Dalai Lama attacks ‘cultural genocide’

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Title – Dalai Lama attacks ‘cultural genocide’
Source – The Independent
Date – 17th March 2008

Tibet is closed to the world once again, when it will reopen is anyone’s guess but with the Olympics 5 months away it could be some time and independent travellers should probably not make any plans in the short term. Even if it does reopen before the games extreme caution should be exercised and serious consideration given to changing plans and visiting other parts of the region or the world. However other countries in the region have their own difficulties; Nepal has faced its fair share of problem in the last few years and even the peaceful tiny country of Bhutan is starting to experience small scale disturbances as it transfers from an absolute monarchy to a form of democracy.

It is very likely that even if Tibet reopens its doors, it will remain highly militarised and further violent confrontation will remain a very real possibility, if not a probability. Foreigners should note that the problems in Tibet are very deep-seated and getting involved or joining protest in Tibet itself is very ill-advised. The Chinese crackdown will pay little or no attention to the nationality of those involved, if reports even by the government, of live gunfire being used to quell the protest are as many believe under-reported, then it is a fair assumption that the numbers of dead can already be counted in the hundred plus region; joining a protest in Tibet itself is very different to standing outside the Chinese embassy in London with a free Tibet flag. I am not saying that people should not protest, in fact I urge people to visit sites like www.freetibet.org, but do so here in the UK where you have the freedom to influence in safety and don’t think that the myths of Tibet and the spiritual homeland of the Dalai Lama will give you any immunity, it will not. That spirit is being quashed by the Chinese army and they will crush anything along with it, including those unwelcome visitors.

What the Chinese don’t seem to be able to realise is that their actions are destroying the very fabric of a country. Tibet without the Tibetans, Tibet without the Buddhist monks, Tibet without the Buddhist monasteries and Tibet without their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, is a country (or province if you happen to be in the Chinese government) without a soul. The one thing they can not remove is the Himalayas, the spectacular mountains crowned by Everest itself. But they must soon realise that the mountains alone are not what drives people to save for years to visit Tibet, they alone do not make the experience. The experience is in the history of the people who live on top of the world, who have made it spiritually almost unparalleled on the planet and who draw people from every part of the world just to get a glimpse at this most interesting of cultures, that compliments its environment and can teach us all about the best way to save the rest of the planet.

In 2007 8% of the Chinese economy was as a direct result of the ‘fake’ trade, fake Nike trainers, fake Rolex watches, fake Hot Tuna t-shirts, fake antiques, fake medicines, fake anything… including fake chicken eggs... In fact the Chinese seem to be able to take anything and replicate it more cheaply, of a less good quality and often at great detriment to those who purchase the fakes. Estimates put the death toll from fake medicines in China alone at over 200,000 already; but the trade in all fakes continues unabated and while it accounts for such a large part of the overall economy, don’t expect it to change any time soon.

Travellers love the fakes they can pick up, they love how cheaply they can obtain products in places like China that cost ten times as much or more at home, but be warned, there is a reason they are so cheap and it is not all down to corporate greed. Fakes are always poor quality, they break, shrink and harm users, it the worst case scenario they can be life threatening. Temptation is a terrible thing, but this is one area where avoiding temptation will not only save you money, it may well save you and will certainly help convince governments like the Chinese that they need to rein in this trade and eliminate it.

The one thing they can’t fake in China, despite trying everything within their power; they can’t fake that which makes Tibet so special, they can’t fake the spirituality, they can’t fake the culture and they can’t force the integration they have been seeking for nearly 50 years. Travellers have a duty to ensure that the Tibetan people are supported, that their real culture is supported and that the Chinese (whatever their future role may be in Tibet) are not allowed to ‘fake’ and sell Tibet. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop helps those attending to travel safely and to understand the real culture of their destination and how their visit can be a force of positive change rather than a capitulation in favour of oppressive governments.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com or join us on Facebook. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.