6 thoughts on “Memo from Jantar Mantar – Killings in Lhasa, Unrest in Delhi”

1. You are quite a photographer! Excellent shots….

2. FREE TIBET

3. Hey, great to see you helping the Tibetans get some attention. Minor nitpick: not all monks are lamas (and a lama is not even necessarily a monk).Cheers, Thomas

4. Thanks for bringing Tibet into the spotlight…However, there is another side to this Tibet-mongering fueled by corporate media. A great furore is being created by imperialist powers and their reactionary supporters all shapes and stripes regarding the Olympics in China. From Islamic fundamentalists planning to bomb the Olympics (East Turkestan Islamic Movement) to the feudalist Free Tibet Movement led by Dalai Lama and now Steven Spielburg, there is a full on concerted campaign to put pressure on countries to boycott the Olympics in China.The fact is that China is the first Third World country to host the Olympic games. China hassucceeded in almost completely overcoming its colonial legacy of under-development. China is not only the fastest growing economy, it has demonstrated the mostamazing results as far as human development parameters are concerned as well. UNDP report of 2005 reads:“China has registered some of the most rapid advances in human development in history, with its Human Development Index Ranking increased 20 percent since1990″“if China’s achievements were not recorded, the world would have actually regressed in its progress towards poverty alleviation.”“The country climbed 20 places in the Human Development Index ranking to 85 since 1990”China was reported as having 250 million people living in absolute poverty in 1978. Today they have none.CHINA IS THE ONLY THIRD WORLD COUNTRY THAT HASCOMPLETELY RID ITSELF OF ABSOLUTE POVERTY.We have seen in the case of Iraq and Palestine how the Western media, dominated by imperial concerns builds up complete hysteria about human rights abuses of other countries while legitimizing genocide in thename of democracy. In the same way, they are today building up a media frenzy to boycott the Olympics inChina. The reality is that if the Olympics in China are successful all their lies about that country will be exposed. The people of the world will be able to see that China has prospered, grown, and developed. It has thrown off its colonial past and is becoming a newworld power that may challenge the global imperialism.

5. Whilst your pictures are fluid and intimate, they lack the particular context – each image, protest and movement has a setting – a larger arena of action. If divorced from that context, the representations of that struggle undermine themselves…Alas, these are not captured – the Lamas or Monks as you confuse the two, could be anywhere – the streets of New York, Hyde Park or for that matter Mumbai.A blog on Delhi must not lose touch with its ethos – this is not a critique but a reader’s observation.

6. Tibet Riot DocumentaryThis is a blow by blow account of the riot in Lhasaand shows that the supporters of the so-called FreeTibetan movement were the perpetrators of gruesomeviolence.Pictures at:http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90785/6378050.htmlThe riots in Lhasa last Friday are the most seriousincident in the region for decades. Local residentsare still reeling from the aftershock, even as theytry to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. Inthe following documentary, we look back at the eventsto see how they’ve impacted the people in Tibet.11 a.m., March 14(Ramoche Temple, Lhasa) At eleven o’clock on themorning of March 14th, rioters gathered at the RamocheTemple. On the temple roof, about a dozen monks stoodand threw stones at police.2 p.m., March 14The situation escalated in the afternoon as morerioters gathered at the Ramoche Temple. Others, somearmed with knives, began to arrive from the streets indowntown Lhasa. As the riot intensified, a group ofpeople tipped over a police wagon, and then flipped anearby car.An amateur cameraman recorded the scene as members ofthe mob stopped a motorcycle on the road andbludgeoned the rider’s head with rocks. As theviolence intensified, some people caught up in theriot suffered severe injuries. This innocent man wasblinded in the right eye, and his left ear was cutoff.An amateur cameraman recorded the scene as members ofthe mob stopped a motorcycle on the road andbludgeoned the rider’s head with rocks.3 p.m., March 14>From three o’clock in the afternoon onward, the mobmoved along Yutuo Road, Beijing East Road, andDuosenge Road, smashing businesses and setting fires.They stormed into shops, hospitals and news agencies.Nearby public facilities, transportation and electricpower lines were damaged.Seven banks operating within the area failed to escapethe mob. Rioters smashed ten ATM machines to piecesleaving those branches in a complete mess.Rioters set fires in the areas around the JokhongTemple, Ramoche Temple and the Chomsigkang Market. Inthe city centre, fires started in the Si Fangsupermarket, Lan Dun Plaza and Wen Zhou Plaza.Rioters even attacked schools, setting Lhasa’s Number2 Middle School on fire. The smoke from these firescovered the city.When firefighters arrived, two of their fire truckswere torched and four firefighters were injured.13 innocent civilians were burned or stabbed to deathin the riots. 56 cars were damaged or burned. Dozensof public security officers and scores of armed policewere injured, 10 in serious condition. Rioters haveset fire to over 300 sites, and burned down over 200residential houses and shops.After the riots began, Party and government officialsof the Tibet Autonomous Region reacted quickly. Theydeployed the police to disperse the violence, andfirefighters to put out the fire and evacuate thosetrapped inside burning buildings. The wounded wererushed to hospital for treatment.Local authorities say more than 580 people have beenrescued by the armed police, including three Japanesetourists, as well as teachers and students in aprimary school and a middle school. There werenoforeigners among the casualties.China’s public security and armed police have exertedthe highest restraint.In their handling of the incident, China’s publicsecurity and armed police have exerted the highestrestraint. They did not use any deadly weapons, noteven when their own lives were threatened. Some riotpolice were cornered and beaten. Others were stoned.Armed police on duty outside the gate of the RomacheTemple were surrounded and attacked by rioters. Noneof them fired on their attackers.One day after the riots, vehicles were restricted fromentering the city’s main roads. But the streets werestill littered with roll-over cars, burned motorbikesand bicycles, and smoldering reminder of from violencefrom the day before.Local officials in Tibet say there is plenty ofevidence to prove that the incident was mastermindedby the Dalai clique.Baema Chilain, vice chairman of government of Tibetautonomous region, said “The Dalai clique used variousmeans to contact and issue orders to theirco-conspirators in Tibet. They also resorted to allsorts of tricks to stir up trouble among the people,hiding the truth from them. All this shows that theDalai clique has never stopped its efforts to disruptnational unity and seek Tibet independence.”“I am outraged!” a Lhasa resident said.“My heart is very heavy. A small group ofsecessionists has unleased great violence on Lhasa.They’ve destroyed our happy life. We can’t go to work.Our children can’t go to school.” another residentsaid.“If there should be similar incidents in the future,we will definitely be against them. It’s absolutelynecessary to punish the culprits in accordance withthe law. This is for the interests of the people, forsocial stability, and for national unity.”Many places were attacked and burned down to theground. The Youth Road in the downtown area sufferedthe most.Businessman Peng Xiaobo said “After an explosion,heavy smoke was everywhere. My uncle was over therewith the woolen blanket — he jumped down from thesecond floor. Then he urged us to jump, too. He said,‘Don’t worry about the money. Life is more important.’The explosion shattered all the glasses, and heavysmoke covered up everything.”Peng Xiaobo’s four shops were all set on fire. Hisfamily had to jump down from the second floor in orderto escape. His wife hurt her back during the jump. Butthe worst was yet to come.Peng said “I had a younger sister. She just had her18th birthday in December. She didn’t dare to jumpfrom such a height. She tried to find another way toescape, but the stairs under her collapsed. She fellthrough to the first floor and was burned to death.”18-year-old Chen Jia came from the southwesternprovince of Sichuan. Last Friday, the clothing storein Lhasa, where she and five other girls worked, wastargeted by rioters. The door of the store wasdestroyed. Trapped inside, the six girls were forcedto flee to the second floor.In shock, Chen Jia sent a text message to her father,saying, ‘Father, the rioters here are very brutal.We’re hiding in the store and don’t dare to leave.Don’t worry about me. You tell Mother and Sister notto go out.’ Several minutes later, the store was seton fire. Five of the girls were burned to death. Thetragedy broke Chen Jia’s father’s heart. He said “Mydaughter was so girlish. We all loved her.”Chen Jia, Cering Zhuoga from Xigaze, Yang Dongmei andLiu Yan from Sichuan, and Han Xinxin from Henan werealso burn to death. Zhuoma was left shocked at beingthe only survivor. Days after the violence, Zhuomastill can’t accept that her friends are no longerhere.She said “I never thought about that. We were happytogether that morning, but it suddenly changed hourslater. I can’t believe it, I can’t accept the truththat they have left me. I want to ask the rioters whythey did it. I really can’t understand why the rioterskilled innocent civilians…why they killed oursisters. We’re just employees, we don’t have muchmoney. If they wanted money, why did they rob us ofour lives?”Violence in Lhasa broke out on March 14th, and took aheavy toll in innocent lives and property.Businessman, Wu Guanglin, can’t forget what he and hisson suffered that day. Rioters targeted him and hissix-year-old son. They stamped on the little boy’schest, sending him into shock.Businessman Wu Guanglin said “I searched all over forhim, at last I saw my son was lying on the groundwithout clothes and shoes.”Wu Guanglin stopped an ambulance,
   and doctors gave hisson first aid. But the ambulance was targeted shortlyafter driving off. He said “My son’s only six yearsold. I really feel sad. The rioters even beat thedoctors with stone and sticks. The doctors directed meto cover my son with my body, the rioters evendestroyed the face guard. I was really sad. My son wasin serious condition for two days after the incident.I went to hospital twice to thank doctor Lobsang, buthe told me that was his duty.”Wu Guanglin says he will always remember the Tibetandoctor, Cering Lobsang, who risked his life to rescuethe boy. Lobsang is still recovering from his woundsat Lhasa People’s Hospital.Tibetan doctor Cering Lobsang said “We picked up theWus on our way back. The boy wasn’t breathing, and hadno heart beat. The rioters stopped us. We told them weare medical workers, but they didn’t care. Theytargeted the ambulance, and beat us.”Local authorities took control of the situationshortly after the violence broke out. They also tookeffective measures to restore peace and order. Localresidents also volunteered clear away debris and cleanup the streets.Vice chairman of Tibet autonomous region Dorje Ceringsaid “We are working to gather enough materials forpeople’s basic needs. Tibet is at such a specialmoment. We have to guarantee that every citizen livesa stable life here in Lhasa. At the same time, we’reworking hard to arrest those behind the violence assoon as possible.”By Wednesday, more than 150 rioters had turnedthemselves in to police, and handed over what they hadlooted.In downtown Lhasa, the shells of stores and homes canbe seen everywhere. But as people start putting thingsback together, the city is on the way back to normal.

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