I'm sure everyone has seen a "Free Tibet" sign or banner at some time. But does anyone really care? It's so far away, we say... is Tibet really in trouble? The answer is simple and to the point. Tibet is in deep trouble. Their rights and freedoms have been taken away by the communist Chinese governments, and it has led to a terrible toll. The Tibetan people are being oppressed, and they have gone very far to let the world know how they feel. There has been a rash of self-immolating activists for freedom in Tibet recently. Self-immolation is the act of setting oneself on fire, for those who are unaware. On January 13th, the first self-immolation of 2013 was committed by a 22 year old Tibetan man named Tsebey. This man was part of the Tibetan Youth Congress, commonly known as the TYC. The TYC are dissenters of Chinese control and suppression of Tibet, and many of the self-immolations have been by members of the TYC.
Many of the reasons for the protests in Tibet stem from religious suppression. From the 1980's to 2008, Tibetans would celebrate the Dalai Lama in temples on Wednesdays, but in late 2008, China cracked down on them for this "forbidden" religious act, and since then, a movement known as Lhakar has risen up. "Lhakar" translates to "White Wednesday", in accordance with the day they would go to their temples. This grassroots organization is less extreme than those who promote self-immolations, and perhaps that makes them that much more powerful. Lhakar believes in small steps. Instead of radical acts, such as self-immolation, they believe in changing their everyday lives to be in accordance with the values they believe in, rather than the values imposed on them by the Chinese.
Whether one takes the radical option or the option of noncooperation, fighting against oppression is most always commendable. Now I am not condoning these suicides, by any stretch of the imagination, but in my opinion, whenever people are willing to give up their lives for a cause, it is incredibly notable. Those of us living in a free country must take steps to help the oppressed, or we are no better than oppressors ourselves.
Sources:
Phayul
Hindustan Times
