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The President's visit to China brought renewed attention to the story of Tibet. After this background report, Elizabeth Farnsworth leads a discussion.
SPENCER MICHELS: The Tibetan Plateau, an area larger than Europe, is described by its own residents as the roof of the world. North of India and Nepal, bordering the majestic Himalayas, with mountain passes at 17,000 feet and peaks jutting 23,000 feet into the air, Tibet as long seized the imagination of westerners. In the past four decades Tibet has become one of the world's points of political contention and even more recently one of the more emotional and divisive issues between the United States and China.The emotion of the Tibet question--how much freedom and autonomy should Tibetans have-has been seized upon by Hollywood, which turned out two movies in the past year alone. However, neither film could be shot in Tibet, since the Chinese, who occupy it, have kept out most foreign visitors. Much of the controversy revolves around the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader for 6 million Tibetan Buddhists, many of whom regard him as a kind of god king. In 1959, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet, which had been occupied by China a decade earlier. He accused the Chinese of abandoning their promise of political and religious autonomy for his region.
Now 63, the Dalai Lama has been in exile since then, traveling the world, seeking support for Tibetan autonomy, not exactly independence, and preaching non-violence. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. A year ago he made one of his periodic visits to Washington and was received at the White House. Elizabeth Farnsworth spoke with him then and asked him what kind of help he wanted from the President.
DALAI LAMA: (April 22, 1997) My main aim at this time, of course, as in the past also I do is this help us to bring China in the--into the negotiation table. If we join with another a big nation, we might get great benefit. Therefore, I'm seeking genuine autonomy, genuine self-rule.
SPENCER MICHELS: China has responded that it rescued Tibet from feudalism and that it abolished Tibetan serfdom. President Jiang Zemin made that point in an interview with Jim Lehrer last year and also pointed out China has ended religious rule in Tibet.
PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN: (speaking through interpreter) Theocracy has been opposed by people throughout the world ever since the Renaissance period, and, therefore, what we did there was also that we worked to abolish theocracy in Tibet.
SPENCER MICHELS: Since the 1970's, the Chinese have opened up Tibet to a few foreign visitors. But after some relaxation in the 1980's, new tensions arose, and China imposed martial law in 1988. Tibetan exiles, refugees, and human rights groups have catalogued Chinese abuses against the occupied population, including the destruction of more than 6,000 Buddhist monasteries.
This tape, supplied by the International Campaign for Tibet, which works closely with the Dalai Lama, shows some of the ruins. These pictures, shot by Tibetan television in 1988, and also provided by the International Campaign for Tibet, showed Chinese police beating Buddhist monks and taking them to prison after demonstrations against Chinese rule. In a human rights report, issued last year, the State Department said, according to credible reports, Chinese government authorities continued to commit serious human rights abuses in Tibet, including instances of torture, arbitrary arrests, detention without public trial, and long detention of Tibetan nationalists for peacefully expressing their political views.
In 1991, China marked the 40th anniversary of Chinese rule in Tibet with official street celebrations in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa. But Tibetan exiles protested the anniversary. The Tibet issue came up at the joint press conference of Presidents Clinton and Jiang last week in Beijing. The Chinese president said he was interested in a dialogue with the Dalai Lama.
PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN: (speaking through interpreter) As long as the Dalai Lama can publicly make a statement and a commitment that Tibet is an inalienable part of China and he must also recognize Taiwan as a province of China, then the door to dialogue and negotiations is open.
PRESIDENT CLINTON: I agree that Tibet is a part of China, an autonomous region of China, and I can understand why the acknowledgment of that would be a precondition of dialogue with the Dalai Lama.
SPENCER MICHELS: The Dalai Lama commented later to the New York Times that the dialogue between Presidents Clinton and Jiang was one of the best things that ever happened to the Tibetan cause. So far, there are no plans for any formal talks between the Dalai Lama and Chinese leaders, although the Dalai Lama said last week that back channel talks have been underway for some time.
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