Photo via mnnonline.org

The Gospel of peace reaches oppressed Tibet

There is an illusion of calm over Tibet. Anger over China's ruthless crackdown in March still seethes, reports MNN.

China has convicted 42 people for their role in the March riots while another 116 await trial. Police detained 953 people, and recently the Chinese courts jailed 12 more rioters for their roles in the unrest.

Olympic security has been the cover story for the crackdown on internal dissent, particularly in Xinjiang and in Tibet. Riots on March 14 sparked anti-Chinese protests around the world. Chinese officials say the riots were politically inspired, but they did not address the underlying ethnic and economic grievances.

The trouble began on March 10 with peaceful protests in Lhasa to mark the anniversary of a 1959 uprising against China's rule of Tibet. That quickly escalated into widespread violence across the city four days later, which helped to rekindle pro-independence sentiment.

As the Olympic Games in Beijing near, the spotlight brings awareness of the plight of Tibet under Chinese occupation. China's suppression of the Tibetan culture has caused many to fear its loss.

Tibetans not only are looking for ways to keep it alive, many are also looking for hope. Words of Hope's Lee DeYoung says, "The broadcast that Words of Hope is involved in every night continues to broadcast hope and the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Tibetan people. The Chinese, in the past, have banned Tibetan people from listening to foreign stations, but we do know, from a number of testimonies, that people do listen quietly in private."

The broadcasts themselves are not political, but they do feature many things that keep the Tibetan listeners encouraged.

Called the "Yeshu" program, the team is praying for fruit. "There are over 20,000 responses that have come in the last year to these broadcasts. We know that many Tibetan people, most of whom still are Tibetan Buddhists, are interested in listening to these programs which highlight, in a positive way, their culture and bring them hope."

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[07/14/2008]

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