Obviously the author of Monday's guest column knew little about the history and current status of Tibet, and it also seems she did not do any research about the subject.
Tibet has been part of China for more than 700 years, but it was in the status of serfdom before 1959. Most Tibetan Buddhist monasteries were run by big landlords or serf owners.
The "invasion" mentioned by the author was more like the Civil War of the United States, and the Chinese government abolished slavery and the Tibetan serfdom system of unpaid labor during that war. Those landlords have hated the Chinese government since then, so I doubt those monks told the truth to the author.
As for the recent violence in Lhasa, the author said the monks started with passive demonstrations and were then forced to riot. This description is not true.
The Tibetan monks who wanted to resume the serfdom started this demonstration, but it did not get support from common Tibetans at all. In the early chaotic hours, five innocent people, including native Tibetans, were killed by the mobs. The mobs were not protesting - they were looting, burning and killing. These criminals are deplorable.
I really hope such a biased article does not mislead readers.
