Pico Iyer on Tibet, China and the Dalai Lama

BLANK May 10, 2008 As opening day of the Beijing Olympics approaches, the Chinese government and official media have intensified their attacks on the Dalai Lama, blaming him for the recent violent demonstrations in Tibet. Pico Iyer, whose new book is "The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama," talks with Truthdig's Jon Wiener about this intercultural conflict and about the Dalai Lama himself. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Foreign Journalists Enter Tibet

Staff / Truthdig Mar 27, 2008 China has allowed a group of foreign journalists an escorted visit to Tibet. News reports from non-state sources are coming out of Lhasa for the first time since protests and riots began two weeks ago. One described part of the city as a "war zone." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pelosi Calls for Tibet Investigation

Staff / Truthdig Mar 21, 2008 Shortly after Chinese officials admitted that their country's troops had fired on Tibetan protesters, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for an investigation into China's accusations that the Dalai Lama was somehow behind the recent violence in Tibet, according to the BBC. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Dalai Lama Threatens to Quit Over Tibet Crisis

Staff / Truthdig Mar 19, 2008 Even though certain inherently prohibitive logistics make it impossible for the Dalai Lama to resign from his position as Tibet's spiritual leader, that's what he's threatening to do insofar as he can if the tensions and violence in Tibet continue to escalate. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Rambo to the Rescue in Burma

Staff / Truthdig Nov 16, 2007 If the combined power of thousands of Buddhist monks staging a nonviolent protest isn't enough to oust Burma's oppressive junta, one American hero (cue movie trailer voice-over) is coming to fight for democracy in a faraway land -- or at least stick his nose in another nation's business. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Burmese Monks Remain Defiant

Staff / Truthdig Nov 15, 2007 Taking a page from Mahatma Gandhi, many Buddhist monks took to the streets in Burma in September in a showing of civil disobedience against the country's ruling regime. Now, their ranks are diminished as a result of the ensuing military crackdown, but, as one monk from Mandalay tells the BBC, their movement isn't over yet. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Monks Venture Out in Burma

Staff / Truthdig Oct 31, 2007 Despite a military crackdown that led to the death and capture of countless civilians, Buddhist monks are once again protesting in Burma, though in much smaller numbers than before. Still, human rights and democracy advocates consider it a promising development. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush Meets With Dalai Lama, to China’s Chagrin

Staff / Truthdig Oct 17, 2007 President Bush's private meeting with the Dalai Lama on Tuesday, the day before the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader was slated to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, didn't please Chinese officials, to say the least. They're not really thrilled about the U.S. honoring the Dalai Lama for his role in the ongoing struggle to free Tibet from Chinese rule, either. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Envoy in Burma: ‘Where Are the Monks?’

Staff / Truthdig Oct 3, 2007 Burma's military government has intensified its crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, abducting people from their homes in the middle of the night. U.S. Embassy personnel have found some Buddhist monasteries completely deserted while others have been closed off by soldiers. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Truthdiggers of the Week: The Monks of Burma

Staff / Truthdig Sep 29, 2007 For decades Burma's ruling military junta has governed through terror, determined to meet dissent with intimidation, detention and murder. It is because of the military's particular cruelty that the story of the Buddhist monks of Burma is so compelling. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Burma Protest

Riber Hansson, Svenska Dagbladet, Sweden Sep 28, 2007 Dig deeper

Burma Protest Goes Massive

Staff / Truthdig Sep 24, 2007 An estimated 100,000 people marched through the streets of Yangon on Monday in an ongoing protest that has rapidly swelled from just dozens of people. Burma's notoriously inhumane military government has traditionally been quick to stanch dissent but has yet to seriously confront the demonstrators, who were led by roughly 20,000 Buddhist monks. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )