Special report: Tibet: Its Past and Present

    By Ye Xiaowen

    BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Today's Lhasa has returned to its usual placidity. When dark clouds retreat, snow-capped mountains remain sacred; when chaos fade away, let's think again about three problems.

    First, what will a boycott of the Olympic Games bring? The Dalai clique has cried out that the Olympic Games is the last chance for Tibetans. They carefully organized, designed, fanned and masterminded such violence as beating, smashing, robbing and burning in Lhasa and some other places. Following them, all kinds of evil forces jumped up, clamoring for an Olympic boycott and even tried to grab the Olympic torch during the relay.

    Did they realize they were boycotting 1.3 billion Chinese people's efforts to become stronger and make progress as well as harming the feelings and dignity of all those Chinese? Did they realize they were boycotting the Olympic spirit of peace, harmony, unity and friendship recognized by 6 billion people worldwide?

    The Chinese people sincerely hope to make friends with other countries through hosting the Games.

    Who on the earth does China harass to host a sport event? Everyone with a conscience and a warm heart believes that the world will smile on China if 1.3 billion Chinese smile at them.

    Second, what will a connivance with violence bring? Violence and its extreme form terrorism is a disaster for all human beings. Why is it usually camouflaged by devotion to a certain religion or nationality? Because, in some ethnicities and religions the close combination of ultra-nationalism and religious extremism, and the mixture of worshipping the God and an individual, creates monsters with narrow minds and violent behavior. If let be, they will finally end up as terrorists who will not hesitate from the taking of thousands of innocent lives.

    The United States is suffering a backlash, caused by its indulgence in violent organizations in the Middle East years ago for its own political concerns that helped foster terrorism.

    I have noticed a tendency of integration of ultra-nationalism and religious extremism among supporters of "Tibetan independence" initiated and instigated by the Dalai clique. The "Tibet Youth Congress (TYC)" is trending towards a pro-violent and even terror group. Didn't some "TYC leader" say openly that the organization did not rule out gaining "independence" through suicide bombing and it will be a trend to widely use body bombs as revenge?

    If it indulges such a tendency, the world will soon see a group of terrorists "fighting for Tibetan independence" and it will be a disaster not only for China but also the western world.

    Third, what will theocracy bring? There is an old saying "Do unto others as you would be done to yourself."

    Several western countries had the same painful experience of getting rid of dark theocratic rule in the Middle Ages on their path to become modern nations.

    Half a century ago, the Dalai Lama sat at the top of the theocratic hierarchy in Tibet and now the "constitution" of his "government-in-exile" still holds that Tibet is a theocratic "country."

    By comparison, today's Tibet is striding into modern society after shrugging off theocratic feudal serfdom. Its economy grows fast and people's living standard greatly improve. The average life-span has increased to 67 years from 35.5 when the Dalai Lama ruled Tibet.

    Based on these facts, the Tibetan language and culture receives support from both central and local governments. About 120,000 monks and nuns are living in 3,700 monasteries in Tibet and other Tibetan-inhabited regions, some of the largest ones of which hold several thousand monks. If there was no religious freedom, how would things be this way?

    The Dalai clique is not willing to see Tibet modernized. They tried to restore the old serfdom, attacked every new move in Tibet's economic and social development including the Qinghai-Tibet railway, and threw muck at the rest of China for giving financial assistance to Tibet.

    Why doesn't the West find out what the Dalai clique did in the past and their intention to restore the feudal ways? Is anyone in the world willing to return to the dark Middle Ages? How could we let serfdom harm people again, and theocracy to cast its shadow on the region again?

    Buddhists admire meditation. Please think again when the mote drops placidly and don't forget, Tsongkhapa, the Tibetan Buddhism master and teacher of the 1st Dalai Lama, who said "You should not kill, because all existence cherishes life the most."