China, Tibet, and Sharon Stone

The fact that celebrities are always hungry for just that, celebrity, it must not be surprising to see Sharon Stone throw herself into the thick of things in the fight for a Free Tibet. Yet, this might come at some cost, personal and professional, to her. However, one might argue that this is in fact karma.

The 12 May earthquake that struck China was devastating in terms of not only the destruction of infrastructure but in human life! The official death toll is now above 68,000 and is expected to continue to rise.

The Sichuan province where this quake occurred has been beset by aftershocks and the biggest current fear is that dams in the area have become unstable and are likely to burst. The Chinese government is currently evacuating people from in and around the most seriously threatened dams. So far some 160,000 people have been moved and that number could swell to more than 1.3 million in the worst case scenario.

The idea that there is 50,000 Olympic sized swimming pools of water that could be released in a catastrophic dam burst is difficult to visualize in terms of the sheer scope of what that would look like.

With more than 45 million people affected by the quake and some 5 million homeless the idea that this is bad karma coming back to level the score is in bad taste. The idea of what goes around comes around in individual cases may be acceptable but when the bad karma to which you claim affects the lives of so many innocents then there are issues of common human decency to be explored.

I think that Tibet should be free of Chinese rule. I think that Tibet should be independent. However, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has recently been on the record stating that he only wants greater autonomy to be afforded to the people of Tibet rather than independence. Whether he harbors other desires for an independent Tibet he is not saying so publicly at the moment.

Back to Sharon Stone. A brief interview with her where the comment were made has appeared on You Tube where she is claiming that the destructive earthquake that caused such huge loss of life was just a case of bad karma coming back to haunt China for the way that it has mistreated Tibetans.

The response has been swift. Chinese biggest theatre chain has decided to ban her movies from their theatres. This will severely limit the revenue that her films will take in Asia's biggest film market.

I guess though that bad karma is true as the remarks she made have also come back to haunt her as well. I am all for people expressing their personal opinions and beliefs. I am more than happy for Sharon Stone to express her disgust at the treatment of Tibetans by the Chinese government. I am a lot less sympathetic to comments that justify the extent of the human suffering on karma alone.

This in no way belittles the suffering of the Tibetans at the hands of the Chinese. The idea that bad karma comes back to haunt you might logically be applied in reverse, that is maybe the Tibetans have done something to deserve their bad karma.

Thinking before one speaks is always good advice!

Tibet, China, and the Olympics

Is a boycott of the Olympic Games by athletes a good thing?

It would certainly be a slap in the face for China and perhaps a wake up call but would it help the Tibetans? Probably not, and probably not even a little bit. Simply, the Chinese would be smarting from the perceived embarrassment of the whole thing. So, access to Tibet would likely become increasingly difficult and with the Chinese sure to blame the Tibetans for any boycott, then conditions in Tibet are likely to deteriorate even further.

Okay then what about a boycott by world leaders of the opening and closing ceremonies, is this a good thing? The answer to this question is also a resounding no! If you're are going to boycott then it needs to be the real deal and countries keep their athletes home and not their leaders.

There are serious problems in Tibet and these are not just human rights violations against the Tibetans. Although it is the human rights problems which might serve as the best means of engagement with the Chinese. However, indigenous Tibetans are a quickly becoming a minority in their own territory with the rapid movement of Chinese citizens from other regions into Tibet. This program of transmigration is not something unique to China. Indonesia also has a pretty comprehensive transmigration program that has often been considered to be a public policy aimed at Javanizing the archipelago in order to make governance easier.

The world needs to engage China in constructive dialogue and highlight the mutual benefits of improved human rights in an increasingly inter-dependent global market! The Dalai Lama is on record as saying that his struggle is not one for an independent Tibet but a Tibet that has fully functioning autonomy within a greater China. But the Dalai Lama does call for better treatment, more respect for the human rights of Tibetans, and the need for dialogue.

Perhaps this is now as good an opportunity as any to engage China in this dialogue.