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tolerated by officialdom. Religious pilgrimages and other government to release Augusto Pinochet, the former Fascist dictator standard forms of worship were allowed, but within limits. All of Chile and a long-time CIA client who was visiting England. The monks and nuns had to sign a loyalty pledge that they would not — Dalai Lama urged that Pinochet not be forced to go to Spain where use their religious position to foment secession or dissent. And he was wanted to stand trial for crimes against humanity. displaying photos of the Dalai Lama was declared illegal.*! Into the 21st century, via the National Endowment for In the 1990s, the Han, the ethnic group comprising over 95 per | Democracy and other conduits that are more respectable-sounding cent of China's immense population, began moving in substantial than the CIA, the US Congress continued to allocate $2 million numbers into Tibet. On the streets of Lhasa and Shigatse, signs of annually to Tibetans in India, with additional millions for Han colonisation are readily visible. Chinese run the factories "democracy activities" within the Tibetan exile community. In and many of the shops and vending stalls. Tall office buildings addition to these funds, the Dalai Lama received money from and large shopping centres have been built with funds that might —_ financier George Soros.” have been better spent on water treatment plants and housing. Whatever the 14th Dalai Lama's associations with the CIA and Chinese cadres in Tibet too often view their Tibetan neighbours as various reactionaries, he has often spoken of peace, love and backward and lazy, in need of economic development and nonviolence. He himself really cannot be blamed for the abuses "patriotic education". During the 1990s, Tibetan government of Tibet's ancien régime, having been but 25 years old when he employees suspected of harbouring nationalist sympathies were fled into exile. In a 1994 interview, he went on the record as purged from office, and campaigns were once again launched to favouring the building of schools and roads in his country. He discredit the Dalai Lama. Individual Tibetans reportedly were said the corvée (forced unpaid serf labour) and certain taxes subjected to arrest, imprisonment and forced labour for carrying imposed on the peasants were "extremely bad". And he disliked out separatist activities and engaging in "political subversion". the way people were saddled with old debts, sometimes passed Some were held in administrative detention without adequate down from generation to generation.” During the half-century of food, water and blankets, and were living in the western world, he subjected to threats, beatings and other mistreatment.” Tibetan history, culture and certainly religion are slighted in | Whatever the 14th Dalai Lama's schools. Teaching materials, though ae . translated into Tibetan, focus mainly associations with the CIA and on Chinese history and culture. i i H Chinese family planning regulations various reactionaries, he has allow a three-child limit for Tibetan often spoken of peace, love families. (There is only a one-child A limit for Han families throughout and nonviolence. China, and a two-child limit for rural Han families whose first child is a girl.) If a Tibetan couple goes over the three-child limit, the excess children embraced concepts such as human rights and religious freedom, ideas largely unknown in old Tibet. He even proposed democracy for Tibet, featuring a written constitution and a representative assembly.** In 1996, the Dalai Lama issued a statement that must have had an unsettling effect on the exile community. It read in part: "Marxism is founded on moral principles, while capitalism is concerned only with gain and profitability." Marxism fosters "the equitable utilisation of the means of can be denied subsidised daycare, healthcare, housing and production" and cares about "the fate of the working classes" and education. These penalties have been enforced irregularly and vary "the victims of...exploitation". He stated: "For those reasons the by district.» None of these child services, it should be noted, was system appeals to me, and...I think of myself as half-Marxist, half- available to Tibetans before the Chinese takeover. Buddhist." But he also sent a reassuring message to "those who For the rich lamas and secular lords, the Communist intervention live in abundance": "It is a good thing to be rich... Those are the was an unmitigated calamity. Most of them fled abroad, as did the _ fruits for deserving actions, the proof that they have been generous Dalai Lama himself, who was assisted in his flight by the CIA. in the past." And to the poor he offers this admonition: "There is Some discovered to their horror that they would have to work fora —_no good reason to become bitter and rebel against those who have living. Many, however, escaped that fate. Throughout the 1960s, property and fortune... It is better to develop a positive attitude."” the Tibetan exile community was secretly pocketing US$1.7 In 2005, the Dalai Lama signed a widely advertised statement million a year from the CIA, according to documents released in along with 10 other Nobel laureates supporting the "inalienable 1998 by the US State Department. Once this fact was publicised, and fundamental human right" of working people throughout the the Dalai Lama's organisation itself issued a statement admitting world to form labour unions to protect their interests, in that it had received millions of dollars from the CIA during the accordance with the United Nations Universal Declaration of 1960s to send armed squads of exiles into Tibet to undermine the Human Rights. In many countries, the statement read, "this Maoist revolution. The Dalai Lama's annual payment from the fundamental right is poorly protected and in some it is explicitly CIA was $186,000. Indian intelligence also financed both him and _ banned or brutally suppressed". Burma, China, Colombia, Bosnia other Tibetan exiles. He has refused to say whether he or his and a few other countries were singled out as among the worst brothers worked for the CIA. The agency has also declined to offenders. Even the United States " ils to adequately protect comment. workers' rights to form unions and bargain collectively. Millions In 1995, the News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina, of US workers lack any legal protection to form unions..."*! carried a front-page colour photograph of the Dalai Lama being The Dalai Lama also gave full support to removing the embraced by the reactionary Republican senator Jesse Helms, under _ ingrained traditional obstacles that have kept Tibetan nuns from the headline "Buddhist Captivates Hero of Religious Right".“* In receiving an education. Upon arriving in exile, few nuns could April 1999, along with Margaret Thatcher, Pope John Paul II and read or write. In Tibet, their activities had been devoted to day- the first George Bush, the Dalai Lama called upon the British long periods of prayer and chants. But in northern India they now often spoken of peace, love and nonviolence. NEXUS + 47 associations with the CIA and various reactionaries, he has FEBRUARY — MARCH 2008 www.nexusmagazine.com