Tibet Protests - The Dalai Lama's Reaction

Chinese crackdown on Tibetan protesters has received world wide condemnation. What has angered most is China's violent reaction to what began as peaceful protest by the Tibetans. Sources say that atleast 100 people have been killed in Tibet alone. The protests were timed to mark the 49th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. China, though, has been unfazed by all the criticism it has got. The Chinese government has given a deadline to the protesting Tibetans to surrender by midnight March 17.

Richard Gere Slams China:

Actor Richard Gere joined in criticising China for its handling of the crisis. The actor, who is the chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet and a devout Buddhist, said: "In this situation, if the Chinese do not act in the proper way, change their ways, acknowledge what is going on, allow free access to communication, then I think that absolutely we have to boycott. It would be unconscionable if we continued as if things are hunky dory and everyone's happy."

"It's impossible. Tibetans have been much marginalised in recent years, much more than before. And that's why you see this pressure cooker effect in Tibet where religion has essentially been outlawed, where pictures of the Dalai Lama, who is essentially their Jesus Christ, are not allowed."

Tibetans protesting against Chinese rule in Tibet:

America's Reaction:

The U.S. has asked China to exercise restraint in dealing with the Protesters.In a statement, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Chinese government to release monks ''detained solely for the peaceful expression of their views.''

The Dalai Lama's Reaction:

The protesting Tibetans have called upon the global community to boycott the Beijing Olympics to be held later this year. Their spiritual leader Dalai Lama, however said that he was not opposed to China holing the Olympic Games. But he also added that the international community had the moral responsibility to remind China about human rights violations in Tibet.

The Dalai Lama addressing his first press conference since the protests said that China was carrying out a cultural genocide in Tibet and that their ancient heritage was in serious threat. He also added the entire world except China knew that Tibetans wanted genuine autonomy and not independence from China.

U.S. Presidential Elections 2008 - What It Means For India And Whom Does India Want?

With the race for the White House heating up beyond the boiling point,one crucial question to ask is what the elections mean for south asian countries,in particular India and Pakistan.In this post,let's look at what's in store for India.During the 2005 historical visit of the Indian Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh to America,George Bush termed America and India as obvious partners in the 21st century.He went further and offered a civilian nuclear co-operation deal to India that is suprisingly still begging to be signed by the Indian government.

Bush and in turn the Republicans should have gained a lot of sympathy from the Indian people by offering the nuke deal.On the other hand,the Democrats voiced vehemant opposition to the deal and that might just have caused them a crucial vote bank in the form of Indian Americans who play a significant role in deciding America's next President by means of their franchise and also by raising funds for Presidential campaigns.

The least likely candidate that Indian Americans would support should have been Democrtaic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama.On the contrary,several reports in the past week show that Indian Americans are raising plenty of funds for Obama's campaign.Certainly,they don't seem to have been perturbed by Obama ridiculing Hillary Clinton's connection with Punjabis.

Indians have a lot to gain and lose from the 2008 Presidential elections.All three Presidential hopefuls should find support in some corner of the Indian community.Probably,John McCain would the ideal candidate being the Republican nominee.However,McCain's stance on outsourcing jobs might not make him the right choice for India.He should have a good support from them anyhow.

Hillary Clinton knows India best.Having been to India in the past,she knows what they'd be looking from her.But one must not forget that she was the one who tabled the opposition to the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal in the U.S. Senate.But then,are Indian Americans so concerned about their ancestral country more than their own welfare?

Finally,Senator Obama is the most 'Indian' among all three presidential hopefuls.And his strong conviction to improve relations with the subcontinent country only goes to justify last week's report that Indian Americans are working big time collecting funds for Obama's campaign.

The end point is,whoever wins the election will only try to improve the relations between the two countries,fantasised as the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy.And the massive interest in India about the presidential race only goes to show how much relations between the two countries have improved in the past few years,especially after the harsh sanctions against India following India's showcase of its nuclear potential.Compare that with the dull and lackadaisical coverage that elections in Russia(India's most prized ally of the 20th century) got in the Indian media.

So what if a Democrat winning the election means India does not get such a good deal that Bush offered? As Bush said America and India are obvious partners in the 21st century!