Apr 03 2008
Who stole Tibet?
As the world watches mutely, hundreds of Tibetans are losing their lives. They had lost their freedom long time back, so no one is actually shedding a tear about that!
What is surprising is that the world at large has been subscribing to the Chinese view. That includes the Indian government, and some leading newspapers in this country. I was appalled to note that the Hindu, which is on this weblog’s list of favourite sites, chose to publish what read like a Chinese press release in its editorial titled ”The question of Tibet” (March 26, 2008).
The editorial was a stunner and raises many questions about The Hindu’s editorial policy. It taken a highly biased, pro-China, stand. The editorial mentions that Tibetan demonstrators committed arson, to the extent of killing people on March 14. Why didn’t The Hindu or any other newspaper not cover this earlier?
You editorial also goes on to equate Tibet with Kashmir. That Kashmir is not accepted by vested interests as part of India is not our headache. Kashmir acceded to India as part of the partition agreement. Princely states had the right to join either India or Pakistan. When the accession of other states is not questioned, why should Indians themselves doubt the legality of Kashmir? It was shocking to see such flawed logic to justify Chinese policy. Another needless reference in the editorial is between the demand for ‘Greater Tibet’ and breaking up of states in India. If newspapers were to begin dispensing such logic like politicians, where would we end up?
It is also news, as per the editorial, that political discussions have been going on between Tibetans and China for three decades. If Tibet is a part of China, then why should there be any negotiations at all?
That the entire world dare not challenge China’s hegemony over Tibet, thanks to its military and economic power, does not mean that all is hunky-dory in China and Tibet.
But then all is not lost. We still have conscientious men like Baichung Bhutia who have the guts to stand up.
3 Responses to “Who stole Tibet?”
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It was very clear to me that The Hindu is pro leftist. However this type of behaviour is definitely shocking. Newspaers have now become more like masala Hindi movies, whose sole aim is to attract attention by creating controversies.
I also fail to understand the stand of the Indian government, which in my opinion is more influenced by the pressures of CPM. The sole agenda of CPM is to protect China which never wants India to progress and the Left is working as an agent of China. The biggest example is the nuclear deal, which has been kept hostage without bothering for the nation’s interest; rather it is serving Chinese interests.
The Hindu must understand that readers are not fools who will believe what ever it says.
I have a viewpoint on the N-deal. The hallmark of India’s India’s nuclear policy, till the present UPA regime took over, has been the unanimity amongst all political parties. The benefits of the Indo-US n-deal notwithstanding, the UPA hurried in signing the agreement without taking either Parliament or its allies, leave aside the opposition, into confidence.
As regards the article in The Hindu, let me share an interesting fact with you. A small news item appeared in the Economic Times a few days back, I do not remember the date now, but it said that the Chinese government has been carrying out an extensive PR exercise especially for the Indian journalists. The PR exercise consists of flying a posse of Indian journos, executive class, to China and providing them with five-star bed and breakfast, of course, followed by three-course lunches and five-course dinners, which ultimately results in eulogising words for China vis-a-vis Tibet in the leading Indian newspapers. The editor of The Hindu, it seems, has been at the receiving end of this hospitality rather frequently and hence, the article.
As far as the Left parties are concerned, they really have little else to hold on to, except China, to justify and propagate their ideology. No wonder then that they are singing paeans about China and equating it to the issue of Kashmir. And, I do have a serious contention with the world community, especially the political community, as a whole. Why is it that, today on the eve of the Beijing Olympics, the whole world has suddenly started shedding tears at the plight of the Tibetans? The stand-off between China and Tibet has existed since I was only knee-high, and yet the International Olympic Committee did hand over the Olympics to China on a platter. And let me tell you, all this brouhaha about Tibet will die its natural death once the Olympics are over and the hapless Tibetans shall again be left in the wilds to fend for themselves. Such is the hypocrisy of this world!