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Along with growing unease surrounding the Olympic torch relay underway in the U.S and continuing in other parts of the world, the Chinese authorities are stifling the source of the original unrest. In contrary to what the Chinese authorities are proclaiming about the calm and normalcy restored in Lhasa city, the reality in the area underlines that severe restriction and mass detention are continuing especially in monasteries which were proactive in the recent series of demonstration in Lhasa and other parts of Eastern Tibet. In the latest series of major clampdowns on monastic institutions, around 70 Tibetan monks from Ramoche Temple were known to have been detained on the night of 7 April 2008, according to confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD).
On 7 April 2008, around 70 monks from Ramoche Temple were detained by the People’s Armed Police (PAP) and Public Security Bureau (PSB) officials during the midnight raid carried out in the monks’ residences. The detained monks were taken away to an unknown location, according to reliable sources. At present only a few monks are left in the Ramoche Temple, which previously housed around a hundred monks, with scores detained and taken away in the midnight raid. There is no immediate information on the condition and whereabouts of those detained. The Chairman of the “Tibet Autonomous Region” government, Qiangba Puncog, said at a press briefing of the State Council information office this morning, that police have detained 953 suspects involved in the ‘14 March violence’ in Lhasa.
Severe restrictions have been imposed on the movement of the monks of Ramoche Temple since 14 March protest in Lhasa. Credible sources confirmed a case of one monk, Thokmey, committing suicide in Ramoche temple following massive crackdowns by the PAP and PSB on 22 March 2008.
A similar restriction was imposed on all the major monasteries of Tibet including Drepung, Gaden and Sera, with all access to these monasteries severely restricted with 24X7 monitoring by a heavy presence of PAP and PSB officials since the demonstration broke out on 10 March in Lhasa and other parts of Tibet.
As reported in China’s official mouthpiece, Xinhua, on 1 April 2008, to the question raised by one visiting foreign journalist on a state-sponsored media tour on 27 March, Lhasa City Mayor, Duoji Cizhu, defended the deployment of the PAP and PSB into three major monasteries around Lhasa, by stating that the authorities had undertaken this measure in order to investigate the suspects involved in the recent ‘unrest’ and to avoid further protest by the agitated monks.
On similar showing of official support, on 8 April 2008, Zhu Wei Qun, Vice Minister of the United Work Front Department (UWFD) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee accompanied by Lobsang Gyaltsen, the head of the “TAR” United Work Front Department paid a visit to PAP and PSB personnel stationed at Gaden Monastery to boost their morale and appreciate their good work. According to reliable sources, all three major monasteries around Lhasa were virtually sealed off with a heavy presence of PAP and PSB personnel.
Tibetan Monks pray in front of a replica of a Chinese tank.
A pro-Tibetan supporter is Arrested in San Francisco
^ Why does this look more like China than the US? It scares me!
[Photos from Reuters/AP]
| From Phayul: |
| SAN FRANCISCO — The Olympic torch relay got under way in San Francisco and the flame promptly vanished.
Officials have driven the Olympic torch about a mile inland and handed it off to two runners away from protesters and media. With thousands of protesters gathered to condemn China’s human rights policies, protesters had lined the streets Wednesday waiting for the torch relay to begin. As the ceremony began, the first torchbearer took the Olympic flame from a lantern brought to the stage and held it aloft before running into a warehouse. A motorcycle escort departed, but the torchbearer was nowhere in sight. Buses and vans later left the warehouse, but it was unclear where the Olympic flame would reappear. Shortly before it began, San Francisco officials cut the original six-mile route nearly in half. The flame’s only North American stop has drawn thousands of demonstrators gathered to praise and condemn China during the flame’s journey to Beijing. Authorities did not offer an immediate explanation for the change, but city officials had warned they might truncate the route at the last minute for security reasons. Demonstrators amassed on the city’s waterfront Wednesday before the start of the Olympic torch’s only stop in North America, and law enforcement officers attempted to prevent a reprise of the chaotic demonstrations that have followed the flame along its journey to Beijing. The torch’s 85,000-mile, 20-nation global journey is the longest in Olympic history, and is meant to build excitement for the games. But it has also been a target for activists angered over China’s human rights record, prompting officials to warn they might make a last-minute change to the relay route. Thousands of people had gathered along the relay route, which hugs the San Francisco Bay. Pro-Tibet and pro-China groups were given side-by-side permits to demonstrate, and there already were signs of tension. “A lot of Tibetan people are getting killed,” said Kunga Yeshi, 18, who had traveled here from Salt Lake City. “The Chinese said they’d change if they got the Olympics, but they still won’t change.” Across the street, a bus carrying dozens of pro-China supporters arrived. “The Olympic spirit unites all human beings, not only Chinese — also America and the whole world,” said Hui Chen, 36, of San Jose. Chen said his was one of 50 buses chartered by an amateur sports association that wanted to celebrate China’s first opportunity to host the Olympic Games. As runners carry the torch on its six-mile route, they will compete not only with people protesting China’s grip on Tibet and its support for the governments of Myanmar and Sudan, but also with more obscure activists. They include nudists calling for a return to the way the ancient Greek games were played. One runner who planned to carry the torch dropped out earlier this week because of safety concerns, officials said. Local officials say they support the diversity of viewpoints, but have ramped up security following chaotic protests during the torch’s stops in London and Paris and a demonstration Monday in which activists hung banners from the Golden Gate bridge. “We are trying to accomplish two goals here. One is to protect the right to free speech and the other is to ensure public safety, and here in San Francisco we are good at both of those things,” said Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsom. Ambulances were to be stationed along the torch’s route, extra sheriff’s deputies and state law enforcement officers were put on patrol. Vans were deployed to haul away arrested protesters, and the FAA restricted flights over the city to media helicopters, medical emergency carriers and law enforcement aircraft. Law enforcement agencies erected metal barricades and readied running shoes, bicycles and motorcycles for officers preparing to shadow the runners. The flame was whisked to a secret location shortly after its pre-dawn arrival in San Francisco on Tuesday. It began its worldwide trek from Ancient Olympia in Greece to Beijing on March 24, and was the focus of protests from the start. San Francisco was chosen to host the relay in part because of its large Chinese-American population. International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said the body’s executive board would discuss Friday whether to end the remaining international legs of the relay after San Francisco because of widespread protest. The torch is scheduled to travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and then to a dozen other countries before arriving in China on May 4. The Olympics begin Aug. 8. “We recognize the right for people to protest and express their views, but it should be nonviolent. We are very sad for all the athletes and the people who expected so much from the run and have been spoiled of their joy,” Rogge said. Meanwhile Wednesday, the White House said anew that Bush would attend the Olympics, but left open the possibility that he would skip the opening ceremonies. Asked whether Bush would go to that portion of the games, White House press secretary Dana Perino demurred, citing the fluid nature of a foreign trip schedule this far out and the many factors that go into devising it. “I would again reiterate that the president has been very clear that he believes that the right thing for him to do is to continue to press the Chinese on a range of issues, from human rights and democracy, political speech freedoms and religious tolerance, and to do that publicly and privately, before, during and after the Olympics,” she said. |
San Fran – So far there have been no incidents with the Olympic Flame.
Haven’t seen any protesters.
Waiting for something to happen.
Two runners are standing now holding the torch surrounded by police officers. It is a strange situation as there appears to be two runners with the torch.
They are now standing on the street heading south towards Pine and apparently will run, but they are standing in front of a truck which they may climb into and drive instead.
There are thousands of Pro-Tibet and Darfur protesters assembled as well as pro-Chinese.
Now dozens of police motorbikes appear and the procession starts.
CNN- Reporting now that some torchbearers were stating that they were going to protest. A police boat has docked adjacent to a warehouse where the flame is currently, and there has been no action. The relay was supposed to start at 1pm (4pmEST) and is already 40 minutes late. There are police jet skis assembled and the buses leaving — just now via the rear entrance. Some say that the torch may be in one of those buses.
So far I see no Tibetan flags or protesters. However, I know they would wait should they be so near. I will update as things happen….
A fire engine carrying a banner moves through downtown Buenos Aires April 9, 2008. A group of protesters staged a demonstration against the arrival of the Olympic torch in Argentina, which will be carried through the streets of Buenos Aires on Friday.
In correlation with the protests in San Francisco, a small group of monks at a major Tibetan Buddhist monastery in northwest China defied authorities and staged a protest in front of foreign reporters, a witness and state media said.
About 15 monks from the Labrang monastery in Gansu province approached the journalists carrying banners and voicing support for exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama, said the witness, who was on a government-controlled media tour.
“They said in Chinese, ‘We want more freedom, more human rights and we want to see the Dalai Lama’,” said Caroline Puel, a journalist with France’s Le Point magazine.
The protest lasted about 10 minutes and ended when government officials conducting the tour urged the foreign journalists to leave.
China’s official Xinhua news agency also confirmed that a group of monks had “interrupted” the media tour, but gave few other details.
The incident marks the second time that protesting monks upstaged a media tour organised by the government through areas hit by recent Tibetan rioting.
On March 27, monks at the Jokhang temple in Lhasa interrupted a similar tightly-controlled media tour aimed at showing calm had returned to the Tibetan capital.
The Jokhang monks called for the return of the Dalai Lama and denounced official Chinese versions of the Tibetan unrest as “lies”.
From the BBC:
Demonstrators carrying Tibetan flags marched to the Chinese Consulate to denounce Beijing’s policy on Tibet.
Officials have promised tight security for Wednesday’s torch relay, following chaotic scenes in London and Paris.
Officials in Beijing have condemned the disruption to the torch relay but promised that it will go ahead.
Extra police will line the torch’s route as it travels through San Francisco.
Mayor Gavin Newsom said he had been in touch with officials in the UK and France to discuss ways of handling the protesters.
“I’m not naive to the challenge associated with this event,” he said.
The torch arrived in San Francisco early on Tuesday and was immediately taken to a secret location.
The flame relay will begin at 1300 (2000GMT) and follow a six-mile (10km) route though the city.
Several protests are planned and police say they reserve the right to change the route if necessary.
On Tuesday, activists gathered near City Hall for their march to the Chinese mission and a late-night vigil.
South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu urged world leaders not to go to the Games.
“For God’s sake, for the sake of our children, for the sake of their children, for the sake of the beautiful people of Tibet – don’t go,” he said at the vigil.
“Tell your counterparts in Beijing you wanted to come but looked at your schedule and realised you have something else to do.”
Other speakers called for further disruption of the relay.
“This is not about us battling the torchbearers,” Lhadom Tethong, executive director of Students for a Free Tibet, told the crowd.
“This is about the Chinese government using the torch for political purposes. And we’re going to use it right back.”
But in Chinatown, community representatives held a news conference to call for a peaceful relay and voice pride over China’s hosting of the Games.
“If I support the Olympics, of course I don’t support the protests,” local resident Ling Li told the Associated Press News agency.
“This is the first time China has had the Olympics. We should be proud of this.”
International Olympic Committee (IOC) members are to discuss the issue in meetings in Beijing in the coming days, but President Jacques Rogge scotched rumours that the relay might be stopped.
“There is no discussion of cancelling any legs,” he told the Wall Street Journal. “What we will do is study the torch relay so far.”
He is due to meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao later in the day.
