How can we support the Tibetan people?

Buy more khukuris!

I was wondering this as well actually. I was thinking about how during Christmas Yangdu offered some bags and other handmade items for sale. I'd be interested in purchasing such things. Khukuri stands as well. I'm sure there are plenty of other craftsmen besides the kamis that do beautiful work.

I know Yangdu doesn't have time to run a huge diverse business. But the occasional handmade Nepali item would sell quickly IMHO.
 
DannyinJapan said:
Well, Nepal and Tibet are different places, you know?
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Boycott China?
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I find it interesting myself that while there are hotspots all over the world, most people seem to feel Tibet is irretrievably Chinese now, so forget it. Well, Poland and Czechoslovakia and Hungary and East Germany were irretrievably Soviet once, too.

Since the current disturbances did hit the news, perhaps a thread in Current Events could serve as a notice, and simultaneously solicit and suggest actions in support of the Tibetans.

It's a bit politicky for the Cantina.
 
Afraid the political establishment and corporate interests (including Murdoch owned media) are in various ways too intertwined with China for there to be any realistic likelihood of intervention, or any more than lightweight token complaint.... and that's compounded by many of the anti-nationalist liberal/leftists' reluctance to commit the politically incorrect sin of "noticing" the non-military aspect of invasion and occupation -- large scale, Peking directed, immigration from China into Tibet to bring about a profound demographic change in the latter country's identity and culture.
 
Nepal and Tibet are intertwined, if not by politics. The Maoists in Nepal are noted for either direct or indirect funding by the Chinese.

But there is little one can do to support the people of Tibet save not buying Chinese made goods (produced in and sold by American companies).

Best we can do to support Tibet is to continue to support a healthy democracy in Nepal.
 
moblues said:
Nepal and Tibet are intertwined, if not by politics. The Maoists in Nepal are noted for either direct or indirect funding by the Chinese.

But there is little one can do to support the people of Tibet save not buying Chinese made goods (produced in and sold by American companies).

Best we can do to support Tibet is to continue to support a healthy democracy in Nepal.
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I am under the Impresion that China refused to support the Nepali Maoists, after all the Nepaloi maoists wanted true democracy & free elections?{Which the Chinese dont.} Rather than Royal heriditary dictatorship.

Western countries are brave enough to fight third word countries mostly full of camels & donkeys, but no one is either brave or stupid enough to mess with the Chinese. {A totalitarion nucular armed bunch of power freaks.}

The world isnt fair, politicians are liars, & might is right, thats the reality of world powers unfortunatly.

Spiral
 
Well, to paraphrase something Uncle Bill said about Nepal: "Tibet could really benefit from the influx of some yankee dollars."

I know that could be very difficult to do, to support Tibetians directly without funding China.

I don't know if she wants to go through the trouble, or take the $$ away from Nepal, but Yangdu would maybe work something out with them (Tibet and Nepal share a border, no?). Someone mentioned the bags and such she had from there. Well, I'm a gear whore (as most are here), and it might be neat to have some "possibles" bags made from there, from leather with some local art tooled into it, to go with our kukris?

Don't know if it would even be possible, but it'd be nice to have, especially if they could get them over the border to Nepal to be sent here, and the people who make them could be paid directly, so they'd benefit directly.
 
I have always wanted a Tibetan outfit, including the boots.
If someone can find a supplier over there, I'd be happy to start buying stuff.
 
Spiraltwista: When I was in Nepal last autumn my guide said that China didnt support the Maoists, he said that China considered the Maoists to revolutinary. Now when I went there I had a Indian guide, he said that China did support the Maoists... so I dont really know whats true. A bit confusing.

Now to Tibet, and helping..
I for instance have never ever demonstrated in my life, until yesterday. About 100 people stood outside the Chinese Embassy here in Stockholm (Sweden). A peacefull demonstration with tar-cho (prayer flags) and of course the Tibetan flag. I have had a sparkling interest in tibet since I visited the area last autumn. Traveling by train from Beijing to Lhasa we were given information out of the speakers, the railway was a proof of remarkable enginering, and of course the railway was built with the support of the Tibetans and even the birds and jaks liked it to.. well you get the point, it was just propaganda. Not a word of the people that they had moved with force or what the Tibetans think of it, it is considered by many to be a way for the Chinese Goverment to increase the number of Chinese in Tibet, and making them a minority in their own country. Well... all of this and the recent events got me finally to get upp from the sofa and do something a bit more constructive.

I am uncertain if a boycott would be the right thing, either of Chinese goods or the Olympics. Boycotts have a tendency to sometimes not get to the persons they are really aimed at IMHO. It is said that no person can do everything, but everybody can do something. So I did demonstrate yesterday, and perhaps also again this wednesday. I have written my name on a couple of protests that will be sent to the IOK for instance. Expressing my concern for the violation of human rights. I have also started to do my homework for Tibet, Songtsen Gampo etc. Because what the chinese goverment does are really a kind of re-writing of history, young tibetens living in Tibet dont know Tibetan culture as they used to because the chinese are enforcing the chinese culture, and thats a very different one. The chinese have been doing this for about 50 years and it shows some result I am afraid. When I was in the Potala palace that was the resident of Dalai Lama no picture of him exists, not even his name what I could see. And to mention him... no no... The new rulers are making a new history by silencing the old. And as you probarbly know they have used "media blackout" on both CNN reports and on some websites. So people in China dont get reports from different sources, just the official one by controlled media.

Conclusion, there are a number of sites, savetibet.org, tibet.net for example were you can get ideas how to support Tibet. Again, we cant do everything, but at least something. I think its my duty, having been there, to tell the ones who are willing to listen that the people of Tibet are prisoners in their own country, some things have improved over the years, but they are very far from acceptable by any standards. The Tibetens must have the right to decide their own future, and the Tibetans I spoke with wanted democracy. :thumbup:

Doing business with tibet could be hard, way? Because the Chinese Goverment wants total controll, also over the economy. Many of the souvenirs sold in tibet (prayer wheels etc) are really manufactured in China... so buying them just supports the Chinese, but the Tibetens have a hard time finding Tibetan merchandise, also the Hotel, owned by Chinese. The money we tourists pay for vistiting temples... goes also to the Chinese, giving donations should be done directly to on the altars inside the temples, in that way perhaps they can make some use of it without having to give it away. There are so many aspects of mistreatment against the Tibetans so I cant even begin to grasp it. It makes me sad, really sad. But also gives me motivation to speak out.

Sometimes the new roads and houses are mentioned as something positive for Tibet, well most of the time it dont do anything good for the Tibetans themself. As a former CIA-operative said, the chinese werent stupid (refering to time just after the invasion). They began with constructing new roads... to get reinforcments their faster if needed.

But I think, if enough voices says whats happening now is wrong, eventually they will have to listen. As a sidenote its not only the Tibetans that are oppressed, demonstrating side by side yesterday was a couple of Mongols also suffering from the Chinese Goverment.
 
I pray for the integrity of Tibetan culture, and send tonglen to the Dalai Lama himself. He must be suffering due to the violence happening in his homeland. He is opposed to violence, even in the cause of Tibet, and no longer wants independence for his homeland. Now he is only concerned for the future of Tibetan culture and identity. Tibetans are now a minority in their country, and so their culture may not last much longer. Today he announced he will leave his position as political leader of the Tibetan-government-in-exile if the violence continues.

Another concern is for the once untouched ecosystem of remote areas of Tibet. China now exploits the land for resources, and also uses portions of the vast wilderness as a dumping ground for the considerable amount of toxic waste that their booming economy produces.

Unfortunately, China can do pretty much what it pleases, as so much of the world is reliant on China for trade and investment.

Let us all pray for a peaceful resolution to this dilemna, and for a rebirth of compassion in the hearts of China's leaders. If you have anger towards the government of China, use it as a way to learn love and compassion towards those whom you hate.

Here is a link to a description on wikipedia of the practice of Tonglen:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonglen
 
DannyinJapan said:
boycott the olympics and don't buy chinese products.
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Unfortunately, I think we're too far in bed with the Chinese, economically. Our leaders don't have the courage to take steps that would irritate them all that much. :mad::( At least the Soviets just had missiles pointed at us. :rolleyes:
 
Look on e-bay at some of the listings.... even specifically Tibetan Bhuddhist stuff is being flogged with the seller's location given as "China" and in its expanded version as "Tibet, China".

As the head of one Western multinational corporation said back in the 1970s,
"We do not fear foreign competition, because we are the foreign competition."
 
Sort of like those "Made in the USA" products that are actually made in territories, rather than actual US states.
 
France's foreign minister Bernard Kouchner has already this month backtracked from his suggestion of a boycott of the Olympics' opening ceremonies, saying that some economic decisions must be made "at the expense of human rights."


I think I'll send the French a note.
 
China will never allow Tibet autonomy.
search "nuclear weapons on the Tibet Plateau"
How could any one harden missile sites greater than the himalyans?
Thank those who gave China missile technology they did not have.
China does indeed have long range thinkers.

J.
 
I can't add too much to this discussion, as I'm still trying to figure out what I'd like to do.

One thing that is happening, that we need more of, is to give homes to the Tibetan culture around the world. This is already happening with Tibetan Buddhism. While I know that there's part of being in one's homeland that can never be replaced, if we care about the Tibetan people, we need to let them know that they can come to us and be Tibetans, and that no matter what happens in the land of Tibet, some of the people will survive as Tibetans. Ditto with any other endangered culture that can survive transplantation.

Another thing is to applaud China's taking on trillions of US debt. Yes, we (the US) owe them, and they own us, but imagine what happens if we default on our debt. They go bankrupt too. It's a sick arrangement, but I often wonder if it's preventing World War III.

Just remember, if China falls apart and retreats from Tibet (think unsustainable resource use leading to civil war--it's happened before), then Tibetan freedom fighters get their hands on Chinese nukes. There's a comfortable thought...

My 0.0001 cents,

F
 
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