Author Foresees More Riots in Tibet

Protests against the Chinese government that broke out in Tibet in 2008 are a harbinger of worse rioting in the future, according to Tim Johnson, author of Tragedy in Crimson: How the Dalai Lama Conquered the World but Lost the Battle with China.

Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, now has a "Chinese veneer" that upsets many Tibetans who used to know it as the "Holy City" and now refer to it as the "Devil City," Johnson said.

Johnson, former Beijing bureau chief for Knight Ridder and McClatchy, discussed his book at a Book and Author Committee event on Feb. 7.

The Dalai Lama and his government remain in exile in Dharamsala, India. He continues to be the titular head of Tibet, and his countrymen revere him.

The Dalai Lama was named one of Time magazine's 25 political icons of all time. He has been portrayed in some form or other on TV in The Simpsons, Frasier and the movie Social Network, Johnson said.

"I met him for the first time in July of 2009," Johnson said. "I was nervous and was supposed to have 45 minutes. After an hour, he seemed to be in no hurry. He gave no sort of assurance on how and when he is going to reincarnate as the 14th Dalai Lama: 'Maybe a little longer than the Communist Party in China.' he told me.”

Tibet is one of the semi autonomous regions in China. The Dalai Lama went into exile in 1959, after an incursion by Chinese troops.

The region is important to China because of its copper and zinc resources. It also is the home of the headwaters of some of the biggest rivers in Asia, forming a key buffer between China and India.

-- Joe Motheral, [email protected]