What Obloquy?

Last year in Tibet a peaceful demonstration to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's flight into exile in India brought the heavy hand of Chinese authoritarian rule into the picture when riots ensued in Tibet and the provinces surrounding it. China claims 22 people to have been killed in the riots and the government troops' attempts to put down what they felt was an apprehended insurrection.

This year, as the 50th anniversary of the Chinese government clamp-down on Tibetan autonomy nears, the government is taking no chances. It has taken steps to close Tibet to the outside world. Tourism has been halted, and outside observers may no longer obtain permits to enter Tibet. Security forces have been deployed for the purpose in hand, to "firmly crush the savage aggression of the Dalai Lama clique, defeat separatism and maintain stability".

No entry permits will be issued to foreigners, tourists, news agencies, for the foreseeable future. The ban extends outward from Tibet including three of the surrounding provinces where ethnic Tibetans live. The Tibet Daily editorial explained it is imperative that China "maintain heavy pressure on criminal violators from start to finish".

From within Tibet reports are issuing of severe and aggressive reduction of monks in key monasteries, in concert with the bivouacking of armed forces on the religious sites. Reports of several dozen Tibetans having been arrested for carrying the likeness of the Dalai Lama in Lithang County, Sichuan Province have set the stage for further suppression of 'violence'.

As a demonstration of the exigencies of diplomacy, visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is treading lightly, making no specific mention of this new flash-point in relations between China and its vulnerable Tibetan population. Rather, in a reprise of historical antecedents; in the interests of global stability given current economic problems, and environmental concerns, human rights has slipped off the negotiating table.

Matters will proceed that much more smoothly, with China not facing the sting of opprobrium relating to its human-rights record, and the two super powers can proceed without inconvenient diversions to pave the way for co-operation without fear of inconveniently unwieldy confrontations.