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![]() ![]() Nuclear dangers on the roof of the world WITHIN days of being sworn in as India's new Defence Minister, George Fernandes reportedly identified China as "India's potential threat number one." He enumerated the elements of that threat: India is surrounded by Chinese military and naval activities, missile technology transfer to Pakistan, and the nuclear weapons based in Tibet and aimed at India. When India conducted five nuclear tests on May 11 and 13 this year, one of the stated reasons was to counter China's deployment of nuclear missiles on the Tibetan Plateau. Coincidentally, Green Tibet Newsletter 1998 had already compiled an in-depth study (see page 14) on the nuclearisation of Tibet by China, and its potentials for upsetting Asia's geo-political balance with global repercussions. Recent events indicate that as long as Chinese nuclear weapons remain stationed on the highest place on the planet - Tibet - it poses a major security threat to the world and India most immediately. Since Tibet is the principle watershed for major rivers flowing into Asia, nuclear pollution of these water resources will have a devastating effect on the lives of millions of people downstream. Today, Tibet is no longer the Shangri-La, where peaceful Buddhist monks in maroon robes turn prayer wheels as many would still like to believe. It is instead a dark garrison used for the development and stockpiling of nuclear weapons. China has shown interest in selling landfill sites in Tibet for the disposal of toxic wastes from western countries, who prefer to pay to dump their waste abroad. In this issue we have also examined how unsustainable development practices dramatically affect Tibetan people's way of life. Tibetans, especially in remote villages, have not benefited from China's much vaunted modernisation of their homeland. Their harsh lifestyles have deteriorated and their rich culture has been eroded. To add fuel to fire, their once pristine natural environment which is the source of their livelihood has fallen prey to the modernisation drive of China. The late Panchen Lama made a public statement five days before he died that was extremely critical of Chinese government policies in Tibet. In Shigatse on 23 January 1989 he said: " The price paid by Tibet for its development over the last 30 years has been higher than the gains." If China's claim that Tibetans have greatly "prospered" and are "happy" under China is true, why does it refuses to conduct a UN supervised referendum to ascertain the true aspiration of the populace as recommended by the International Commission of Jurists in their recent report (Tibet: Human Rights and the Rule of Law, Dec. 1997)? The most pressing issue facing Tibet today is that Tibetans - the true custodians of the lofty land of snows - continue to be discriminated against and marginalised as a sea of Chinese migrants continues to engulf Tibet, taking Tibetan jobs, buying land and establishing a virtual Chinese business monopoly. As a result, the potentials of the rich Tibetan culture and tradition, capable otherwise of contributing new ideas and philosophy to the well being of humanity is reduced to a showcase-use for the benefit of tourists' cameras. Ironically, on the international stage, trade incentives overwhelmingly override most governments' concerns for the non-violent struggle of the Tibetan people. The majority prefer to maintain a deafening silence on the issue of Tibet for fear of offending China. The solution lies with the determination and courage of Tibetans themselves, supported by the conscience of politicians, human rights groups and humanitarian pressure groups throughout the free and more fortunate world. We call for an explosion of support. A deployment of forces for peace and justice. On a favourable note, Jiang Zemin, President of China publicly expressed on 27 June 1998 his willingness to negotiate with His Holiness the Dalai Lama over the future of Tibet. Tibetan Government-in-Exile has welcomed the offer. Since the current degradation of Tibet's environment equally affects both Tibetans and Chinese, the question of solving the ecological problems of Tibet is a good starting point for discussion between Dharamsala and Beijing as an initial gesture of goodwill.
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