Tibet's Unrest Could Mess Up China's Model Olympics

As is the custom in totalitarian states like modern day China, 1980's Soviet Union, or even the Germany of the 1930's, world opinion is pretty important to them especially if they have an opportunity to show off by presenting an Olympic games that excel above anything any other country has staged. China was hoping this year would be their chance to demonstrate the superiority of the ChiCom system, but the Tibetans are messing that up:

BEIJING (AP) - Violence in Tibet spilled over into neighboring provinces Sunday where Tibetan protesters defied a Chinese government crackdown. The Dalai Lama warned Tibet faced "cultural genocide" and appealed to the world for help.

Protests against Chinese rule of Tibet were reported in neighboring Sichuan and Qinghai provinces and also in western Gansu province. All are home to sizable Tibetan populations.

The demonstrations come after protests in the Tibetan capital Lhasa escalated into violence Friday, with Buddhist monks and others torching police cars and shops in the fiercest challenge to Beijing's rule over the region in nearly two decades.

"Whether intentionally or unintentionally, some kind of cultural genocide is taking place," said the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. He was referring to China's policy of encouraging the ethnic Han majority to migrate to Tibet, restrictions on Buddhist temples and re-education programs for monks.

He told reporters in Dharmsala, the north Indian town where Tibet's self-declared government-in-exile is based, that an international body should investigate the government's crackdown on the Lhasa protests.

Tibet was effectively independent for decades before Chinese communist troops entered in 1950. The latest unrest began March 10 on the anniversary of a 1959 uprising against Chinese rule of Tibet.

The protests are an embarrassment for China, coming just weeks before the Beijing Summer Olympics ceremonies kick off with the torch relay, which is set to pass through Tibet.

Right now any dissident group within China or its provinces has a gold-plated opportunity to create chaos for the Chinese that will surely get worldwide attention. The closer to the Games, the more media attention will be focused on China and its policies. This may be the best chance the dissidents will have - maybe forever - to make their case and try and win their freedom.