Category: Chinese-Occupied Tibet

Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

By Ma-llah, the Compassionate!  No wonder the KMT begrudged the Dalai Lama's granting succor to typhoon survivors — why, that Tibetan outlander was stealing the limelight from their Sultan of Sympathy, their beloved Ayatollah Ying-jeou.  (Holy Keeper of the Sixteen Percent Approval Rating.)

Step aside, Dalai.  Taiwan's Second-Handsomest-Man is out to spread the love.  Sixteen Percenters everywhere can rest assured that the mere appearance of the Ma-ssiah's golden visage will turn those typhoon showers into September flowers.

Ayatollah Ma Ying-jeou prays after Typhoon Morakot

(President Ma Ying-jeou image from the China Post)

(Inquiring minds would like to know, though:  Did the departed here lose their lives because of the storm, or because of SUPREME LEADER Ma Ying-jeou's criminally-inept response to it? * )

*  A relative of mine called me one week after the typoon hit, and asked me why Taiwanese were still trapped up in the mountains.  "Doesn't Taiwan have loads of helicopters to transport troops to the beaches in the event of a Chinese invasion?  It's been a week already — why aren't they USING those?" he asked.

No answer from me.  I was outside the country and internet-less.  Imagine my surprise though, to read last week that Taiwan's Commander-Of-The-Faithful only dispatched ONE rescue chopper the day after the storm . . . and took FOUR DAYS to authorize the use of the big helicopters.

i-1

Taiwan’s Buddhist Clergy Are A Disgrace To Their Religion

No, not all of 'em.  (Duh!)  But the reaction of a number of them to the Dalai Lama's visit last week following Typhoon Morakot left a lot to be desired.  From the Aug 30th edition of the Taipei Times:

  • This is not an appropriate time for the Dalai Lama to come,” said Master Ching Liang (淨良法師), chairman of the Buddhist Association of the Republic of China.

  • Cheng Ming-kun (鄭銘坤), vice chairman of the Jenn Lann Temple (鎮瀾宮) in Taichung County’s Dajia Township (大甲) . . . said that while many local religious groups have been working diligently to help victims, the move “erases local religious groups’ credit.”

  • Fo Guang Shan Monastery (佛光山), a Kaohsiung-based Buddhist monastery that helped many storm victims, declined to comment, while the spokesman for the ­Buddhist Compassionate Relief Tzu Chi Foundation (慈濟), another organization that has been helping victims, could not be reached for comments as of press time.

Granted some of these may be Sino-imperialists in the Chinese Communist Party's pocket, but Taiwan's China Post alluded to another dynamic at work — good old-fashioned religious parochialism:

Buddhists in Taiwan are Mahayanists, not tantric Vajrayana followers. They, along with the Taoist majority, do not think tantric mantras and mudras would bring peace to the dead as well as the living. They are not pleased because they believe their priests can do a much better job than the Dalai, who could have stayed in Dharamsala and said as many masses as he pleased for the people of Taiwan.

Here the Post suggests opposition on the part of the laity where little actually existed, since it turns out that 75% of ordinary Taiwanese supported the Dalai Lama's mission to bring comfort to the survivors of the deceased.  

Still, it stands to reason that the local CLERGY would believe that they could "do a much better job" than an outsider.  Which reminds me of a story:

About a week after returning to the Old Country, an elderly uncle of mine died.  Now, in his will he stipulated that an old fishing buddy of his (who happened to a minister) should be the one to give the service.  These last wishes were complicated however, by the appearance of another minister, the man who apparently took excellent care of my uncle at the hospice.   (I understand that the last few weeks were agonizing, once the cancer began attacking the nerve endings.)  So this minister too, seemed to have good grounds for wanting to say a few words at the funeral.

The two might easily have come to an accomodation had it not been for yet ANOTHER minister.  My uncle lived in a small town, where there was only ONE church of his denomination.  And the head of this church was bound and determined that neither of these two interlopers would be given the opportunity participate in a ceremony on HIS home turf.

This crazy situation was only resolved when the family grew completely disgusted by the local minister's intransigence, and threatened to hold the service in the community center instead of his church.  THAT made the local guy see reason — real fast.

True story, that.  Seems to me that Taiwanese Buddhist clergy (and Christian preacher-men!) bring discredit upon themselves during times of tragedy when the best they can do is act like mutts peeing on fence posts to keep the other dawgs out of their territory.  A quick reminder to clerics of any religion:  When people die and families are grieving, it's not all about YOU.

Grand Ayatollah Ma Ying-jeou Silences Heretic

A while back, Taiwan's China Post took one of its usual swipes at the Dalai Lama, calling him a "one-time theocrat."  True enough, I suppose, but it got me to thinking:  Couldn't the "theocrat" appelation be applied with equal accuracy to Taiwan's current Chinese nationalist president, Ma Ying-jeou?

After all, in November of last year, Ma refused to permit the Dalai Lama into the country for the simple reason that the Tibetan religious figure doesn't kneel at the sacred high altar of Sino-imperialism.  Then last week, when Ma was forced by political reasons to allow the Dalai Lama to visit on a religious mercy mission, Taiwan's Supreme Leader again assumed the role of religious tyrant by issuing a government gag order on the Buddhist pontiff.

Politics and economics should be separate, Ma tirelessly preaches from his pulpit.  But politics and religion?  Not a word from hizzoner on that score . . .

Taiwanese Falun Gong followers — I'd be afraid if I were you right now.  There's no telling how many of your rights Taiwan's self-declared high priest of religious orthodoxy is prepared to sacrifice in the name of enjoying "good relations with Beijing".

If Not Now, When?

So the Dalai Lama left Taiwan on Friday, after a religious mission for the five hundred souls lost in the wake of Typhoon Morakot.

Seemed like a pretty innocuous mission.  The man comes to Taiwan, says a few prayers for the dead, comforts the surviving kin.  Who'd object to that?

Beijing, it goes without saying.  But to outsiders it would appear remarkable that the governing Chinese Nationalist Party of Taiwan ALSO objected to a visit by his Holiness.  Taiwan's China Post had this to say:

But the timing [for the Dalai Lama to come to Taiwan] isn't right for Taiwan, this time around. Taiwan is trying what it can to improve relations with China. It is relying ever more heavily on the other side of the Taiwan Strait for getting out of its current economic downturn and the global financial crisis.

Fortunate it is for the China Post that the KMT recently legalized prostitution in Taiwan.  Now the paper's editors can rent themselves out to the Communist Party nightly — without any fear of ever being arrested!

So my question for the Post is this:  If 500 dead Taiwanese aren't ENOUGH reason for a religious mercy mission from a world-renowned religious figure, what would be?

1000?  10,000?  100,000?

Exactly how many MORE bloated corpses buried in the fetid mud would the China Post and the KMT have liked there to have been before they'd have welcomed the Dalai Lama without reservation?



China Initiates Pikachu Eradication Program

Well, actually, its been going on since 1958.  The short version of the PRC's most recent efforts to wipe out the plateau pika in Tibet can be found at the  Taipei Times, while a longer version is on the Guardian's webpage.

For those interested, Answers.com has a one paragraph explanation of the plateau pika's ecological role (scroll down one screen).  For greater depth, one could read this article from in the English version of China Daily.com, but readers are cautioned to use this link at their own risk.

(I've removed the direct link to the China Daily.com story, and replaced it with a Google search link instead. See update for the reason.)

Dead pikachu lying on floor with a cleaver in its head and blood emerging from the wound.

(Pikachu image from a French medical website)

UPDATE:  Yeesh.  "Use at your own risk" ain't the half of it.  From today's Guardian:

A mystery electronic spy network apparently based in China has infiltrated hundreds of computers around the world and stolen files and documents, Canadian researchers have revealed.

The network, dubbed GhostNet, appears to target embassies, media groups, NGOs, international organisations, government foreign ministries and the offices of the Dalai Lama, leader of the Tibetan exile movement.

[…]

GhostNet can invade a computer over the internet and penetrate and steal secret files. It can also turn on the cameras and microphones of an infected computer, effectively creating a bug that can monitor what is going inside the room where the computer is. Anyone could be watched and listened to.

UPDATE (Apr 1/09):  From yesterday's Taipei Times:

Although the reports [on China's hacking] paid special attention to Chinese spying on Tibetans, in
the process the authors determined that of 986 known infected IP hosts in 93
countries, Taiwan had the most — 148 — including its embassy in Swaziland, the
Institute for Information Industry, Net Trade, the Taiwan External Trade
Development Council and the Government Service Network.

And that's no April Fool's joke.

i-1

Roll Out The Red Carpet

From the Dec 30th edition of the China Post:

. . . the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has accused President Ma Ying-jeou of selling out Taiwan's interests when he dashed hopes of a visit by the Dalai Lama next year.  "The Dalai Lama has visited Taiwan twice, but at the current moment, the timing isn't appropriate for that," was Ma's response.  But days later, he said the Dalai Lama was always welcome.

But that's not the end of the story.   Because what Ma does is much more important than what he says.  You wanna send a message, send a telegram.  Or better yet, a few days after issuing your "sincere invitation", demonstrate just exactly HOW welcome the Buddhist leader is — by violating the rights of Tibetans.  Maybe it'll make him feel right at home!

From the Dec 12th edition of the Taipei Times:

More than 100 Tibetans have been staging a sit-in at Liberty Square in Taipei since Tuesday, demanding that the government grant them legal resident status or at least a work permit.

They were forcibly removed from the demonstration site and dropped off in the outskirts of the city, including Guandu (關渡), Nangang (南港) and in the mountains in Neihu (內湖) at around 3am yesterday.

[A] majority of the group — who speak little Mandarin — struggled to find their way back . . .

Mi casa es su casa, indeed.  You can spot a phony like Ma a mile away.

Profiles In Courage

"You're a good looking boy, you have big broad shoulders, but he is a man.  It takes more than big broad shoulders to make a man, Harvey, and you have a long way to go.  You know something?  I don't think you will ever make it."

— Helen Ramirez, High Noon

From the China Post's Nov 19th editorial, Chinese Reunification:  The Moral High Ground

To defend eventual [Taiwan's] eventual reunification [with China] is not "surrendering to tyranny."  It is an act of moral courage.  It is seizing the moral high ground.

Exhibit A:  A Taiwanese president orders the Taiwanese police to confiscate the Taiwanese flag from Taiwanese citizens in order not to give offense to a visiting Chinese Communist Party representative.

Courageous enough for ya?

And Exhibit B?

Dalai Lama not welcome to visit: Ma

"We generally welcome religious leaders from all over the world to visit Taiwan, but I think at the current moment the timing isn't appropriate."

That would be Taiwan's lion-hearted president, Ma Ying-jeou.  Who BOLDLY and STEADFASTLY defended that moral high ground — by blacklisting a Nobel Peace Prize winner.  (A Peace Prize winner who, if you'll recall, China routinely refers to as, "A wolf in monks robes, a devil with a human face but the heart of a beast.")

But don't you doubt for a minute Ma's indomitable spirit:

[Presidential Office spokesman Wang Yu-chi] also stressed that Beijing has not contacted the Taiwan government on the Dalai Lama issue.

And there you have it.  The Butchers of Beijing didn't even need to pick up a phone for Ma Ying-jeou to RESOLUTELY anticipate their wishes.  After which, he FIRMLY — and DARINGLY — and INTREPIDLY . . . uh, complied with them.

All kidding aside, I think we can put a new twist on an old J.C. Watts quote here.  Character is doing the right thing — even WHEN China is looking.

Postscript:  A hat tip to Notes from a Former Native Speaker for reminding me of the China Post editorial.)

UPDATE:  Despite what Bevin Chu from the China Post may think, NO political party in Taiwan has a lock on the moral high ground.

[KMT] Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday urged the president to reconsider his decision.

“From a religious perspective, it is a positive thing for the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan … His visit to Taiwan would mean something in the world,” Wang said, urging the government to reconsider the matter and make arrangements for a visit.

[…]

DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) expressed regret and condemned Ma for rejecting a potential visit by the Dalai Lama.

Noting that former presidents Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) had both received the Dalai Lama, Cheng said leaders from democratic countries such as the US, France and Germany have also met with the Dalai Lama as a way to exert pressure on China.

UPDATE #2:  Michael J. Cole wrote a good column about this.  Especially liked the conclusion:

Ma has often talked about creating “win-win” situations. Inauspicuously for him, he’s about to get a taste of the “lose-lose” by having to choose his poison.

Last year, Prime Minister John Howard of Australia initially refused to meet the Dalai Lama under pressure from China — then reversed himself when public pressure mounted.  Since Ma's approval ratings are pretty low, there might be some leverage there.

Beijing To Tibet: “The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves”

From Saturday's Taipei Times (scroll one page down):

Chinese police in the restive mountainous region of Tibet beat up around 50 monks who had tried to complain about the beating of one of their colleagues, a rights group said.

Just another part of the cultural revival that began when Tibet was benevolently absorbed into the Chinese race-nation:

Beijing laid out its case in a “white paper” issued on Thursday, amassing statistics about literacy, education and religion to argue that Tibet had enjoyed a cultural revival since the Chinese Communist Party took control in 1950.

More Of That Silent Diplomacy

You know, the kind where you’re too gutless to even open your mouth.  From yesterday’s Taipei Times:

Vice president-elect Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) arrived in China yesterday for the [economic] Boao Forum and is scheduled to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) today.

[…]

Meanwhile, the Taiwan Friends of Tibet group has issued an open letter to Hu and asked Siew to bring it to the Chinese president.

The letter urged Hu to “stop repression and all kinds of aggressive actions against the people of Tibet and start a sincere dialogue with the [Tibetan] government-in-exile led by the Dalai Lama.”

The group said an electronic copy was forwarded to [Siew’s spokesman] Wang [Yu-chi], who accompanied Siew on the trip.

“I haven’t seen it because I don’t have Internet access here,” Wang told the Taipei Times via telephone. “I’ll probably not have it throughout the trip.”  [emphasis added throughout]

Yeah, I can see that.  After all, what cause have we to think that a technologically-backward country like China could provide INTERNET ACCESS for business travelers in any of its FIVE-STAR HOTELS?

(Or maybe China’s upscale hotels DO have web access, but Taiwan’s future V.P has gone a bit down-market, hoping to pinch a few pennies on his hotel bills.  Staying at the local YMCA then, is he?)