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Dear Synapse; I take exception to Duan Xu’s 4/18 opinion piece; “Standing Up For China.” I was one of the protestors on April 9. I believe that I am actually pro-China to point out legitimate and repeated horrific human rights abuses caused directly or indirectly by the Chinese government. I came to be aware of the long-time unequal treatment Tibetans suffer in their occupied country due to my thirty years of association with these caring, nonviolent people who represent a message of peace and fairness for all. I believe that standing up for Chinese and Tibetan human rights is actually a pro-China thing to do. These recent protests involving the Olympics torch were not directed against the Chinese people, only against the minority of Chinese people who happen to be government leaders, under whose auspices an incredible amount of human rights abuses and bloodshed have occurred and unfortunately continue to this day. There were actually more protesters out there on April 9 than so-called supporters. If one arrived near McCovey Cove’s opening ceremony, initially those carrying China’s national flag far outnumbered any others. However, most of the protesters had gathered down the Embarcadero near Justin Hermann Plaza. By 11 a.m., over 7,000 were deployed around the entire length of the torch route. I saw a lot of news coverage of people interviewed with a wide range of views about the human rights situation and included views of the supporters of China’s hard-line government. Xu complains about the term “Communist” being applied to the government. The last time I looked the government still officially uses this term to describe itself. So, perhaps the perceived negative connotation attached to it comes from their actual behavior and not imposed by others. It is unfortunate if the Chinese people think they were personally under assault in any way due to legitimate criticisms directed at their government. I can assure Xu that this was never the intent of the protesters. We truly want to make life better for the Tibetan and Chinese people, which means asking their government to behave much better and stop the well-documented crimes against their own people and such peaceful groups under their control and within China. Tibetans have suffered under their Han masters: 1.2 million Tibetans died due to the occupation. Over 6,000 irreplaceable Tibetan Buddhist monasteries were destroyed, which were Tibetans’ libraries, universities and temples. Now, due to Chinese government policies, Tibetans are a minority in their own land. After 58 years of oppression, even the most oppressed will say, “Enough.” Let us not ignore the actual reality of oppression that has existed far too long in Tibet. Xu claims that “Putting them down at every corner only hardens their position,” referring to the Chinese government. However, by asking not to be killed or abused is not putting anyone down. It is merely asserting one’s individual rights and identity as an equal human being on this planet who has a right to live in peace. I think the Tibetans’ peaceful identity and culture should be celebrated and preserved. On the other hand, a government has no legitimacy if it is not for, of, and by the people. The Chinese government has let down the people of Tibet and broken all the promises of autonomy given when Tibet was annexed in 1950s. I just wish the truth of the situation of Tibet would get past Chinese government censors to the ordinary people. I wish people like Xu would read Tibetan histories of Tibet and not self-serving Chinese versions. Armed with the truth, I am sure, the kind and caring people of China would not want to be associated with terrible wrongs their government commits in Tibet and would demand a genuine positive change. If Xu is really concerned about the Olympic goal of “bringing people together,” then instead of claiming that there is an unbridgeable chasm between Chinese and Tibetan people, s/he would be calling for more forums, more efforts, and more opportunities to bring Chinese and Tibetan people together and personally commit to bridging the gap in understanding between the two peoples. Let us all truly practice this Olympic goal and contribute to such a genuine harmony. Giovanni Vassallo I read with a sense of poignancy your article “Dancing for a Cure!” (April 3). On March 17, just two weeks before your publication, the School of Nursing lost one of its most talented students, Susan Shulman, to a brain tumor. Just 43 years old, Susan is survived by her beloved husband, Barry, and 13 year-old son, Max. Susan was at the end of her third quarter in the Master’s Entry Program in Nursing, after which she intended to purse an advanced practice degree at UCSF with a focus on oncology. Having been a cancer survivor for over a decade, it had been her deep wish to give back to the community that she felt had extended her life. Her family has established the Susan L. Shulman Memorial Fund to support scholarships for students in the Master’s Entry Program in Nursing (MEPN) at the UCSF School of Nursing. The selection committee at the School of Nursing will choose students who show exceptional promise and who are in need. (Contributions should be made payable to the “Susan L. Shulman Memorial Fund” and sent to: The Susan L. Shulman Memorial Fund, c/o The Horton Family, 14 Lower Drive, Mill Valley, CA 94941.) Sarah Fry, SN | ||
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