by China expressed fury on Tuesday that the United States is to honor the Dalai Lama with an award and warned that the activities of his supporters were increasing in Chinese-controlled Tibet.
The Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since staging a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, is to receive the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday after being hosted at the White House by President George W. Bush.
"We are furious," Tibet’s Communist Party boss, Zhang Qingli, told reporters. "If the Dalai Lama can receive such an award, there must be no justice or good people in the world."
Tiananmen Square, anyone? Hilarious last sentence – talk about your illogical leaps…
Between Pelosi and Bush it looks like the U.S.A. is determined to make as many people mad as possible. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing – rather than trying to please China the U.S. should simply make certain that our positions in favor of human rights and freedom for all people are unwavering.
More:
"Although we have undergone a lot of contacts and talks, the Dalai Lama has consistently supported Tibetan independence," said Qiangba Puncog, Tibet’s governor.
"Under these circumstances, even though we keep the doors for contact open, there cannot be major development as long as the problem is not resolved."
The Dalai Lama has said he supports a "middle way" policy that advocates autonomy for Tibet within China, but Qiangba Puncog said China believed he still supported independence and warmed that separatist activities in the region were increasing.
"He (the Dalai Lama) should resolutely abandon his Tibetan independence stance and activities," Qiangba Puncog said. "But in my opinion, some of those activities are actually escalating and setting a lot of obstacles for further progress."
On the other hand, progress could be construed as allowing a distinct ethnic group to govern itself rather than forcing its assimilation into Maoism-cum-free-market-authoritarianism-or-whatever-the-Chinese-are-doing-these-days at the point of a gun.
