Tibetans were simply beating the Chinese who recently moved to the region. These are ethnic Chinese of the Han ancestry, which form the majority of the population in China. It was strange to read world media reports about peaceful demonstrations by monks, which nonetheless left behind destroyed shops and cars.
When similar riots took place in the suburbs of Paris, nobody called them peaceful demonstrations. A CNN blog quoted a young woman as saying that she landed in the hospital after being beaten by a crowd of Tibetans just for being a Chinese.
The Chinese Xinhua news agency reported 13 deaths and about 300 local fires due to the unrest. The Dalai Lama's supporters claim that eighty have died and 72 have been wounded.
Passive on-lookers always have their likes and dislikes. Many Western politicians have called on the Chinese authorities to display restraint, but nobody has urged Tibetans to stop beating the Chinese.
With Hollywood's help, Tibet has long had a reputation of a magical land, a dream for lovers of exotic destinations and a place where one can reach "spiritual enlightenment." In Western mentality, this benevolent stereotype contrasts with Chinese communist ideology.
The Tibetan separatists are seeking independence from China. Beijing considers the exiled Dalai Lama a separatist as well. He is the Tibetan spiritual leader and enjoys high prestige among the Buddhists all over the world. He says that he is not striving for Tibet's independence, but for broad autonomy, but Beijing finds it difficult to understand the existence of the Tibetan government in exile. The Dalai Lama has promised to resign as its head if the riots continue, and urged both the authorities and Tibetans to avoid violence.
Until recently, the government in exile did not disassociate itself from the violent actions by the radicals, which reaffirmed Beijing's apprehensions.
Gennady Chufrin, deputy director of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) at the Russian Academy of Sciences, expressed the following view: "Although the Dalai Lama does not demand independence, his supporters include radicals who are largely responsible for making the dialogue with the Chinese authorities impossible."
The Dalai Lama is an old man. By tradition, after his death a successor to his position is chosen by searching for his reincarnation among newborn babies. However, the press reported last November that the Dalai Lama suggested a referendum on changing the age-old ritual, and allowing the incumbent to choose his successor.
Some experts believe that using his religious authority in the world, the Dalai Lama has gone beyond spiritual leadership, and taken an active role in politics. They see this as the root of the problem.
Recent unrest in Tibet has come as a surprise to many analysts. In the last few years, the Chinese government has invested huge funds into the Tibet Autonomous Region; it has conducted talks with the Dalai Lama's envoys, and given many freedoms to the Buddhist clergy.
There are two factors that may explain why the riots have taken place now - the Beijing Olympics in August, and the unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence. For many years, the Western-supported Albanian separatists were fighting for the cessation of this province with the now predominantly Albanian population from Serbia. Recently, Kosovo has been recognized by the United States, United Kingdom, and some other Western countries.
Knowing that Beijing cannot afford any aggravations on the eve of the Olympics, the Tibetan separatists might have also used anti-Chinese attitudes for staging riots. Some observers believe that the recent violence in Tibet was provoked in order to fan up inter-ethnic strife in China and emphasize its problems before the Olympics.
There is one more factor - the Taiwanese presidential elections slated for March 22, and a referendum on the self-governed island's entry into the United Nations as an independent state. Presidential nominees are already using the Tibetan situation in their election campaigns.
But no provocation would have worked if everything in Tibet were in order. Recently, this henceforth deserted Himalayan region has been flooded by Han people that are good at sales and business. This may have caused discontent of the local population and resulted in the periodic attacks on the newcomers, but this situation is typical not only for China.
Alexander Larin, a leading research fellow at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted the importance of the fact that Beijing has allowed national minorities to freely perform their religious rites, and promoted the economic development of this mountainous region. He believes that the recent outbreak of violence could have been caused by some difficulties in relations between the local authorities and the Tibetan population, mostly monks.
Lack of information makes it difficult to be more specific. Foreign access to information is very limited; the authorities have blocked many Tibetan web sites for fear that some imprudent reports may further escalate the violence.
The Chinese government has emphasized that the police and the army have not used force against the rioters; some monks deliberately wounded each other and then took photos to stir a sensation. Usually, such pictures produce the desired effect.
Although the situation in Tibet is difficult, experts believe that it will not spiral out of control, and that the Chinese government will find a way of settling it before the Olympics.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.
