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REGION: Asia-Pacific
TOPIC: Politics
Online NewsHour
FORUM
Posted: March 31, 2008

Experts Answered Questions on Tibet

Tibetans throw rocks at police car Chinese riot police recently clashed with protesters in the ancient Tibetan capital of Lhasa, as a new wave of demonstrations against Chinese rule has gripped the region. Two experts on the region take your questions on the crisis.
QUESTIONS
Could you please clarify use of the term 'Han' Chinese?
How deeply split are Tibetans, among themselves, over independence?
What is keeping China from acknowledging the Dalai Lama or engaging him in negotiations?
Why did China invade/take over Tibet in the first place?
Why are Buddhist monks involved in violence in the video we have seen?
What can we do to express our outrage over China's oppressive practices?

Two weeks of protests have shaken Tibet, part of a Buddhist monk-led campaign of demonstrations against Chinese rule. The wave of protests have spread to the general population and prompted Beijing to send troops in to curb the unrest.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao accused the Dalai Lama of planning the protests in Tibet and parts of China to taint the upcoming Olympics in Beijing -- accusations that the Dalai Lama quickly denied. The Dalai Lama urged his followers to shun violence he and said he would resign as leader of Tibet's exiles if the unrest worsened.

So what are the roots of the conflict in Tibet and how can the current unrest be resolved? Two experts of the region answered your questions.

Donald Lopez is a professor of Tibetan and Buddhist studies at the University of Michigan.

Jeffrey Bader held Asian posts at the State Department and the National Security Council Staff during the Clinton Administration. He's now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute.


ONLINE NEWSHOUR LINKS

March 25, 2008
Deep-rooted Tensions Surface in Tibet Unrest


March 20, 2008
Update: China Sends More Troops to Tibet to Curb Protests


March 18, 2008
Protests Against China, Violence Continue in Tibet




NEWSHOUR EXTRA LINKS

March 24, 2008
China Cracks Down on Violent Protests in Tibet




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