Dalai Lama at the European Parliament – European Fasting
구미인들의 티베트 사랑은 유별나다고 할 수 있는데 오늘 사내 메일을 통해 아래와 같은 메일을 받았다.
It is said that a lot of Western people love Tibet with such a passion, and today I was forwarded an internal email as below.
Subject: Dalai Lama at the EP – European Fasting
Thursday the 4th of December Dalai Lama will speak at the European Parliament. Tenzin Gyatso’s visit coincides with a decisive moment for the Tibetan’s future. Dalai Lama strategy – non-violence and dialogue with China in order to obtain an effective autonomy, and not independence – risks to be definitively defeated by Chinese authorities’ unavailability to accept any step forward. If this occurs, it will not be only a tragedy for the Tibetan people. If the non-violent solution and federal autonomy will not be take into consideration, a hard beat will be stroke against the right for democracy for 1,5 billion Chinese and against peace hope of all humanity.
To greet and sustain the Dalai Lama in his non-violent struggle, we propose to everybody – European civil servants, MEP, assistants and visitors – to observe a day of fasting, from midnight of the 3rd to midnight of the 4th and to wear the traditional white scarf.
We ask to all of those that intend to participate at the fasting (are allowed water and sugared beverages during the 24 hours) to preannounce it, in order to publicise the list of the participants. The list will be given to the Dalai Lama during the morning of the 3rd.
Kind regards,
Marco Cappato (MEP, Italian radicals)
Thomas Mann (MEP, Chair of the Tibet intergroup)
Marco Pannella (MEP, Chair of the Non-Violent Radical Party, Transnational and transparty)
요약하자면, 12월 4일 달라이 라마가 유럽의회에서 연설을 하는 것에 맞춰, 달라이 라마를 환영함과 동시에 그의 비폭력 노선을 지지하는 뜻에서 유럽의 공무원과 유럽의회 의원, 수행원, 방문객들에게 3일 자정부터 4일 자정까지 금식을 하고 흰색 스카프를 두르자고 제안하는 것이다. (본문은 영어 외에도 불어, 이탈리아어로 작성되었다. ‘traditional white scarf’에서 ‘traditional’이 무엇의 전통을 말하는 것인지는 모르겠다.)
This email was written in French, Italian as well as English. And I’m not sure that, in ‘traditional white scarf’, what ‘traditional’ refers to.
영적 지도자이자 정치가이기도 한 달라이 라마는 작년 10월 미국 의회로부터 황금 메달을 받음으로써 (관련기사), 티베트의 자치권 획득을 위해 미국의 지지를 효과적으로 이용하겠다는 뜻을 밝힌 것이라 하겠다. 비록 많은 티베트 지지자와 달라이 라마의 추종자들이 그가 부시로부터 메달을 수여받는 모습을 보고 대단히 실망을 하였지만 말이다. 그가 이제는 유럽연합 시민들의 대표들이 모여있는 유럽의회에서 연설을 하게 되는데, 단식과 같은 열성적 성원에 힘입어 그가 유럽연합으로부터는 어떠한 정치적 효과를 얻고자 하는지 눈여겨 볼 일이다.
Dalai Lama, a politician as well as a spiritual leader, received the US Congressional Gold Medal in October 2007 (related article) and this showed his will to effectively use the US’ support for him and Tibet in order to achieve Tibet’s autonomy. Though lots of Tibet supporters and his followers were disappointed at the scene where he was received the medal from President Bush. Now Dalai Lama will give a speech at the European Parliament where the representatives from the EU citizens are located. With passionate support such as fasting, it will be worth paying attention to what kind of political influence he will try to draw from the EU.
시은:
아유. 난 전혀 모르고 관심 밖의 일인데 언니는 이런 것까지 신경을 쓰다니 역시 멋져.
29 November 2008, 3:15 amOwen:
I agree with the Tibetan people about their wish for autonomy. However, if they were granted such autonomy would this not put the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Canada and many many other countries into the uncomfortable position of having to ‘give back’ the stolen lands from the indigenous peoples in these places? I mean, all the non-native Americans would be forced to live under Native rule and Japan would have to give up control of Hokkaido.
The tibetan people sound like they have a legitimate grievance…but it sounds a bit rich (and almost hipocracy) for Americans or especially British to tell China to give indigenous peoples autonomy when they refuse to do so themselves and in most cases have savagely murdered large portions of indigenous populations with the express intent of taking their lands and autonomy.
Food for thought.
1 December 2008, 12:37 amOwen:
England spent 800 years raping and murdering my native land of Ireland and to this day still refuses to return Northern Ireland back to Irish control. If this is not an example of gross violations of human rights I do not know what is. The Irish have a distinct culture, religion, language and geneology when compared with the English so there is no argument to support their occupation of Irish land on the Grounds of similarity.
There were indigenous people on Taiwan before the Kuo-Min-Tang came in 1950.
The Japanese Emperor in 1860 annexed the Rykuan Islands in the South and Hokkaido in the North – both places with distinct languages, cultures, religions and ethnicities.
It is estimated that white settlers in the USA committed genocide reducing the Native American Indian population from more than 25million to less than 400,000 in a matter of 80 years. On top of that, they stole all their land and gave them sub-human rights.
Canada, Australia and New Zealand were all colonised by English (and French in Canada) who forced natives to sell their land on unequal terms and when the natives relised what had happened there was all out civil war between the natives and the colonisers – guess who won? The NZ Maori were treated the best out of all colonised countries and have permanent seats in actual government and a treaty which binds the “crown” to protect the rights of indigenous peoples and their land. You will not find this in Australia. As recently as the 1960′s aborigine children were taken from their parents to live in “white” families in a effort to eradicate Aboriginal culture. This is all documented fact and there was recently a government apology by Kevin Rudd for this very action by his predecessors. There are very few aborigines left because most were murdered anyway.
So if any of these countries so much as attempt to tell the Chinese how to behave in their own country they need to have a serious look in their own back yard first and only after they have righted their own wrongs can they even think about jumping on a self-rightous bandwagon and condemning the Chinese.
This still does not say that Tibet should not have self determination – it should. More, it is about who says this that is the problem.
2 December 2008, 12:44 amDalicia:
Not too long ago, we had a “open” conversation with the Mainland Chinese. How they feel about Dalai Lama. Their comments about Dalai Lama was rather harsh!!!
19 December 2008, 8:47 pmIs this the Khatag white scarf?
Sunkyoung:
시은 – 나도 깊이 있게 아는 것은 전혀 아니기 때문에 기본적인 정보와 나의 관심 정도만 표현한 것 뿐이야.
Owen – Thank you for sharing your thoughts. As many criticise, I don’t think those Western big countries support Tibet’s position in the true hope of giving them autonomy. Obviously, the US makes the use of their support for Tibet as a political restraint or pressure onto China.
Dalicia – Thanks for the info on ‘Khatag white scarf’.
20 December 2008, 1:43 pm