Tibet's Struggle: Silence, Solidarity and Global Intervention

605 Words2 Pages

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemy, but the silence of our friends.” This famous quote by Dr Martin Luther King rings true to this day, especially for the Tibetans. I am a Tibetan, exiled from my own country. I am three generations removed from the Chinese government’s invasion and occupation of Tibet. I grew up in India, and my family fled to the United States in search of a better future. There is a Tibetan saying of exile, "Every Tibetan born after 1949 was born an activist" so I like to think that the blood flowing through my veins are symbolic of the struggle and solidarity of my people. As of today, more than one hundred and thirty brothers and sisters of mine have set themselves on fire in protest against China’s
China isn’t a land of democracy, therefore, there is no such thing as rule of law, freedom of speech and free press. China is a bully, they bully their own people, the Tibetan people and now they are bullying our government into silence. Our leaders are allowing themselves to be bullied. Many countries have met with the Dalai Lama, who is widely respected for his teaching of compassion, peace and humanity, and have agreed to speak of Tibet to the Chinese government. However, no actions have been taken ever since President Obama met with Dalai Lama. Our government’s actions have not spoken louder than our words. China is very similar to the big bad wolf, they huff and puff with threats, yet they are empty and futile because China doesn’t really want to punish our leaders because they need our business. Countries must act together instead of individually in accordance with our shared values and democratic principles. It’s not just the right thing to do but it’s a smart thing to do. The combined voices of many of the world’s leaders have a much greater likelihood of securing concession from China. Beijing will finally feel the pressure to work towards resolving the crisis in Tibet and the multilateral nature of this approach provides our government with greater protection from China’s punity of reaction. For Tibetans the situation has been more critical and for the World the solution has never

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