Time for talk on Tibet

Three important realisations have emerged following the historic March 2008 uprising in Tibet. First and foremost, Tibetans within Tibet, although often labelled 'voiceless', have regained the initiative on the Tibet issue. Despite the fact that the complaints being voiced by protesters were not new, the breadth of the protests was helped in crucial measure by the recent penetration of new technologies to even the most remote of Tibetan villages. Interestingly, despite the fact that Chinese-led development of Tibet has long been criticised for, in large part, not affecting Tibetans themselves, it was 'new media' introduced over the past five years by the Chinese authorities themselves that was competently used by the Tibetans to directly counter the Chinese state.

Protesting Tibetans demonstrated an impressive dexterity in particular with Internet and mobile-phone technologies. These were used both to efficiently coordinate events within China and Tibet and, most importantly, to then convey to the outside world powerful images of their protests. Even the strongest deployment of Chinese troops in Tibet since the 1950s could not fully prevent current information from getting out. This widespread use of new technologies appears to be a reality that will remain a significant feature of life and dissent in Tibet. Already, the events of 10 March 2008 and thereafter are by far the best documented of any in recent Tibetan history – as well as possibly the most thoroughly scrutinised by foreign eyes. Beyond Tibet-oriented organisations in the diaspora, Tibetan activists sent information directly to the international press, revealing a high level of understanding of what information matters where.