China approves "Serfs' Emancipation Day" in Tibet (update)

[Coventina]

Source: Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Monday approved an annual "Serfs' Emancipation Day" holiday in Tibet, 50 years after a failed uprising against Chinese rule by the region's Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama.

The holiday, to be celebrated each March 28, was formally proposed last week and approved by the region's legislature.

"On March 28, 1959, Tibetan serfs and slaves, who accounted for more than 90 percent of the region's population, were freed after the central government foiled an armed rebellion staged by the Dalai Lama and his supporters," Xinhua news agency said.

China denounces the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India, as a separatist and accuses him of inciting deadly protests in the region in March. The Dalai Lama denies the charges and says he is seeking autonomy for Tibet.



Read more: http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-37518720090119

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:puke:
:puke:

[leftyclimber]

1. Whoopee.

:eyes:

[ixion]

2. ...

Whatever, China.

:eyes: :puke:

[Bette Noir]

3. I'm not crazy about China, ever since they started poisoning dogs.

This is about the power of propaganda. Most of the Chinese population outside Tibet believes that China has liberated Tibet from the tyranny of a medieval theocracy.

I'm more inclined to take Tibet's side in this. The Dalai Lama seems like one heck of a regular Joe.

[kemamusa]

5. Old Tibet

I'm for independent free Tibet and in no way support Chinese government when I say this, but Tibet did have one of the most repressive regimes in the world. Complete with totalitarian theocracy to caste system to slavery. Dalai Lama may be a great man, but his predecessors were no angels. Tibet certainly wasn't the nirvana on earth as many followers of the Dalai Lama thinks it was.

[bhikkhu]

9. I have to agree

The Dalia Lama was too young at the time to have much influence in an old and awful state system, though perhaps he would have been a great reformer. As history played out, it was China that filled the role. I don't agree with many things that they did, but they do deserve full credit for reforming and transforming one of the most miserably repressive regimes to have tottered into the 20th century. If China hadn't taken it Britain or the US would, and it is hard to say what Tibet would look like then, or if it would have been drawn into a proxy war or civil war like other nations in the East.

The Dalai Lama deserves full credit for choosing against a bloody civil war, and for being a peaceful advocate ever since for his people, as well as a role model for any statesman.

[grannie4peace]

4. BFD

it's something about the chinese that pisses me off. i second your hurls:puke: :puke: :puke:

[whirlygigspin]

6. living in the past much?

[FarLeftRage]

7. This is nothing more than a fucking PR stunt

done by a group of fucking @$$holes! :puke:

[undeterred]

8. We should have that here.