Demonstrations and Unrest in Tibet

Demonstrations in Tibet began on March 10, 2008 (Tibetan Uprising Day), the 49th anniversary of the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. They appear to have peaked on the 14th, and by that date dozens of Tibetans had been killed and thousands arrested. Champa Phuntsok, the regional governor, said the violence had left 16 people dead and dozens injured, but Tibetan exile groups put the death toll at 80 as witnesses reported continuing violence. The news from the area has been and remains very sketchy because the government in Beijing has closed the borders of the region, and blocked all avenues of electronic reporting or access by journalists. The Chinese government has been making accusations against the Dalai Lama, saying he is instigaing the violence and unrest. He has been making public calls for calm, including calls for Tibetens to renounce all violence. The most broadly informative source I found was Radio Free Asia.

It is a human tragedy that continues the decades long story of the Chinese takeover of Tibet, and the suppression of native Tibeten culture, including destruction of a large proportion of the Buddhist monasteries. A sad testament to human frailties and the arrogance of power, ironically wielded against one of the most peaceful of cultural philosophies.

The GCP event was specified as the full 24 hour UTC day of the 14th, which includes late evening of the 13th in Tibet. The result shows Chisquare of 87031.568 on 86400 df, for a p-value of 0.065 and a corresponding Z of 1.517. The graph of the cumulative deviation shows a steady trend over the whole period.

(While searching for timing information, I noticed a full fledged article in Wikipedia (on the 20th). Didn't think much about it until I started reading. I conclude it is at this time almost entirely the product of someone playing the Chinese version of the story. Subtle and skilful propaganda, and if it were the only thing one read, and the only thing left to record the event, the reader would indeed conclude that China is the victim. Scary.)