On March 14, 2008, a riot happened in Lhasa. Mobs launched racial attacks on ethnic Han Chinese and ethnic Hui Muslim Chinese. This riot caused many civilian deaths. We, Chinese, living in Ottawa are outraged by such violence towards civilians and have come to be deeply disturbed by biased media coverage at main Canadian television stations, newspapers and magazines. We condemn any attempt to provoke racial tension in Tibet coming from separatist groups and western special interest groups.
Tibet had been part of China for hundreds of years. An imposing array of valuable cultural relics on display at the Sagya Monastery in Lhasa prove that Tibet became part of China in the Yuan Dynasty and has remained under the administration of the central government of China since then. According to the historical records of the monastery, Kublai Khan, the founding emperor of the Yuan dynasty, asked Phags-pa, head of the Sagya Monastery, to be his spiritual guide, or a senior official of the central government, after Khan had created the Yuan Dynasty in 1271.[1] The history of Tibet within China is far longer than the advent of western settlers on the North American continent.
In the riot on March 14, 2008, many innocent civilians, especially ethnic Han and ethnic Hui Muslim Chinese who are living in Lhaza, were deliberately targeted by terrorists, mobs, and separatists. Five teenage girls working as clerks in the YiChun shop were burned to death. The charred remains of five people were found later on, including an eight-month-old boy, killed when a motorcycle shop he was in was set on fire by ruthless mobs. Such atrocities shocked the Ottawa Chinese community. Is this atrocity a “peaceful protest”? Is this atrocity in line with some “cultural tradition”? Is this atrocity a natural outcome of the democracy movement? It is shameful to see Canadian media describe such events as “peaceful protest”.
Unfortunately, in the past weeks, the Canadian mass media have been full of biased allegations concerning China and ethic Han Chinese. Some Canadian media have actually provoked and encouraged violence in Tibet by distorting events there, overstating the vehemence of efforts law enforcement officials used, and failing to highlight what was indeed racial violence unleashed by Tibetan mobs and Tibetan separatists in Lhasa.
Protest is a natural expression of human rights. However, protest should not be expressed through means that effectively destroy others’ human rights. There are lots of ways to express personal and political objectives. Killing innocent other-ethnic civilians is not a legitimate act; it is instead a mortal crime. Our deep sympathy goes to innocent ethnic Han Chinese and ethic Hui Muslim Chinese that terrorists burned to death in Lhasa. We must condemn any riot that harms innocent civilians. We condemn any organizations and groups that may turn out to have been behind this bloody killing.
The biased comments and propaganda from Canadian media will do no good to any party. Such intemperate language can only help to bring about a further deterioration of the situation in Tibet and provoke more racial violence.
China is not Yugoslavia, nor is it the former Soviet Union. China has a long history of being invaded by foreign imperialists. Any foreign intervention and meddling can only be perceived in China as further attempted humiliation by western imperialism. Since 1978, China had been adopting reform and open policies, which helped to lift many millions of Chinese out of poverty. China’s increasing role in the global economy implies that China is on the right track. It is not surprising to see overstated and biased media and sentiments in the West that just possibly could help to push China back to Chairman Mao’s style of communism, a condition that nobody in the West should want to see.
There is only one China. Fifty-six ethnic groups are sharing the same sky in China. No one will ever break any ethnic group away from China. It is pointless to try.
Tibet had been part of China for hundreds of years. An imposing array of valuable cultural relics on display at the Sagya Monastery in Lhasa prove that Tibet became part of China in the Yuan Dynasty and has remained under the administration of the central government of China since then. According to the historical records of the monastery, Kublai Khan, the founding emperor of the Yuan dynasty, asked Phags-pa, head of the Sagya Monastery, to be his spiritual guide, or a senior official of the central government, after Khan had created the Yuan Dynasty in 1271.[1] The history of Tibet within China is far longer than the advent of western settlers on the North American continent.
In the riot on March 14, 2008, many innocent civilians, especially ethnic Han and ethnic Hui Muslim Chinese who are living in Lhaza, were deliberately targeted by terrorists, mobs, and separatists. Five teenage girls working as clerks in the YiChun shop were burned to death. The charred remains of five people were found later on, including an eight-month-old boy, killed when a motorcycle shop he was in was set on fire by ruthless mobs. Such atrocities shocked the Ottawa Chinese community. Is this atrocity a “peaceful protest”? Is this atrocity in line with some “cultural tradition”? Is this atrocity a natural outcome of the democracy movement? It is shameful to see Canadian media describe such events as “peaceful protest”.
Unfortunately, in the past weeks, the Canadian mass media have been full of biased allegations concerning China and ethic Han Chinese. Some Canadian media have actually provoked and encouraged violence in Tibet by distorting events there, overstating the vehemence of efforts law enforcement officials used, and failing to highlight what was indeed racial violence unleashed by Tibetan mobs and Tibetan separatists in Lhasa.
Protest is a natural expression of human rights. However, protest should not be expressed through means that effectively destroy others’ human rights. There are lots of ways to express personal and political objectives. Killing innocent other-ethnic civilians is not a legitimate act; it is instead a mortal crime. Our deep sympathy goes to innocent ethnic Han Chinese and ethic Hui Muslim Chinese that terrorists burned to death in Lhasa. We must condemn any riot that harms innocent civilians. We condemn any organizations and groups that may turn out to have been behind this bloody killing.
The biased comments and propaganda from Canadian media will do no good to any party. Such intemperate language can only help to bring about a further deterioration of the situation in Tibet and provoke more racial violence.
China is not Yugoslavia, nor is it the former Soviet Union. China has a long history of being invaded by foreign imperialists. Any foreign intervention and meddling can only be perceived in China as further attempted humiliation by western imperialism. Since 1978, China had been adopting reform and open policies, which helped to lift many millions of Chinese out of poverty. China’s increasing role in the global economy implies that China is on the right track. It is not surprising to see overstated and biased media and sentiments in the West that just possibly could help to push China back to Chairman Mao’s style of communism, a condition that nobody in the West should want to see.
There is only one China. Fifty-six ethnic groups are sharing the same sky in China. No one will ever break any ethnic group away from China. It is pointless to try.
