Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Yana Banerjee-Bey, in 8216;Tibet on the train to the future8217; Bywords, IE, July 14, writes about how Tibetans8217; traditional way of life can only change for the better, thanks to the new train that links Tibet to mainland China. The writer has misunderstood the concerns about the new engineering marvel that the railway line is. It8217;s not the 8216;accursed influence of Western tourists8217; that Tibet should be worried about, it8217;s the influx of the Chinese. Did anybody ask the Tibetans whether they wanted a train that linked their capital to Beijing?
Ever since China occupied Tibet, it has systematically changed the Tibetan way of life. With the new train, the influx of the ethnic Chinese Han population will only increase. The demography of this ancient land has been changing, thanks to the Chinese government giving incentives to its people to settle down in Tibet. With more and more Chinese now able to reach Tibet in just 48 hours thanks to this railroad, ethnic Tibet will change forever and Tibetans will soon be a minority in their own country. I am sure no Tibetan is going to complain about better living standards, but it comes at a price 8212; loss of identity. When China occupied Tibet, monasteries were ransacked. Whatever the Tibetans considered holy 8212; relics, books, statues, etc 8212; were destroyed by the 8216;liberators8217;.
When Banerjee-Bey says 8220;eagle-eyed policemen even reprimand Tibetan shopkeepers for chatting with tourists after a souvenir has been sold8221;, she8217;s incredibly naive to believe that this will allow the preservation of Tibetan culture. Those Western tourists are the only hope for Tibetans to express what they are undergoing owing to Chinese rule. Remember, the Tibetans are a suppressed people, and if they are seen talking to tourists more than necessary, the truth will come out. Hence the strict policing.
As regards cultural aspects and influence, here is a very apt example. When the ironically named People8217;s Liberation Army of China marched into Tibet, they were happy to see Tibetans clapping their hands. The Chinese mistook it for a warm welcome. What they didn8217;t know was that Tibetans clap their hands to keep evil spirits away. So if you saw Tibetans clapping when the first train arrived at Lhasa, don8217;t get the message wrong.
