LHASA, March 24 (Xinhua) -- While some Western media rashly accuse China of "violent crackdown" on the "peaceful protests" in Tibet, some foreigners there disagreed. "Many reports were not accurate," said Tony Gleason, field director of Tibet Poverty Alleviation Fund, an American organization which helps poor Tibetans through skill training and small sum of financing. Surfing the Internet in his hotel, Gleason saw the Western reports on the incidents in Tibet. In some reports, the riot was described as "peaceful" and "unarmed" demonstration cracked down by the Chinese government. "The protests were by no means peaceful," Gleason said. He recalled that he was dining at the Snowland Restaurant with his wife and one-year-old daughter on March 14 when a large group of mobsters threw bricks and hand-sized rocks at cars on the street. "I saw black smoke from the center of the city, and there was more smoke from different parts," he said at the Gajilin Hotel where he lives and works. "I never saw police open fire to the mobsters," he added. Ursula Rechbach, from Slovenia, has worked more than eight years for the Lhasa-based Project for Strengthening the Tibetan Traditional Medicine. The lady in her 50s said she was having lunch with her colleagues on March 14, when the riot started. Her Tibetan colleagues quickly accompanied her to her hotel. "We hardly made it," Ursula said of the terrible day, adding she saw from the roof of her hotel that young people in late teens holding long sticks and stones in their hands, screaming, turning over cars, setting cars on fire, and smashing and looting shops. She later spoke to a few other foreigners in Tibet. Based on what they had seen, they agreed that the riot must have been organized. "You can't have it all of a sudden. It can be (happening) in one place, if it is not organized. It must be premeditated, at least prepared," she said. Commenting on some Western media accusing China of "massacring Tibetans" in their "peaceful protest", Ursula said, "You can invent some stories in order to sell better, but how can you accuse anybody if you were not there," she said. Guzman Escardo, who works with the Association for International Solidarity in Asia (ASIA), told Xinhua that the local police had been extremely polite, contrary to what the Western media presumed. "The police on the streets are kind and polite. They always smile at me," he said. Escardo said he watched channel nine of China Central Television (CCTV) and the Spanish TV to see what was going on. "The local government often contacts us to make sure I am safe. They take a lot care of me," he said. "I feel safe at the hotel." Aside from foreigners in Tibet, tens of thousands of Chinese netizens have lashed out at a number of Western media for distorting facts in covering the riot in Lhasa. According to the netizens, German newspaper Berlin Morningpost posted a picture on its website in which police in Lhasa rescued a young man of Han nationality assaulted by rioters. But the caption said "insurrectionist taken away by police". In a similar case, N-TV, headquartered in Germany, was accused of using TV footage showing police with captured protestors in a report on the Tibet riot. The footage had been shot in Nepal, and the police were Nepalese. The N-TV said on March 23 that it would check the authenticity of the TV footage, following Germany's RTL television which on the same day said that it "regretted an error" in covering the riot in Lhasa. The RTL TV admitted that it had reported the riots with a picture taken on March 17 in the capital city of Kathmandu, where Nepalese security forces were confronting demonstrators with batons.
German news television regrets error in covering Tibet riots www.chinaview.cn 2008-03-24 10:06:45 BERLIN, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Germany's RTL television said on Sunday that it "regrets an error" in covering the riots in Lhasa, capital city of China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The TV station admitted on its website that it "used a picture in a wrong context." N-TV, headquartered in Germany, used TV footage showing police with captured protestors in a report on the Tibet riots. The footage had been shot in Nepal, the police were Nepalese. In fact, the picture shows security forces in Nepal, a neighboring country of China, RTL said in an online statement. "The image was taken on March 17 in the capital city of Kathmandu, where Nepalese security forces were confronting demonstrators with batons," it said. "We have accidentally created the impression that it is a scene of the unrest in Tibet with Chinese security forces involved. We regret this error," the statement added. The RTL Aktuell, a main news program of the RTL TV, along with the German Bild newspaper and the Washington Post, have been found using on their websites pictures of baton-wielding Nepalese police in clashes with protesters in Kathmandu, claiming that the officers were Chinese police. They were among those Western media that have been condemned by netizens in the past few days for distorting facts in covering the riots in Lhasa. CNN has posted a picture on its website showing people running in front of a military truck. The original picture uploaded by Chinese netizens, however, also shows mobsters throwing stones at the truck. A CNN website picture shows people running in front of a military truck. The original picture uploaded by Chinese netizens, however, actually also shows mobsters throwing stones at the truck. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) released a picture on its website showing China's armed police officers helping medical staff move a wounded person into an ambulance. The website's caption said that "there is a heavy military presence in Lhasa," neglecting obvious "First Aid" and red cross signs on the ambulance. BBC released a picture on its website showing Chinese Armed Police officers helping medical staff move a wounded person into an ambulance. The caption says that "there is a heavy military presence in Lhasa", neglecting the obvious First Aid and red cross signs on the ambulance. The German newspaper Berliner Morgenpost posted a picture on its website in which police in Lhasa rescued a young man of Han nationality assaulted by rioters. But the caption distorted the fact as "insurrectionist taken away by police." German newspaper Berlin Morningpost posted a picture on its website in which police in Lhasa rescued a young man of Han nationality assaulted by rioters. But the caption said "insurrectionist taken away by police". Fox TV said in a picture's caption on its website that the Chinese military dragged some protesters onto a vehicle but actually the uniformed people were Indian police
BEIJING, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Regarding some western media coverage of the violence in Lhasa, we must say, the facts should not be distorted and a sense of justice is common to all people. In the violence that erupted in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, on March 14, rioters injured many and even killed 13 innocent people on the street, with extremely crude methods. Official figures show that rioters set fires at more than 300 locations, mostly private houses, stores and schools, and smashed vehicles and damaged public facilities. However, some western media neglected the facts and presented distorted reporting for more than 10 days. Numerous western newspapers, broadcasts and websites were full of reporting on the Chinese government's "crackdown" and "tyranny" against the Tibetan people and suspicions of a worsening situation in Tibet. Some western websites published a photo with a caption saying "Chinese troops parade handcuffed Tibetan prisoners in trucks", while the photo actually showed Indian police dragging a man away. Some western websites used a cropped photo of Chinese military trucks, cutting off the half of the picture showing a crowd of rioters throwing rocks at the trucks. More notably, some websites used pictures of baton-wielding Nepalese police in clashes with Tibetan protesters in Kathmandu, claiming that the officers were Chinese police. These western media, which acted as moral arbiters, neglected the facts of Tibet's economic, social and cultural development and the Chinese government's efforts to restore order in Lhasa, and repeatedly accused the Chinese government of "depriving the religious freedom of Tibetan people" and committing "cultural genocide in Tibet". These media associated the riots with the country's human rights record and the Beijing Olympic Games and were determined to boycott the upcoming Beijing Olympics. Facing these distorted and dishonest reports, Chinese people couldn't help asking: Do they really understand the history and culture of Tibet? Do they understand how much Tibetan people value the current situation of harmonious nationalities, economic growth, social development and cultural prosperity? Do they understand the expectations of the Chinese people for the Beijing Olympic Games and sincere willingness to share the grand event with people from all over the world? Do they maintain their so-called impartiality, justice, free speech and professionalism in reporting? It is obvious: facts should not be distorted and truth should not be hidden, while lies never become truth and a sense of justice is common to all people!
pics: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/22/content_7838485.htm cnn and bbc among many western media dont give a s h i t about the innocent ppl killed by those mobs..they dont care at all! their dozens reports of distort facts, on defend of the murders showed how they are controlled by CIA!
BEIJING, March 23 (Xinhua) -- More overseas Chinese in Russia, Italy, Romania, Hungary and Myanmar have condemned the recent rioting in Lhasa, capital of China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The riots revealed an attempt by the Dalai clique to politicize the forthcoming Beijing Olympics and that was intolerable, Guan Baixin, chairman of the chamber of commerce of northern Chinese in Russia's Moscow, told Xinhua on Saturday. "We overseas Chinese in Russia are all indignant at the violent crimes in Lhasa and express our strong condemnation," he said. In Italy, Su Liqun, vice chairman of the overseas Chinese union in Florence, and Zhou Bin, deputy head of the Chinese chamber of commerce in Milan, joined a chorus of condemnation over the rioting masterminded by the Dalai clique. The riots, which were premeditated and elaborately plotted, were designed to destabilize Tibet and create chaos, they said. Overseas Chinese in Italy denounce the criminal acts of beatings, vandalism, lootings and arsons in Lhasa and support the Chinese government in taking all necessary measures to safeguard China's national unity and maintaining stability. In Romania, many overseas Chinese expressed their indignation at the Tibet riots, said Guo Yushan, head of the China Chamber for Peaceful Reunification. Safeguarding China's national unity and maintaining social stability are the wishes of all the Chinese people, who and other peace-loving people in the world also share the wish to make the Beijing Olympic Games a great success, said Guo. Guo's remarks were echoed by his counterparts in Hungary. Chen Zhen, vice chairman of the society of traditional Chinese medicine in Hungary, expressed support for the Chinese government's anti-riot measures. He also criticized some Western media for their exaggerated and distorted reporting of the issue. Those "irresponsible reports have distorted the facts and misled the public," he said, noting that the overseas Chinese people, who are well informed about the history of Tibet, which has been part of China's territory since ancient times, will never be taken in by the biased reporting by some Western media. Li Guanghua, honorary chairman of the Hungarian council for the promotion of peaceful reunification of China, said the riots in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games, was apparently designed to sabotage the event and undermine social stability in Tibet and the whole of China. Their conspiracy will never succeed, Li said. Leaders of overseas Chinese in Myanmar also expressed their anger over the riots. The violence, plotted by the Tibetan separatists, was aimed at undermining China's stability and unity, discredit China's international image and sabotage the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games, said the leaders. The plot by the separatists and other hostile forces is doomed to failure, they noted.
Chinese overseas missions undergo violent attacks http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/22/content_7839274.htm
BEIJING, March 23 (Xinhua) -- A number of foreign media and public figures have condemned the recent riots in Lhasa, capital city of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, and criticized the biased reporting by some Western media. Pakistan Television aired on Saturday evening videotaped scenes of violence in Lhasa staged by separatist-minded rioters, and stressed in a commentary that Tibet is an inalienable part of China. It said Pakistan categorically opposes any attempts aimed at violating China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. In a commentary on Saturday, Indonesia's Chinese language newspaper Guo Ji Ri Bao said the violence dealt a heavy blow to the economic activities and public order in Lhasa. Some Western media or groups "harboring evil intentions" have exploited the criminal activities in Lhasa in a bid to attack China and tarnish China's image of peaceful development, it said. The Los Angeles Times in the United States on Saturday publicized an article detailing a Swedish tourist's account of beatings, lootings and arson by the rioters. The report also quoted foreign witnesses and local residents as describing how the rioters set fire to shops and vandalized public facilities in downtown Lhasa. Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao issued an editorial on Saturday criticizing the West for adopting a double standard on the Tibet issue. The West's ingrained arrogance toward other religions, races and civilizations is one of the major destabilizing factors in the world, it said. The paper also carried an article saying that the riots in Lhasa were premeditated and well planned in a bid to incite public opinion in the West, provoke China and sabotage the Beijing Olympic Games. The distorted reporting by some Western media catered to such malicious attempts, it added. The Chinese communities in New Zealand were outraged by the Western media's biased coverage of the Lhasa riots, New Zealand TV3 reported on Saturday in its evening news. The Dominion Post on Saturday published a reader's letter criticizing some people for being too eager to try to link what happened in Lhasa with the issues of human rights and free trade agreements, without first tying to acquaint themselves with the actual situation in Tibet. Bujar Bedalli, chairman of the Albanian-Chinese friendship association, said Saturday that it is well known that Tibet is an inalienable part of China. The Lhasa riots were premeditated splittist activities, he said. The biased reporting by Western media was a manifestation of their traditional prejudices, Bedalli added. The riots in Lhasa were by no means an isolated incident, but part of a series of elaborately planned moves designed to discredit China, said Constant in Badea, former director of Romania's national news agency Rompres, on Saturday.
