:55
Nederlanders over onlusten in Tibet
de Aacitoyen le Dim 21 Fév 2010 16:11
Nederlanders over onlusten in Tibet --- d'après volkskrantreizen.nl
door reisredactie op dinsdag 18 maart 2008
Lhasa, China op dinsdag 18 maart 2008
Bron: redactie
‘Op het kruispunt voor mijn hotel zag ik hoe woedende Tibetanen met stenen gooiden naar Chinezen die voorbij kwamen op scooters. Als er eentje van de scooter afviel, dan werd zo'n Chinees helemaal in elkaar getrimd. Ze werden echt mishandeld.
'Ik wilde naar buiten, maar ik mocht niet van het hotelpersoneel. Door de straat reden vijftien tot twintig tanks af en aan. En ik zag zwaarbewapende militairen in legertrucks of marcherend voorbij komen. Daar kun je beter niet tussenstaan, dacht ik.'
Stefan (34) is een van de twee Nederlanders die afgelopen weekeinde in deTibetaanse hoofdstad Lhasa zagen hoe de protesten uit de hand liepen. Beiden willen liever niet met hun volledige naam in de krant.
Volgens de laatste informatie van het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken verblijven acht Nederlanders in Tibet, vijf van hen zijn toeristen die bezig zijn de regio te verlaten. De overige drie Nederlanders wonen permanent in Tibet en willen daar blijven. Stefan arriveerde donderdag in Lhasa en zag vanaf zijn hoteldak hoe de sfeer vrijdag omsloeg. ‘Op het ene moment liep ik rustig rond, op het andere moment stonden vier gebouwen tegenover mijn hotel, vlak bij de Jokhang-tempel, in de fik. Ze zijn voor mijn ogen tot op de grond toe afgebrand. Het begon rond het middaguur. Plotseling deden alle winkeliers in de straat de rolluiken naar beneden. Je voelde dat er iets ergs stond te gebeuren. Later zag ik vanuit mijn hotel hoe jongeTibetanen de rolluiken omhoog duwden en de boel plunderden en in brandstaken.'
Explosies
Stefan verblijft inmiddels in het Chinese Xian, maar vertelt nog hyper over zijn ervaringen de afgelopen dagen:‘Vrijdagochtend om tien uur heb ik de Jokhang-tempel in het centrum van de stad nog bezocht. Rond één uur 's middags zouden op diezelfde plek enkele Tibetanen neergeschoten zijn. Ik heb dat niet zelf gezien, want ik was in mijn hotel. Maar ik hoorde wel explosies en zag vanaf het dak van mijn hotel rookpluimen opstijgen.'
‘Ik heb de soldaten niet zien schieten en ik heb ook geen lijken gezien. We hadden een Amerikaanse in onze groep die gestationeerd was in Afghanistan, maar die nu op een korte vakantie naar Tibet was, en zij vertelde ons dat de explosies die wij hoorden geen geweerschoten waren.' EenTibetaan die ik in het hotel sprak zei over de oorzaak van het geweld: ‘Ze stoppen monniken in de gevangenis en zij waren onze enige hoop, dus nu moeten we wel vechten.'
'Ik heb begrepen dat de Chinezen alleTibetaanse geschriften in Lhasa hebben verbrand of verboden. Voor de gemiddelde Tibetaan zijn monniken dus de enige personen die hen nog dingen kunnen leren over hun cultuur.'
Indianenverhalen
Een andere Nederlander, die liever helemaal anoniem wil blijven omdat hij nog in Lhasa verblijft, zegt via de telefoon dat hij vanaf vrijdag drie dagen heeft binnengezeten. ‘Er stonden militairen met pantservoertuigen voor de deur en niemand mocht naar buiten.'
‘Er doen veel indianenverhalen de ronde, zoals dat we hier van alle communicatie zouden zijn afgesloten. Ik heb de afgelopen drie dagen onbeperkt kunneni nternetten en kunnen bellen. Het nieuws heb ik via alle mogelijke kanalen kunnen volgen.'
‘Maandagmorgen werd het uitgaansverbod opgeheven en ging ik de straat weer op. Er liepen mensen rond, taxi's reden weer en de rotzooi werd weggehaald. De markt was open en er was verse groente; de winkels in het centrum zijn nog welgesloten. Alles leek nog mee te vallen in de hoofdstraat van Lhasa, maar toen ik richting Jokhang-tempel liep schrok ik wel van de ravage die was aangericht door plunderingen en brandstichting. Ik voel me ongemakkelijk buiten door al die militairen met machinegeweren'
‘Ik heb in het verleden verschillende incidenten meegemaakt in Tibet, maar nog nooit zo'n extreme situatie als deze.'
Natalie Righton en Jady Petovic
door reisredactie op dinsdag 18 maart 2008
Lhasa, China op dinsdag 18 maart 2008
Bron: redactie
‘Op het kruispunt voor mijn hotel zag ik hoe woedende Tibetanen met stenen gooiden naar Chinezen die voorbij kwamen op scooters. Als er eentje van de scooter afviel, dan werd zo'n Chinees helemaal in elkaar getrimd. Ze werden echt mishandeld.
'Ik wilde naar buiten, maar ik mocht niet van het hotelpersoneel. Door de straat reden vijftien tot twintig tanks af en aan. En ik zag zwaarbewapende militairen in legertrucks of marcherend voorbij komen. Daar kun je beter niet tussenstaan, dacht ik.'
Stefan (34) is een van de twee Nederlanders die afgelopen weekeinde in deTibetaanse hoofdstad Lhasa zagen hoe de protesten uit de hand liepen. Beiden willen liever niet met hun volledige naam in de krant.
Volgens de laatste informatie van het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken verblijven acht Nederlanders in Tibet, vijf van hen zijn toeristen die bezig zijn de regio te verlaten. De overige drie Nederlanders wonen permanent in Tibet en willen daar blijven. Stefan arriveerde donderdag in Lhasa en zag vanaf zijn hoteldak hoe de sfeer vrijdag omsloeg. ‘Op het ene moment liep ik rustig rond, op het andere moment stonden vier gebouwen tegenover mijn hotel, vlak bij de Jokhang-tempel, in de fik. Ze zijn voor mijn ogen tot op de grond toe afgebrand. Het begon rond het middaguur. Plotseling deden alle winkeliers in de straat de rolluiken naar beneden. Je voelde dat er iets ergs stond te gebeuren. Later zag ik vanuit mijn hotel hoe jongeTibetanen de rolluiken omhoog duwden en de boel plunderden en in brandstaken.'
Explosies
Stefan verblijft inmiddels in het Chinese Xian, maar vertelt nog hyper over zijn ervaringen de afgelopen dagen:‘Vrijdagochtend om tien uur heb ik de Jokhang-tempel in het centrum van de stad nog bezocht. Rond één uur 's middags zouden op diezelfde plek enkele Tibetanen neergeschoten zijn. Ik heb dat niet zelf gezien, want ik was in mijn hotel. Maar ik hoorde wel explosies en zag vanaf het dak van mijn hotel rookpluimen opstijgen.'
‘Ik heb de soldaten niet zien schieten en ik heb ook geen lijken gezien. We hadden een Amerikaanse in onze groep die gestationeerd was in Afghanistan, maar die nu op een korte vakantie naar Tibet was, en zij vertelde ons dat de explosies die wij hoorden geen geweerschoten waren.' EenTibetaan die ik in het hotel sprak zei over de oorzaak van het geweld: ‘Ze stoppen monniken in de gevangenis en zij waren onze enige hoop, dus nu moeten we wel vechten.'
'Ik heb begrepen dat de Chinezen alleTibetaanse geschriften in Lhasa hebben verbrand of verboden. Voor de gemiddelde Tibetaan zijn monniken dus de enige personen die hen nog dingen kunnen leren over hun cultuur.'
Indianenverhalen
Een andere Nederlander, die liever helemaal anoniem wil blijven omdat hij nog in Lhasa verblijft, zegt via de telefoon dat hij vanaf vrijdag drie dagen heeft binnengezeten. ‘Er stonden militairen met pantservoertuigen voor de deur en niemand mocht naar buiten.'
‘Er doen veel indianenverhalen de ronde, zoals dat we hier van alle communicatie zouden zijn afgesloten. Ik heb de afgelopen drie dagen onbeperkt kunneni nternetten en kunnen bellen. Het nieuws heb ik via alle mogelijke kanalen kunnen volgen.'
‘Maandagmorgen werd het uitgaansverbod opgeheven en ging ik de straat weer op. Er liepen mensen rond, taxi's reden weer en de rotzooi werd weggehaald. De markt was open en er was verse groente; de winkels in het centrum zijn nog welgesloten. Alles leek nog mee te vallen in de hoofdstraat van Lhasa, maar toen ik richting Jokhang-tempel liep schrok ik wel van de ravage die was aangericht door plunderingen en brandstichting. Ik voel me ongemakkelijk buiten door al die militairen met machinegeweren'
‘Ik heb in het verleden verschillende incidenten meegemaakt in Tibet, maar nog nooit zo'n extreme situatie als deze.'
Natalie Righton en Jady Petovic
- Aacitoyen
- Messages: 473
- Inscription: Sam 19 Jan 2008 16:55
Eyewitnesses Recount Terrifying Day in Tibet
de Aacitoyen le Dim 21 Fév 2010 16:29
Eyewitnesses Recount Terrifying Day in Tibet --- d'après The Washington Post
How a Protest Became a Rampage
By Jill Drew
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, March 27, 2008
BEIJING, March 26 -- In the moment, Canadian backpacker John Kenwood recalled, he was "young and stupid, and it was all adrenaline." He was running, one in a mob of 200 or so, screaming, "Free Tibet!" and chasing riot police down a narrow street in downtown Lhasa in the early afternoon of March 14.
It was a heady feeling, being part of a howling pack that had forced police to turn tail and run, some dropping their shields as they fled a barrage of rocks. Then the Tibetans in the crowd slowed and began turning back, grinning and patting one another on the back.
The ebullient mood did not last long. The pack broke into smaller groups, gathering rocks and pulling out knives, looking for the next target.
"There was no more crowd to be part of. It looked like they were turning on everybody," said Kenwood, 19, describing the scene to reporters last week when he arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal, after 10 days in the Tibetan capital. "It wasn't about Tibet freedom anymore."
What he witnessed next was a violent rampage unlike any in decades in Lhasa, a city where Tibetan Buddhism's most revered temples sit among office buildings and concrete markets built by Chinese bent on developing the remote Himalayan region. Hundreds of mostly young Tibetans broke up into roaming gangs and attacked Chinese passersby and vandalized shops, killing 19 people and injuring more than 600 over two days.
During the riots, looters set fire to a clothing store, burning to death five young employees who were huddled on the second floor. Most police officers kept their distance while the center of Lhasa descended into chaos.
Nearly two weeks later, there are still more questions than answers about what sparked the violence. But several witness accounts suggest that what began as a small protest by Buddhist monks on the morning of Friday, March 14, turned quickly into ethnically charged rioting, possibly fueled by rumors that monks had been roughed up by police. Some outside experts cite another factor behind the uprising: Tibetans' awareness that the world is following news of their cause more closely as China prepares to host the Olympic Games in August.
Police and paramilitary troops have blanketed Lhasa, looking for ringleaders. Hundreds of Tibetans have been arrested or turned themselves in to police in a bid for leniency. There are rumors that outsiders orchestrated the attacks, echoing the official Chinese government claim that the Dalai Lama, the exiled Buddhist leader, is to blame. For his part, the Dalai Lama has condemned the violence and said repressive Chinese policies fueled the explosion.
Whatever the reasons, the people of Lhasa have been left to deal with the repercussions.
Ethnic Chinese, who were the main targets of the attacks, are mourning their dead and rebuilding what's left of their homes and businesses. Buddhist monks are confined to their monasteries, where telephones go unanswered.
Few Tibetans in their homeland have been heard from since the riot, and the tally of their dead is hard to confirm. Friends and relatives from outside the region say they are afraid to telephone out of fear that Chinese authorities will monitor the calls and arrest anyone who discloses information.
Chhime Chhoekyapa, secretary to the Dalai Lama, said Tibetans call and ask that their dead be remembered in the spiritual leader's prayers. "Our information is based on this," Chhoekyapa said. The Dalai Lama's office has released details of 22 people who died in Lhasa on March 14 and is checking unconfirmed reports of dozens of others.
A Surging Mob
Interviews with nine eyewitnesses, some of whom spoke only on condition of anonymity, confirm that tensions began building in Lhasa on Monday, March 10. That's when police blocked monks from Drepung Monastery, a few miles outside Lhasa, from marching into the city to mark the anniversary of the failed 1959 uprising that sent the Dalai Lama into exile.
When protesters shouted Tibetan independence slogans and unfurled a homemade Tibetan flag, they were quickly hustled away by police, who detained at least 15 people. The police response was fairly typical for such protests -- public dissent against Chinese rule is not allowed -- but this time the incidents were not quickly snuffed out.
Rather, rumors began circulating among Tibetans that some monks had been beaten. "A lot of Tibetans on Monday night were distraught by the arrest of the monks," said Chris Johnson, a novelist who was in Lhasa on a two-week vacation.
On that Tuesday, police stopped another protest march, this one by monks from nearby Sera Monastery. By Wednesday, tourists said, the roads to the monasteries outside town had been blocked by police vehicles. One tour agent said he was told to tell his clients that "the monasteries were closed for renovation."
The city was fairly quiet Wednesday and Thursday. But late on the morning of Friday, March 14, Rune Backs, a 35-year-old tourist from Copenhagen, saw trucks of riot police driving in circles near the Potala Palace, the onetime residence of the Dalai Lama and now one of the region's biggest tourist attractions.
Backs did not see police advance farther into the city, but a line of officers blocked the square in front of the palace, letting no one through. After watching the scene, Backs turned and headed back downtown, puzzled by what he had seen and figuring he could visit the palace another day. That's when he saw the smoke.
Zhang Bing Quan saw it, too. The 38-year-old Beijing native was standing on the roof of the hostel he owns in Lhasa, watching the tendril of smoke rise, when one of his guests ran in, breathless, from the street. He told Zhang he had just seen a Tibetan man wielding two knives jump on top of a police sport-utility vehicle, shouting and slashing. The man quickly jumped down and was whisked away by two women while others upended the vehicle and set it on fire. Then another. Then another.
The crowd in the square grew to more than 100, including five or six people in monks' robes, according to two Swiss tourists who later compiled a timeline of what they had seen. The crowd began pelting a nearby fast-food restaurant with rocks, then surged inside, throwing boxes of restaurant supplies onto the street. "Join us!" the tourists heard some in the crowd cry.
Firefighters arrived to douse the flames but ran away after the mob took over their truck. The Swiss tourists decided to leave, and as they headed out into the street, they came upon the mob that was confronting riot police. They saw several people injured by rocks.
James Miles, a correspondent for the Economist magazine and the only accredited Western journalist in Lhasa at the time of the riots, was walking in the same area a short time later but did not see the mob attack police. Indeed, he did not see any police anywhere.
"That's what astonished me," he said in an interview after he returned to Beijing. "There was a complete absence of security or any uniformed presence on the street."
Claude Balsiger, another Swiss tourist, said he saw an elderly Chinese man clawed off his bicycle and thrown to the ground, where a rioter smashed his head with a large rock. "Some older Tibetans went to try to stop them, but others were howling like wolves. That's how they supported" the rioters, said Balsiger, 25. "Everything that looked Chinese was attacked and beaten up."
Kicking Down Doors
Back at Zhang's hostel, guests began pouring in from the streets. Many headed to the roof, transfixed by the sight of a city in flames. Five Tibetan neighbors crawled over nearby rooftops to join them, Zhang said.
Then, about 3 p.m., he heard a "strange, high-pitched sound." He looked down to see a gang of 30 to 40 people swing into his street, howling. He was surprised to see that most in the mob were young women, who had masks over their mouths and were wearing backpacks. "They were attacking even more fiercely than the boys," he said.
The mob began kicking down doors and wrenching open shops, including the offices of the state-run Tibet Daily newspaper and the local bureau of the official New China News Agency. Zhang saw a man in his 30s shouting into a megaphone and a woman nearby, pointing. They appeared to be directing the mob where to attack, he said.
One group grabbed a white barrel of gasoline, poured the liquid into the doorway of a shop and ignited it. In the space of about 30 minutes, seven fires were blazing on the block, including one in the building next door.
Thick smoke billowed over the roof, and his guests began to panic. Zhang's employees tied together heavy ropes to throw over the side of the building, an escape route. A firetruck soon arrived, though, and the flames were extinguished.
Zhang's street remained quiet the next day. A few riot police officers appeared and positioned themselves in front of the news bureaus. Zhang said the police ordered him and his guests to stay inside. They did, discussing Friday's chaos and swapping stories of rioters they felt certain could not have been local Tibetans; many of the guests said they had heard different dialects. They questioned how the government could have allowed the city to get so out of control.
Zhang went up to the roof to look at the smoldering shells of nearby buildings when he saw three men in police uniforms and white gloves carrying a heavy bag down the street. A body bag. He started to cry as he recalled it. "We didn't realize that night that people could be killed," he said. "Why did this happen? Even the Tibetans ask."
Tibetan experts outside China are asking the same question. The quickest answer is that because of the spotlight on China as the host of the 2008 Olympics, this is the year to make a stand.
"People think it's now or never," said Robbie Barnett, a professor of modern Tibetan studies at Columbia University. "Presumably they thought that they could risk what they were doing and not be shot" because the world is watching.
Correspondent Rama Lakshmi in New Delhi and researcher Liu Song Jie in Beijing contributed to this report.
How a Protest Became a Rampage
By Jill Drew
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, March 27, 2008
BEIJING, March 26 -- In the moment, Canadian backpacker John Kenwood recalled, he was "young and stupid, and it was all adrenaline." He was running, one in a mob of 200 or so, screaming, "Free Tibet!" and chasing riot police down a narrow street in downtown Lhasa in the early afternoon of March 14.
It was a heady feeling, being part of a howling pack that had forced police to turn tail and run, some dropping their shields as they fled a barrage of rocks. Then the Tibetans in the crowd slowed and began turning back, grinning and patting one another on the back.
The ebullient mood did not last long. The pack broke into smaller groups, gathering rocks and pulling out knives, looking for the next target.
"There was no more crowd to be part of. It looked like they were turning on everybody," said Kenwood, 19, describing the scene to reporters last week when he arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal, after 10 days in the Tibetan capital. "It wasn't about Tibet freedom anymore."
What he witnessed next was a violent rampage unlike any in decades in Lhasa, a city where Tibetan Buddhism's most revered temples sit among office buildings and concrete markets built by Chinese bent on developing the remote Himalayan region. Hundreds of mostly young Tibetans broke up into roaming gangs and attacked Chinese passersby and vandalized shops, killing 19 people and injuring more than 600 over two days.
During the riots, looters set fire to a clothing store, burning to death five young employees who were huddled on the second floor. Most police officers kept their distance while the center of Lhasa descended into chaos.
Nearly two weeks later, there are still more questions than answers about what sparked the violence. But several witness accounts suggest that what began as a small protest by Buddhist monks on the morning of Friday, March 14, turned quickly into ethnically charged rioting, possibly fueled by rumors that monks had been roughed up by police. Some outside experts cite another factor behind the uprising: Tibetans' awareness that the world is following news of their cause more closely as China prepares to host the Olympic Games in August.
Police and paramilitary troops have blanketed Lhasa, looking for ringleaders. Hundreds of Tibetans have been arrested or turned themselves in to police in a bid for leniency. There are rumors that outsiders orchestrated the attacks, echoing the official Chinese government claim that the Dalai Lama, the exiled Buddhist leader, is to blame. For his part, the Dalai Lama has condemned the violence and said repressive Chinese policies fueled the explosion.
Whatever the reasons, the people of Lhasa have been left to deal with the repercussions.
Ethnic Chinese, who were the main targets of the attacks, are mourning their dead and rebuilding what's left of their homes and businesses. Buddhist monks are confined to their monasteries, where telephones go unanswered.
Few Tibetans in their homeland have been heard from since the riot, and the tally of their dead is hard to confirm. Friends and relatives from outside the region say they are afraid to telephone out of fear that Chinese authorities will monitor the calls and arrest anyone who discloses information.
Chhime Chhoekyapa, secretary to the Dalai Lama, said Tibetans call and ask that their dead be remembered in the spiritual leader's prayers. "Our information is based on this," Chhoekyapa said. The Dalai Lama's office has released details of 22 people who died in Lhasa on March 14 and is checking unconfirmed reports of dozens of others.
A Surging Mob
Interviews with nine eyewitnesses, some of whom spoke only on condition of anonymity, confirm that tensions began building in Lhasa on Monday, March 10. That's when police blocked monks from Drepung Monastery, a few miles outside Lhasa, from marching into the city to mark the anniversary of the failed 1959 uprising that sent the Dalai Lama into exile.
When protesters shouted Tibetan independence slogans and unfurled a homemade Tibetan flag, they were quickly hustled away by police, who detained at least 15 people. The police response was fairly typical for such protests -- public dissent against Chinese rule is not allowed -- but this time the incidents were not quickly snuffed out.
Rather, rumors began circulating among Tibetans that some monks had been beaten. "A lot of Tibetans on Monday night were distraught by the arrest of the monks," said Chris Johnson, a novelist who was in Lhasa on a two-week vacation.
On that Tuesday, police stopped another protest march, this one by monks from nearby Sera Monastery. By Wednesday, tourists said, the roads to the monasteries outside town had been blocked by police vehicles. One tour agent said he was told to tell his clients that "the monasteries were closed for renovation."
The city was fairly quiet Wednesday and Thursday. But late on the morning of Friday, March 14, Rune Backs, a 35-year-old tourist from Copenhagen, saw trucks of riot police driving in circles near the Potala Palace, the onetime residence of the Dalai Lama and now one of the region's biggest tourist attractions.
Backs did not see police advance farther into the city, but a line of officers blocked the square in front of the palace, letting no one through. After watching the scene, Backs turned and headed back downtown, puzzled by what he had seen and figuring he could visit the palace another day. That's when he saw the smoke.
Zhang Bing Quan saw it, too. The 38-year-old Beijing native was standing on the roof of the hostel he owns in Lhasa, watching the tendril of smoke rise, when one of his guests ran in, breathless, from the street. He told Zhang he had just seen a Tibetan man wielding two knives jump on top of a police sport-utility vehicle, shouting and slashing. The man quickly jumped down and was whisked away by two women while others upended the vehicle and set it on fire. Then another. Then another.
The crowd in the square grew to more than 100, including five or six people in monks' robes, according to two Swiss tourists who later compiled a timeline of what they had seen. The crowd began pelting a nearby fast-food restaurant with rocks, then surged inside, throwing boxes of restaurant supplies onto the street. "Join us!" the tourists heard some in the crowd cry.
Firefighters arrived to douse the flames but ran away after the mob took over their truck. The Swiss tourists decided to leave, and as they headed out into the street, they came upon the mob that was confronting riot police. They saw several people injured by rocks.
James Miles, a correspondent for the Economist magazine and the only accredited Western journalist in Lhasa at the time of the riots, was walking in the same area a short time later but did not see the mob attack police. Indeed, he did not see any police anywhere.
"That's what astonished me," he said in an interview after he returned to Beijing. "There was a complete absence of security or any uniformed presence on the street."
Claude Balsiger, another Swiss tourist, said he saw an elderly Chinese man clawed off his bicycle and thrown to the ground, where a rioter smashed his head with a large rock. "Some older Tibetans went to try to stop them, but others were howling like wolves. That's how they supported" the rioters, said Balsiger, 25. "Everything that looked Chinese was attacked and beaten up."
Kicking Down Doors
Back at Zhang's hostel, guests began pouring in from the streets. Many headed to the roof, transfixed by the sight of a city in flames. Five Tibetan neighbors crawled over nearby rooftops to join them, Zhang said.
Then, about 3 p.m., he heard a "strange, high-pitched sound." He looked down to see a gang of 30 to 40 people swing into his street, howling. He was surprised to see that most in the mob were young women, who had masks over their mouths and were wearing backpacks. "They were attacking even more fiercely than the boys," he said.
The mob began kicking down doors and wrenching open shops, including the offices of the state-run Tibet Daily newspaper and the local bureau of the official New China News Agency. Zhang saw a man in his 30s shouting into a megaphone and a woman nearby, pointing. They appeared to be directing the mob where to attack, he said.
One group grabbed a white barrel of gasoline, poured the liquid into the doorway of a shop and ignited it. In the space of about 30 minutes, seven fires were blazing on the block, including one in the building next door.
Thick smoke billowed over the roof, and his guests began to panic. Zhang's employees tied together heavy ropes to throw over the side of the building, an escape route. A firetruck soon arrived, though, and the flames were extinguished.
Zhang's street remained quiet the next day. A few riot police officers appeared and positioned themselves in front of the news bureaus. Zhang said the police ordered him and his guests to stay inside. They did, discussing Friday's chaos and swapping stories of rioters they felt certain could not have been local Tibetans; many of the guests said they had heard different dialects. They questioned how the government could have allowed the city to get so out of control.
Zhang went up to the roof to look at the smoldering shells of nearby buildings when he saw three men in police uniforms and white gloves carrying a heavy bag down the street. A body bag. He started to cry as he recalled it. "We didn't realize that night that people could be killed," he said. "Why did this happen? Even the Tibetans ask."
Tibetan experts outside China are asking the same question. The quickest answer is that because of the spotlight on China as the host of the 2008 Olympics, this is the year to make a stand.
"People think it's now or never," said Robbie Barnett, a professor of modern Tibetan studies at Columbia University. "Presumably they thought that they could risk what they were doing and not be shot" because the world is watching.
Correspondent Rama Lakshmi in New Delhi and researcher Liu Song Jie in Beijing contributed to this report.
- Aacitoyen
- Messages: 473
- Inscription: Sam 19 Jan 2008 16:55
Eyewitnesses confirm Tibetan Riots and Violences
de Aacitoyen le Dim 21 Fév 2010 16:35
Eyewitnesses confirm Tibetan Riots and Violences --- d'après le blog In Bloom
03/16/2008
According to yet another U.S. blogger who is “a faculty member of Tibet House New York, the National Press Club of Washington, the California Authors Association, on the Advisory Board of Pacifica Public Radio’s ‘The Tibet Connection’ “, eyewitnesses have reported to him that massive riots and violences are being done by Tibetan ethnics living in Lhasa and even Nepal.
Please refer to his post for the whole story. Here are some tag lines. You don’t need to be too wise to see how these mobs are attacking civilians, looting goods, setting fires, and spreading rumors. If this is what Free Tibet groups want, I think they have to realize they are not allowed to violate the very human rights they are claiming of having been taken away, and it is absolutely UNLAWFUL AND EVIL to use violence against Han and Muslim civilians for their own protests.
From Internet, a Han civilian beaten injured (possibly dead) on Lhasa street.
From other Internet websites, here are some pictures of Tibetan mob conducting violences in streets.
03/16/2008
According to yet another U.S. blogger who is “a faculty member of Tibet House New York, the National Press Club of Washington, the California Authors Association, on the Advisory Board of Pacifica Public Radio’s ‘The Tibet Connection’ “, eyewitnesses have reported to him that massive riots and violences are being done by Tibetan ethnics living in Lhasa and even Nepal.
Please refer to his post for the whole story. Here are some tag lines. You don’t need to be too wise to see how these mobs are attacking civilians, looting goods, setting fires, and spreading rumors. If this is what Free Tibet groups want, I think they have to realize they are not allowed to violate the very human rights they are claiming of having been taken away, and it is absolutely UNLAWFUL AND EVIL to use violence against Han and Muslim civilians for their own protests.
“The rioting, however, has been ALL over Lhasa (unlike 1989), with Chinese & Muslim (Hui) shops (Ge Ti Hu) being targeted and completely destroyed – probably over 1,000 Chinese owned shops all over Lhasa. It’s really a massive riot, with cars & motorbikes turned over then burned all over town, Chinese shops’ contents splayed out onto the streets, and Han Chinese being literally hunted down, beat up, and sometimes killed with large traditional Tibetan knives.”
“yesterday’s riots were all over the entire city and undertaken by all kinds of Tibetans”
“There are so called “massacres” over by the Great Mosque, with intense fighting between Muslims & Tibetans”
“It was just 15 young police with their riot shields face a group fof 500-1000 Tibetans. The Tibetans were armed with iron bars and rocks and chunks of conrete…I don’t know where they got all this stuff from. They then charged at the plice/army pelting them with objects. Some of their sheilds broke and some fell, obviously injured”
“a Tibetan out on Friday or Saturday told us another Tibtean told him he saw 50 Tibetans and a child get gunned down by soldiers on Ramoche street. [obviously this is not confirm(ed)”
From Internet, a Han civilian beaten injured (possibly dead) on Lhasa street.
From other Internet websites, here are some pictures of Tibetan mob conducting violences in streets.
- Aacitoyen
- Messages: 473
- Inscription: Sam 19 Jan 2008 16:55
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