John Duffell: China’s Latest PR Campaign… in Malawi
As has been widely reported, the Chinese government is launching a massive “external propaganda” mission by providing substantial funding to create media that will be broadcast and distributed overseas. Apparently, this effort includes Malawi, where a blogger noticed a 12-page supplement in his daily paper extolling the virtues of China’s policies in Tibet. From Letters from Namitembo:
I have been told by the paper’s Advertising Manager that the Chinese Embassy in Malawi is responsible for the ad. I managed to contact the Managing Editor of the paper as well, and I asked him why they printed an advertisement designed to disguise itself as editorial content, and why, instead of clarifying that it was indeed advertising, the paper thought it necessary to incorporate their own logo into the layout of the advertising spread – thereby giving the impression that this advertising content was, in fact, approved by the Daily Times of being “worthy” of its brand. The managing editor insisted that the text reading “ADVERTISING” in the corner of each page provided all the necessary clarification.
When asked whether anyone who wanted could write up a news story – no matter its truth or falsehood – and run it in his paper as advertising, the Managing Editor told me no – there are standards in place, and each advertisement is carefully screened to see if it is worthy of being printed in The Daily Times. The Chinese Embassy’s advertisement, he said, passed this test.
At this point, he began to make some accusations. He accused me of trying to get him sacked from his job, of hating the Chinese, and of being from Tibet myself (though I speak with an American accent) – or being a covert agent of Tibet.
The blogger has scanned all 12 pages of the “advertorial” and posted the images on Flickr.
POSTED COMMENTS: 2 Responses
Comments from another blog:
# Anoni | April 9th, 2009 | 4:16 pm
O yea….only 7 out of 16 of Dalai Lama siblings survived to adulthood.
5 dalai lamas from 1800? to 1880? died too young and never really took his throne.
Khampas and Goloks were notorious bandits. Kampas hated the Lhasa officials and wanted to overthrow the Lhasa governments.
Monasteries fought against monasteries…and one appealed to Lhasa, the other appealed to Han-Chinese warlords.
It this not living hell??
The CCP united them all….Praise to CCP.
But praise to Lord Jesus, the name above all names.
32. Anonimous | Your comment is awaiting moderation. April 10th, 2009 | 11:37 am
35 per cent life expectancy comes from Tom Grunfeld’s book.
Talk about human evils.
Your Living Buddha Taktra Rinpoche dared to kill the Dalai Lama’s father. If the PLA had not enter Tibet, the Dalai Lama would probably also be killed by Taktra Rinpoche. The PLA saved the Dalai Lama’s life because it created a sense of crisis, which caused Taktra Rinpoche to be dethroned.
Your Living Buddha Taktra Rinpoche dared to kill Living Buddha Reting.
Khampas people dared to kill the peace emissary the Living Buddha Geda Lama sent by the CCP.
Your monasteries fought against monasteries; one side called Lhasa for help; the other called the Han-Chinese warlord for help. In another case, one side called Lhasa, the other side called the Hui (Muslim) warlord.
In the period 1917-1920 and 1930-1933, there were 400-500 battles at the border regions. Khampas fighting against Chinese warlords; Khampas fighting against Lhasa; Khampas fighting Khampas.
1933 after Dalai Lama died, Pangda brothers rebelled against Lhasa but was suppressed brutally.
Later around 1935, Red Army arrived, converting a big monastery and thousands of monks, with a great number of followers, and setting up Boba Republics under the leadership of Red Army. Lhasa went into alliance with KMT forces to fight the Red Army.
Tibetans+KMT fought against Tibetans+Communists…According to Jamyang Norbu, even after 1949, right up to 1952.
The CCP united them all. Khampas united with CCP, Lhasa united with CCP, Goloks united with CCP, KMT remnants united with CCP. Those who did not want to unite flee to Taiwan. Later, to Dharamsalem. Those who remained stayed united, defeating the Sichuan Earthquake and the exiles’ plot to destabilize Tibet through the Lhasa riots of 2008.
35 per cent life expectancy comes from Tom Grunfeld’s book. 90 per cent suffered from venereal diseases. One third suffered from Smallpox.
13th Dalai Lama suffered from smallpox also.
Declining population over the centuries – what can you against that? That’s hellish. You cannot say it is because of high monk population because you practised polygamy extensively; and your gals did not need to be formally married to bear children.
And you guys are supposedly peaceful, so it cannot be due to wars nor due to murder.
Moreover, it is almost always that other ethnic groups fought the war for you.
So, unless you guys provide a good explanation for declining population – from Mighty Tibet Empire to the “Demise of the Lamaist State” – I have to conclude, pre-1950 Tibet is living hell.
[The PLA are angels to Tibetans in the 1950s]
33. Anonimous | Your comment is awaiting moderation. April 10th, 2009 | 4:38 pm
Robert Webster Ford, a Briton who was present during the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950, wrote in 1957 an eye-witness account of how the Chinese treated Tibetans who fought them. (Ford was employed by the Tibetan local government when the Tibetan town Chamdo was captured by the PLA in 1950. He had been under investigation for espionage activities and for causing the death of Geda Lama, a prominent Tibetan Living Buddha and peace emissary sent by the Communist Chinese to Tibet to negotiate for peaceful unification. His death contributed to the Chinese decision to capture Chamdo by force).[43]
There was no sacking of monasteries…the Chinese took great care not to cause offense through ignorance…The Chinese had made it clear that they had no quarrel with the Tibetan religion. Nor with the Tibetan people, who were treated with equal care…
Cleverest of all was the way the Chinese solved their prisoner-of-war problem. They simply had the Tibetan troops lined up and gave them all safe-conduct passes and money and told them to go back to Lhasa with their wives and children. Another newsreel was made of this, and the soldiers did not have to be told to smile. Nor would they need to be told to spread the news of what friendly people the Chinese were… [44]
A Khamba survivor of the garrison of fifty told us…”They are strange people, these Chinese…I cut off eight of their heads with my sword, and they just let me go.” [44]
Mathew Tan, during the time period you cover in this exaggerated version of Tibetan history and society,how did Chinese history and society fare? Was it heaven on earth? Hahaha. You must really suffer from jaundice.