Arrested in Tibet: A young American's journey of fear

Fantastic story. One we so seldom hear about here in the USA. People still pretend there is nothing wrong as long as they can get cheap products from China. It is time to pressure China to change or boycott its products. Ironically, there is still an embargo against Cuba because they are communist..so ironic....

A tremendous oppression and injustice. I feel so badly for the Dalai Lama and his people. What the Chinese government has done is absolutely horrendous! Too bad there wasn't OIL there - I'm sure the US would have already stepped up to the plate for peace and tolerance in that region of the world.

Let's say if you and your ancestors have been living there for generations. One day, some guys knock down the front door of your home, and ask you to leave just because you are not belong to same ethnic group as theirs. Or else, ...

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Some background: "Kardze (Chinese: Ganzi)" is a place where different ethnic groups have been living together for generations (at least 300+ years).

let's not let the spectacle of fireworks blind us from the atrocities happening in china and the fact that china enables the genocide in sudan. voted up.

Thanks for posting this JanforGore. This is absolutely frightening, and it never ceases to amaze me that others don't quite understand the situation at hand. Bloggers, even authors, forced to write under pseudonyms for their own protection, people living under the belief of being sheltered when actually freedoms are being stifled.

China has already killed 1.2 million Tibetans and intentionally tried to erase the culture.

So anything else they try to do is minor in comparison.

When the most peaceful society on the planet no longer exists our species itself will be even closer to extinction.

what an intense story! i would love to hear her story on current tv,

i believe she did the right thing lieing to the police because so few get away, we needed to hear her story.

i hope one day china will be free

The should just create an innocent symbol that represents the Dalai Lama and put that up instead.

The western powers have turned a blind eye to this region for years and will continue to do so as long as China keeps producing cheap products and turns into a powerful market for our goods and services as well. Greed vs humanity and I am afraid in this day and age greed will win.

This is a very important story. Anything we can do to shed light on the struggles of freedom in Tibet are welcome stories.

Chinese culture is mystical and beautiful no doubt... it is the Chinese government and their totalitarian repressive tactics I have a problem with. Especially in light of it being swept under the rug just because they are hosting the Olympics. So thank you and I am happy to have given you some new information.

I've always been interested in Chinese culture, but of course I have only seen the good parts. I'm glad that have been able to find articles like these so I can be better informed. Thanks for the article.

Snippet from the article:

'But even though it was illegal to do so, Wen noticed that people were still displaying photos of the Dalai Lama in their homes, businesses, and temples. One woman was told by the police that her guest-house would be closed down if she didn't remove the large photo of the Dalai Lama up in the reception. She complied, but then replaced it with a smaller one. "My heart doesn't feel right if his photo isn't up somewhere," she said. Wen also saw a lot of people wearing Dalai Lama pendants around their necks. "If you put up a photo in a temple, that act can't necessarily be traced back to you. But wearing a pendant is a very personal thing. The Tibetans take so many risks for this small freedom."

Even so, it was hard to find Tibetans who would trust her, particularly because she only spoke Chinese. But she was also interested in hearing from the Chinese people who lived in these areas. "It was really difficult for me to hear what they had to say. The spectrum is just so far apart from what the Tibetans believe and what the Chinese believe. The Chinese say, 'We developed this region. We built these roads. Look at that hospital.' When you confront them with the bad things, they focus on the good things. They would say 'we' referring to me as well. I wanted to scream, 'No, no. I'm not Chinese!' They get to send their kids to school for free because they're in a minority region and they make more money there, but it really seems they're taking over the economy and pushing Tibetans further aside. I'd heard about this, I'd read about it, I'd even talked about it, but it wasn't until I was there that I could feel what occupation was actually like."

Wen was now entering regions that hadn't seen a foreign journalist in months. A number of places she went were officially off-limits to all foreigners, but because Chinese people are taught that Taiwan is part of China from grade school the local authorities tended to regard her as a Chinese national. Still, her driver took back roads to avoid the checkpoints that became more numerous the further West she went. But it was in Kardze (Chinese: Ganzi) where the atmosphere of intimidation that Wen had experienced earlier took on a whole new dimension.

"There's a good reason that foreigners aren't allowed in these places. It looks like a war zone. In Kardze the police are in the middle of the sidewalks. They're sitting in helmets holding their guns and riot shields in rows of 10 or 15. They are outside convenience stores under blue tarps every half a block, on both sides of the road--watching. They're up on raised metal posts with cutout windows--watching. I couldn't walk anywhere without dozens of armed police staring at me. I've never seen so many police and military personnel in one town in my life. Nor have I experienced this kind of heart pounding fear before."

This is the oppression of the Tibetan people we won't see on NBC now. Shame on them for repressing it as well for ratings and profits.