Reader comments
Salt Lake protesters trade harsh words on Tibet

Dave | 7:43 a.m. April 21, 2008

It seems protestors don't like to be protested.

SLC gal | 8:18 a.m. April 21, 2008

If China is so embarassed by the bad publicity they're getting, why don't they stop what they're doing? If you ask me, China deserves exactly what they're getting!

Anonymous | 9:14 a.m. April 21, 2008

Hum!! The word form this ex Chinese basketball player made me wonder. Hey China... What's going on????

Comments continue below

easterman | 9:40 a.m. April 21, 2008

Following is the full text of Dalai's 1951 telegram to Mao:

"Chairman Mao of the Central People's Government:

"This year the local government of Tibet sent five delegates with full authority headed by Kaloon Ngapoi to Beijing in late April 1951 to conduct peace talks with delegates with full authority appointed by the Central People's Government.

"On the basis of friendship, delegates on both sides concluded the Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet on May 23,1951.

"The local government of Tibet as well as the Tibetan monks and laymen unanimously support this agreement, and under the leadership of Chairman Mao and the Central People's Government, will actively assist the People's Liberation Army in Tibet to consolidate national defence, drive imperialist influences out of Tibet and safeguard the unification of the territory and the sovereignty of the motherland. I hereby send this cable to inform you of this. ï¿½

Crackdown | 11:48 a.m. April 21, 2008

Australian tourist Michael Smith caught the crackdown of the peaceful Tibetan people on his own camera while on vacation in Lhasa last month. Go to Youtube and search the phrase "Michael Smith Tibet" (without the quotes of course)

Anonymous | 4:39 p.m. April 21, 2008

This was about so much more than just Tibet. This was about the civil rights violations of Falun Gong, the Christians, people with AIDS and many other groups in China.

CH | 4:34 p.m. April 21, 2008

Tibetans are a peaceful people, but people in general, when pushed too hard will start to push back. Thousands of Tibetans have been forced to flee their homes to avoid persecution by the Chinese. There is absolutely no excuse for the harshness of the Chinese Government in relation to Tibet and their own people who choose to follow a peaceful religious practice.
It's really too bad the Olympic Committee didn't have the intelligence to avoid giving the Olympics to a country with such dramatic abuses of human rights.

Don't Ruin Olympics | 7:36 p.m. April 21, 2008

I think all these protestors have a very valid argument. I only ask them to not ruin the Olympics. I participated heavily in the Olympics in 2002 as an employee of various countries. I could not believe the miracle of the Olympics until I actually saw it. It was such an amazing thing to see hundreds of countries unite together and compete together as friends. The athletes deserve to be honored. The Olympics is one of the great PEACE builders the World has. It brings all these countries together via sports. The Olympics is the one thing all these peaceful people should be promoting. It is one of the greatest tools of peace we can use. So please the last thing peaceful people should want is to ruin the Olympics. They are ruining the one of the single greatest instruments for PEACE this world still has.

To: Don't Ruin Olympics | 8:18 p.m. April 21, 2008

There are bigger things than the Olympics and human rights are one of them.

When the Olympic Committee decided that China would be the 2008 host they are the ones that ruined the Olympics. Everyone of them should be fired for such an ingnorant decision.

I love the Olympics and I loved SLC 2002, but I hope the world boycotts this mess.

Historian | 8:34 p.m. April 21, 2008

Tibet became part of China in 1279 during the Ming Dynasty. Before 1959, the central government (including all of the emperors since 1279) tolerated the existence of slavery in Tibet. However, in 1959, under the rule of the new China, the slavery system was ended in Tibet, and the 90+% of Tibetans (who were slaves) were freed. The slave owners could no longer treat the slaves as goods or "talking animals" whom they could kill, sell, or disposed of in other ways at the wishes of the slave owners. So they put together a riot in 1959. After the riot failed, they escaped to India. With the support of U.S. organizations, many of them and their children came to the U.S. and other countries who received them. Hoping to get back their lost priviledges as slave owners, they have been "protesting" everywhere they can.

I wonder why they did not talk about "human rights" before 1959 and why they did not ask for a "free Tibet" before 1959.

Thinker | 8:46 p.m. April 21, 2008

I wonder why ...

Tibet became part of China in 1279 during the Ming Dynasty. Before 1959, the central government (including all of the emperors since 1279) tolerated the existence of slavery in Tibet. However, in 1959, under the rule of the new China, the slavery system was ended in Tibet, and the 90+% of Tibetans (who were slaves) were freed. The slave owners could no longer treat the slaves as goods or "talking animals" whom they could kill, sell, or disposed of in other ways at the wishes of the slave owners. So they put together a riot in 1959. After the riot failed, they escaped to India. With the support of U.S. organizations, many of them and their children came to the U.S. and other countries who received them. Hoping to get back their lost priviledges as slave owners, they have been "protesting" everywhere they can.

I wonder why they did not talk about "human rights" before 1959 and why they did not ask for a "free Tibet" before 1959.

dear Historian/Thinker | 11:08 a.m. April 22, 2008

I saw that episode of "Angel" but I thought it was Cordelia who freed the "talking cow" slaves. Can you clarify?

dear "Historian"/"Thinker" | 9:33 a.m. Feb. 6, 2009

1. Your date for the Ming dynasty is incorrect. 1368 is the correct year (Maybe your thinking of the Yuan dynasty, which united China and Tibet... UNDER MONGOLIAN RULE. If Tibet is China's by your logic, perhaps China should re-submit itself to Mongolia, it's rightful ruler?).

dear "Historian"/"Thinker" | 9:44 a.m. Feb. 6, 2009

2. If Tibet was a part of China since 1279 as you claim, why did it wait for nearly 700 years before freeing the "slaves"?

3. Why ARE they protesting INSIDE of Tibet? Is communist rule worse than slavery?

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4 photos

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Zhaoyi Wei, a Chinese BYU student, and pro-Tibetan Gyaltsen Tsering, above, react to shouts from the opposing side in downtown Salt Lake City on Sunday.

Gallery (4 photos)