Tibetan refugees shot dead as Everest climbers watch

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Desertdog

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Now, now, they were trying to leave, not go into the country, so please do not try to relate this incident to building a border fence here.
Another group of citizens that does NOT have a 2nd Amendment.

Tibetan refugees shot dead as Everest climbers watch
By Leonard Doyle, Foreign Editor
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article1813596.ece

Within sight of horrified climbers preparing an assault on Everest, Chinese troops stationed on the Tibet-Nepal border have shot dead at least two Tibetan refugees trying to cross the border.

The refugees were trying to reach Nangpa La pass last Saturday and the Everest advance base camp was swarmed by Chinese troops after the shootout. Climbers regularly see caravans of traders and refugees crossing out of Tibet, but this is the first witness report by western climbers of the People's Liberation Army shooting refugees.

The killings highlight the yawning gap between China's state propaganda, which cast it as the friend and protector of the Tibetan people and the harsh reality of a brutal military occupation as experienced by three million Tibetans. The shootings also revive concerns about Beijing's human rights record as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in two years.

Every year, hundreds of Tibetan refugees escape from Chinese occupation. They try to cross at more isolated passes which are usually unguarded. About 70 Tibetan men, women and children were trying to cross the Nangpa La pass from China into Nepal within sight of the advance base camp at Cho Oyu, which was teeming with climbers preparing for Everest.

An unnamed climber, writing on the website mounteverest.net, said that the Chinese troops opened fire on the defenceless column and that the refugees panicked as the soldiers moved in.

"Early morning of 30 September, I walked out of our dining tent to gaze over towards the Nangpa La pass. I saw a line of Tibetans heading towards the start of the pass, a common sight, as the trade routes are open this time of year.

"Then, without warning, shots rang out. Over, and over and over. Then the line of people started to run uphill; they were at 19,000ft. Apparently the Chinese army was tipped off about their attempted escape, and had showed up with guns.

"Watching the line snake off through the snow, as the shots rang out, we saw two shapes fall. The binoculars confirmed it: two people were down, and they weren't getting up. Then more Chinese army swarmed through ABC (advance base camp)."

Refugees have been shot at along the border before, but this was the first time in recent years that Chinese troops had killed any.

The wide Nangpa La pass, between Tibet and Nepal, has been a common traders' route for centuries.Many Tibetans cross the pass to sell their traditional craft and Chinese goods in Namche Bazaar's Saturday market then return home, but some seek refuge in Nepal or India.

A 25-year-old who survived the shooting escaped to Nepal. He told activists in Kathmandu: "When the machine-gun fire started hitting around us, we ran in all directions. We ran back where we came from just trying to avoid the army. After hiding from the gun blasts for many hours, we climbed over Nangpa La in the middle of the night and walked the entire day on the Nepal side because we were so scared."

Lhundup Dorjee, of the Kathmandu-based Tibet Refugee Centre, said that 42 people had managed to enter Nepal but there was no information about the others. The refugee centre is in contact with the survivors.

Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has been in exile in India since the Chinese invasion of 1959. He has repeatedly said he was willing to engage "reasonable talks" with Beijing to protect those Tibetans who have stayed behind in their homeland. But the Chinese government has always rejected his offer and continues to treat harshly those who flee Communist repression in their country.

There has been no comment by the Chinese authorities on the shootings.

Within sight of horrified climbers preparing an assault on Everest, Chinese troops stationed on the Tibet-Nepal border have shot dead at least two Tibetan refugees trying to cross the border.

The refugees were trying to reach Nangpa La pass last Saturday and the Everest advance base camp was swarmed by Chinese troops after the shootout. Climbers regularly see caravans of traders and refugees crossing out of Tibet, but this is the first witness report by western climbers of the People's Liberation Army shooting refugees.

The killings highlight the yawning gap between China's state propaganda, which cast it as the friend and protector of the Tibetan people and the harsh reality of a brutal military occupation as experienced by three million Tibetans. The shootings also revive concerns about Beijing's human rights record as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in two years.

Every year, hundreds of Tibetan refugees escape from Chinese occupation. They try to cross at more isolated passes which are usually unguarded. About 70 Tibetan men, women and children were trying to cross the Nangpa La pass from China into Nepal within sight of the advance base camp at Cho Oyu, which was teeming with climbers preparing for Everest.

An unnamed climber, writing on the website mounteverest.net, said that the Chinese troops opened fire on the defenceless column and that the refugees panicked as the soldiers moved in.

"Early morning of 30 September, I walked out of our dining tent to gaze over towards the Nangpa La pass. I saw a line of Tibetans heading towards the start of the pass, a common sight, as the trade routes are open this time of year.

"Then, without warning, shots rang out. Over, and over and over. Then the line of people started to run uphill; they were at 19,000ft. Apparently the Chinese army was tipped off about their attempted escape, and had showed up with guns.
"Watching the line snake off through the snow, as the shots rang out, we saw two shapes fall. The binoculars confirmed it: two people were down, and they weren't getting up. Then more Chinese army swarmed through ABC (advance base camp)."

Refugees have been shot at along the border before, but this was the first time in recent years that Chinese troops had killed any.

The wide Nangpa La pass, between Tibet and Nepal, has been a common traders' route for centuries.Many Tibetans cross the pass to sell their traditional craft and Chinese goods in Namche Bazaar's Saturday market then return home, but some seek refuge in Nepal or India.

A 25-year-old who survived the shooting escaped to Nepal. He told activists in Kathmandu: "When the machine-gun fire started hitting around us, we ran in all directions. We ran back where we came from just trying to avoid the army. After hiding from the gun blasts for many hours, we climbed over Nangpa La in the middle of the night and walked the entire day on the Nepal side because we were so scared."

Lhundup Dorjee, of the Kathmandu-based Tibet Refugee Centre, said that 42 people had managed to enter Nepal but there was no information about the others. The refugee centre is in contact with the survivors.

Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has been in exile in India since the Chinese invasion of 1959. He has repeatedly said he was willing to engage "reasonable talks" with Beijing to protect those Tibetans who have stayed behind in their homeland. But the Chinese government has always rejected his offer and continues to treat harshly those who flee Communist repression in their country.

There has been no comment by the Chinese authorities on the shootings.
 
chinese tiger

This is an accidental unveiling of the "man behind the curtain" that is the reality of the distination when you "follow the yellow brick road."

The left; good, and for all of our benefit persuasion amoung us, eventually will end up just as all of the well intentioned -so they proclaim, government usurping political movements do. Oppression, pogroms, cleansings, secret police, rule by military, etc. Ironcically that is their perception of the conservative world view.

I think most of them do not realize that for all their emotional well wishing that those who will rise to the top of their leadership will become the worst of the worst as history has given mankind repeatedly.

Truman should have entrusted MacArthur, and done what was best for our nation, instead of blindly following the I know what is best, Democratic politic.
 
Actually James, President Truman sacked McArthur for all the correct reasons.
McArthur had been sacked before by President Hoover but most fail to remember that. He was abysmal at following orders and should have been forced to resign after WWII.

Sam
 
No, Truman was wrong, he was too afraid of China. Shouldn't have been.

Besides, if you sack aggressive generals like McArthur and Patton -- both of whom got in trouble more than once -- you end up with wimps/nobodies like Powell, Schwartzkopf, Franks and Clark, who all are disgraces to the uniform and their rank.

We have no McArthurs or Pattons nowadays...and it shows.

But you know, even if we did, the Bush/Cheney interference would make a REAL general resign in protest.

So much for damn civilians telling the military how to fight a "war"...that's at least one thing that needs to change in this country.

-- John D.
 
EXCUSE ME. Here we go again on the MacArthur controversy, something most people don't know ANYWHERE NEAR as much as they think they do about.

1. Hoover never fired MacArthur.
2. On the Bonus March incident, the "stop" order never got through. Some nutbar managed to intercept it, and bragged about such in his memoirs.
3. MacArthur was right--China is a "deal with now and comparatively cheap, or later and much more costly with every passing year" situation.

I've been studying the man, trying to tear his mind apart for the past four years as prep-work for my eventual Masters' thesis, so I believe I'm qualified here.

Back to Everest: Guess that if I ever go climbing in the Himalayas, I better pack a Barrett, just in case... maybe a couple shorter weapons for close-in defense too.
 
Thread Drift alert!!!

isn't this thread about Tibetan's getting shot by lefties?

Yet it is sad we no longer have Patton's and Alvin York's.

The left wingers in charge of China are to close to our leaders, much like the house of saud is.

I never saw anything in the news about this.
 
Dont worry Bush will liberate Tibet just like he is doing Iraq. Its only a matter of time before we are greeted as liberators.;)

I dont understand why everyone is up in arms. THis has been going on for a long time in many countries.
 
China has no more buisness being in Tibet than we have being in Canada.

Oh, that's right. We are not an occupying power in Canada. DOH!

The people of China would be well served to rein in their gooberment. Of course, so would we. :scrutiny: Both have grown big and dangerous and out of control. Perhaps if we both dispensed with our respective parsitical "elite ruling class", we'd do great things together. Skys the limit. :D
I never saw anything in the news about this.
Neither did it. Funny that...
 
Please, guys. I know I'm fairly a newb here, but I have both US and Chinese citizenship. I still have a lot of family there. I don't want hear about you saying to nuke China any more than you would want to hear about iraqi terrorists urging people to nuke the U.S. The people there are not bad people, they just have little control of the government and it's actions.
 
Now, now, they were trying to leave, not go into the country,

China, like Russia and many other countries, will shoot whether or not
you're trying to leave or enter. On top of that, they don't need to
call someone in Beijing or Moscow to get permission either. Tibetan
occupation aside, the Chinese and Russians actually defend their own
borders. They don't care which direction you're crossing the border
at the moment; they figure if you're not using the public gate for your
business you must be about to do something illegal or already completed
it.

I'm not advocating shooting people on our borders, but when they're
hauling in drugs and/or starting the shooting, we need to finish it on site
without the usual DC hand-wringing wink-wink shuffle dance.

There has been no comment by the Chinese authorities on the shootings.

And there won't be. The only thing they'll do is ask their soldiers how
much ammo needs to be re-supplied.
 
So, when are we going to get hardline and start shooting our refugees who attempt to flee to Canada?????
 
The killings highlight the yawning gap between China's state propaganda, which cast it as the friend and protector of the Tibetan people and the harsh reality of a brutal military occupation as experienced by three million Tibetans.
China has brutalized the people of Tibet for 50+ years while the "civilized" nations of the world have done NOTHING about it.

Just like the Tiannamen Square slaughter, Communist China shows its true colors and also shows the world the fate of a disarmed and defenseless people.

And the antigun bigots tell us citizen disarmament is for our own good - yeah, right.:barf:
 
I thought this post was going to be about the type of machine guns that the Chinese have used to fire upon the Tibetans, or it is going to be about what the type of blackpowder muskets that the Tibetans have used to fire back at the Chinese.

Sadly, this post has no relevance to gun politics in this country. Furthermore, it voiced the type of stuff that sounded awefully similar to those gun-bashing democratic celebrities such as Richard Gere or Alec Baldwin in Hollywood who have nothing better to do all day other than doing drugs and doing each other, and constantly appearing in the forefront of anti-gun/anti-NRA commericals.

We need to focus on our rights as gun owners in THIS country.
 
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