China and tibet - Essay Example

Your full full April 02, China and Tibet The article, which I have selected for discussion, is‘Whats behind Chinas Tibetan unrest?’. The article includes the reasons behind the unrest in Tibet, which is the Southwestern region of China. Tibetan’s demand for self-rule is the main reason behind the unrest as stated in the article. The Dalai Lama, who is the temporal head of Tibetan Buddhists, raises his voice for self-rule in Tibet, whereas Chinese officials want Tibet to be a dependent region of China.
The Dalai Lama says that he does not want complete independence, rather he and his followers want autonomy and power to live their lives in accordance with their own culture and traditions. Tibetans say that China has snatched their independence making their culture, language and religion sink. Moreover, they say that Chinese troops have killed thousands of Tibetans since 1950. “The groups also claim Tibetans have gradually become the minority population in their own homeland” (Armstrong).
Tensions went high in 2008 when a protest led by Tibetans in Lhasa turned into violent riots. Tibetan mobs started burning shops, buses and assets of ethnic Chinese. The government of China ordered its security forces to handle the situation. A clash occurred between Tibetans and the security forces, which resulted in a number of deaths. Tibetan exiles claimed that Chinese forces killed nearly 200 Tibetans, whereas the government denied this by saying that only 22 people were killed in the incident and most of them were Chinese civilians. Since then, the tensions have been high in China. The present situation is that Tibetans have contacted the international community to put pressure on the government of China. However, the government of China does not seem to listen to the concerns of Tibetans at all.
Works Cited
Armstrong, Paul. “Whats behind Chinas Tibetan unrest?.” CNN.com, 31 Jan. 2012 Web. 02 Apr. 2012. Read More