It's Olympics time. Which means statistics, fact sheets, and a bit of history. Following is McMan's Olympic Guide:
650: Buddhism introduced to Tibet.
1949: Communist government established in China.
1950-1951: Chinese invade and occupy Tibet. "Autonomy" accord signed. The Chinese Foreign Ministry in 2007 describes events as a "peaceful liberation."
1959: Chinese crush rebellion. An estimated 430,000 Tibetans are killed (the Chinese cite a much lower figure). Fourteenth Dalai Lama flees, establishes an exile government in India. A hundred thousand Tibetan refugees stream into India. Over the years, exiled monks spread Buddhism and principles of nonviolence and loving kindness throughout the world.
1960s: 340.000 Tibetans die in famines. In Mao's "cultural revolution," Chinese raze thousands of monasteries, destroy priceless art and literature.
1970s to present: Chinese wage sustained campaign of political crackdowns, human rights abuses, cultural genocide, deforestation, environmental devastation, and military occupation. Transplanted ethnic Chinese now outnumber native Tibetans. Tibetans are treated as an inferior race, and are strongly discouraged from speaking their language, practicing their religion, and engaging in their culture.
1989: His Holiness the Dalai Lama is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The computer I am typing this on is made in China. Tibet is not an oil-exporting nation. You do the math.
Oh, yeh. People with mental illness are not welcome at the Beijing Olympics.
Enjoy the games. Sorry, I don't have the stomach to watch ...
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