Since the beginning of this year, some foreign media have kept a close eye on Tibetan self-immolation cases. They reported the details of every case like the age, identity and political pursuits of the self-immolators and some Western governments took the chance to express their deep concerns over self-immolations in Tibetan areas, putting pressure on the Chinese government.
US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Maria Otero on December 5 urged China to let Tibetans "express their grievances freely," saying the US "is deeply concerned and saddened by the continuing violence" in Tibet.
Does the US really care about those self-immolators? The Tibetan issue is actually a pawn for US to interfere in China's domestic affairs. The US attitude and actions toward the self-immolations are not surprising to Chinese. Besides public opinion attacks on China, it occasionally stirs up trouble and presses Chinese government through diplomatic means such as sending its ambassador to China to visit Tibet or creating a special coordinator for Tibetan issues to announce statements. Such behavior is obviously seen as encouragement for those inciting self-immolations in Tibet.
The US has a much more farsighted strategy over the Tibetan issue than the Dalai group does. It tactically raises the "human rights" issue rather than directly promoting independence of Tibet. The former provides the US continuing chances to interfere in China's domestic affairs.
Except for some cults, most religions emphasize respect for life and anti-violence. Self-immolation is an extreme behavior against the doctrines of Buddhism. Many don't understand why the Dalai group supports such extreme behavior. But the reasons are simple. The self-immolation cases that ignited the Arab Spring may have encouraged them and made them believe self-immolation cases could also be a turning point to arouse political transition in Tibet.
Another reason is that the Dalai group is encouraged by the diplomatic troubles brought to the Chinese government in disturbing regional development, as well as the Western attention paid to the self-immolation cases. As the US is guarding against China's rise, such actions will help the Dalai group win more Western support.
Leading figures of the Dalai group have refuted that they don't incite Tibetan self-immolation. Of course, they don't directly support them. However, they praised the courage of those who have engaged in self-immolation. Some of the self-immolators are only 15 or 16 year old.
In any case, young lives are much more precious than any "glory." They shouldn't be sacrificed to the political interests of the Dalai group and some Western forces.
Many topics set by the Dalai group these years like religious freedom are based on the concept of human rights, but inciting self-immolations is the worst violation of human rights. The Dalai group began its ideological penetration in Tibetan regions in the 1980s. If they are hoping to reap the fruits through the self-immolation cases, it only shows they have been driven into an impasse.
These self-immolations in Tibet make us well aware that US will play the card to disturb China's development, and the interaction between Dalai group and some Western forces won't cease but will continue to lead the ruin of lives.
It's noteworthy that the majority of Tibetans revolt against self-immolations. Any attempt to purse political interests at the cost of lives will be rejected by all the Chinese.
The author is deputy director of the Contemporary Tibetan Research Institute with the Tibet Autonomous Region Academy of Social Sciences. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn
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