Last hope for a nonviolent conflict

Listened to Tenzin Tsundue (widely recognized advocate for Tibetan independence) speak on Tibetan struggle. Talked about being arrested for visiting his homeland, jailed for six months by Chinese authorities. Severely beaten, like most Tibetan refugees who try returning home.

Interesting how Tibetan youths view struggle for independence. While they have tremendous respect for H.H. the Dalai Lama, they don't necessarily agree with his approach (the Dalai Lama no longer asks for Tibetan independence - he would settle for Tibet to be a part of China, but with some autonomy). Much of the younger generation will settle for nothing less than complete independence, and they don't necessarily follow complete non-violence. The Western world views Tibetans as a peaceful, non-violent, spiritual people. This is mostly true, though the occassional Tibetan uprising has been known to result in a few dead Chinese soldiers (though mostly dead Tibetans).

Tenzin explains, "When Chinese soldiers are on your doorstep, destroying your monastaries, raping your wives, imprisoning your people, you don't think in terms of violence or non-violence. You just act. This is completely natural."

While he sympathizes with the violent actions of his peers, Tenzin himself still believes in a non-violent approach. "This is the last hope for a nonviolent conflict. If the Tibetans are not successful, there will be no more nonviolent struggles, because people will say, 'Look at the Dalai Lama, he tried a nonviolent approach, but he failed.'"