Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Edition:
U.S.
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
Home
Business
Business Home
Economy
Technology
Media
Small Business
Legal
Deals
Earnings
Summits
Business Video
The Freeland File
Markets
Markets Home
U.S. Markets
European Markets
Asian Markets
Global Market Data
Indices
M&A
Stocks
Bonds
Currencies
Commodities
Futures
Funds
peHUB
World
World Home
U.S.
Brazil
China
Euro Zone
Japan
Mexico
Russia
India Insight
World Video
Reuters Investigates
Decoder
Politics
Politics Home
Election 2012
Issues 2012
Candidates 2012
Tales from the Trail
Political Punchlines
Supreme Court
Politics Video
Tech
Technology Home
MediaFile
Science
Tech Video
Tech Tonic
Opinion
Opinion Home
Chrystia Freeland
John Lloyd
Felix Salmon
Jack Shafer
David Rohde
Bernd Debusmann
Nader Mousavizadeh
Lucy P. Marcus
David Cay Johnston
Bethany McLean
Edward Hadas
Hugo Dixon
Ian Bremmer
Mohamed El-Erian
Lawrence Summers
Susan Glasser
The Great Debate
Steven Brill
Jack & Suzy Welch
Breakingviews
Equities
Credit
Private Equity
M&A
Macro & Markets
Politics
Breakingviews Video
Money
Money Home
Tax Break
Global Investing
MuniLand
Unstructured Finance
Linda Stern
Mark Miller
John Wasik
James Saft
Analyst Research
Alerts
Watchlist
Portfolio
Stock Screener
Fund Screener
Personal Finance Video
Money Clip
Investing 201
Life
Health
Sports
Arts
Faithworld
Business Traveler
Entertainment
Oddly Enough
Lifestyle Video
Pictures
Pictures Home
Reuters Photographers
Full Focus
Video
Reuters TV
Reuters News
Article
Comments (0)
Slideshow
Full Focus
Editor's choice
Our best photos from the last 24 hours. Full Article
Images of January
Best photos of the year 2011
Follow Reuters
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
YouTube
Read
Five dead in shooting at spa in Atlanta suburb
21 Feb 2012
White House seeks to deflect blame over rising gas prices
21 Feb 2012
CIA to software vendors: A revolution is coming
21 Feb 2012
UN watchdog says nuclear talks with Iran failed
2:53am EST
Afghans vent fury over Koran burning, U.S. apologizes
|
21 Feb 2012
Discussed
175
REFILE-Al Gore takes aim at ”unsustainable” capitalism
168
Santorum says Obama agenda not ”based on Bible”
147
Romney’s struggles fuel talk of brokered convention
Watched
Orange battle in Northern Italy
Tue, Feb 21 2012
Strauss-Kahn held by police in French prostitution probe
Tue, Feb 21 2012
Carnival revelers swarm Ipanema Beach
Mon, Feb 20 2012
Tibetans mark new year under shadow of immolations
Tweet
Share this
Email
Print
Related News
Teenage Tibetan monk self-immolates, dies: rights group
Sun, Feb 19 2012
China detaining Tibetans returning from India: group
Fri, Feb 17 2012
China leader-in-waiting Xi woos and warns U.S.
Wed, Feb 15 2012
Insight: As Myanmar opens, China alliance starts to fray
Mon, Feb 13 2012
China says Tibet facing "urgent" task to maintain stability
Mon, Feb 6 2012
Analysis & Opinion
Prominent activist monk faces legal action in Myanmar despite political reforms
Political flameout shows risks hidden in China
Related Topics
World »
China »
1 of 2. A Buddhist monk looks from behind a door before worship during the Tibetan New Year celebrations at Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing February 22, 2012.
Credit: Reuters/Soo Hoo Zheyang
By Michael Martina
LANGMU, China |
Wed Feb 22, 2012 2:50am EST
LANGMU, China (Reuters) - Tibetans in northwest China marked a tense traditional new year with prayer, the sounding of a gong and subdued defiance on Wednesday, in the wake of a string of self-immolations and protests against Chinese control.
The traditional new year, or "Losar," is a combination of Buddhist ceremony and family celebration observed across the Tibetan highlands of western China.
But this year, unrest has overshadowed the celebrations and there has even been a call from an exiled Tibetan leader for people to shun festivities and instead pray for those who have suffered under Chinese rule.
At least 16 Tibetans are believed to have died after setting themselves on fire in protest since March, most of them Buddhist monks in Tibetan parts of Sichuan and Gansu provinces, next to what China calls the Tibet Autonomous Region.
This year's Losar has brought no major flare-ups.
But the heavy security in many areas and widespread Tibetan resentment of the government's presence remain a volatile combination that could be kindled by sensitive anniversaries and warmer weather.
At the Kirti Monastery in Langmu, a town straddling Gansu and Sichuan, hundreds of red-robed Buddhist monks gathered to chant prayers while a large gong rang twice a minute.
"Life is full of this pressure here. With the Dalai Lama in India and us here, it is very painful for us," said a 51-year-old Tibetan herder who had come to watch the ceremony. He gave his name as Jiata.
The Kirti monastery in Langmu is a smaller offshoot of a monastery in Sichuan that has been an epicenter of confrontation between the government and defiant Tibetans.
Authorities have blamed supporters of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, for fomenting defiance, but he remains a revered figure among most Tibetans.
"The government controls everything we think. They say we have freedom to think as we like, but we don't," said the herder.
In Langmu, police and security forces stayed in the background. But some Tibetan areas have faced heavy police controls as authorities seek to deter fresh protests, especially ahead of March 10, the anniversary of the 1959 uprising against Chinese rule that ended with the Dalai Lama fleeing into exile.
"A LOT OF PRESSURE"
Lobsang Sangay, prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile in northern India, this week urged Tibetans not to celebrate Losar this year, and instead to pray for those "who have sacrificed and suffered under the repressive policies of the Chinese government."
Labrang, a heavily Tibetan part of Gansu province, and home to a large monastery, was also calm and subdued.
"This year celebrating new year won't be as good as last year. Why? You know why. The Communist Party is putting a lot of pressure on us Tibetans," said a Tibetan resident of Labrang, who declined to be identified.
"But we have no plans to do anything different. There won't be any protests. Protest, and people get shot."
The Dalai Lama has blamed the self-immolations on "cultural genocide" by the Chinese, and has not directly called for them to stop. But he has long denied Chinese accusations that he incites violence and wants full-fledged independence.
Premier Wen Jiabao said last week the self-immolations were extreme acts to undermine stability in the region and had no popular support, the highest-level comments since increased tension in January.
For China, the self-immolations are a small, but potentially destabilizing, challenge to policies toward minority groups and the region. The government has branded the immolators "terrorists".
"Since last year, there have been individual incidents of self-immolation in Sichuan and other Tibetan regions, and we are pained at these deaths," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a news briefing on Tuesday.
"According to what we know, many of these self-immolations are directly connected with the Dalai clique's inciting of popular feelings overseas," Hong said.
Advocacy groups say as many as seven Tibetans were shot dead and dozens wounded during protests in January. China's official Xinhua news agency said police fired in self-defense on "mobs" that stormed police stations.
The official Tibet Daily said on Tuesday that a senior Communist Party official had visited monasteries in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, and asked people there to "make contributions" towards stability in the new year.
Monasteries "must proactively guide monks to embrace the leadership of the Party and raise their sense of responsibility towards ethnic and national unity and social stability," the official, Gongbao Zhaxi, was cited as saying.
(Writing by Chris Buckley and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Brian Rhoads and Robert Birsel)
World
China
Tweet this
Link this
Share this
Digg this
Email
Reprints
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment on reuters.com.
Add yours using the box above.
Edition:
U.S.
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
Back to top
Reuters.com
Business
Markets
World
Politics
Technology
Opinion
Money
Pictures
Videos
Site Index
Legal
Bankruptcy Law
California Legal
New York Legal
Securities Law
Support & Contact
Support
Corrections
Advertise With Us
Connect with Reuters
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
RSS
Podcast
Newsletters
Mobile
About
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Copyright
Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider
An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution
A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance
Our next generation legal research platform
Our global tax workstation
Thomsonreuters.com
About Thomson Reuters
Investor Relations
Careers
Contact Us
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.