New York Times- Monks Disrupt Media Tour in China

AVANSATI, ANUL 1, 11 APRILIE 2008 I. Read and translate New York Times- Monks Disrupt Media Tour in China By JIM YARDLEY and JAKE HOOKER Published: April 10, 2008 BEIJING Buddhist monks interrupted a government-managed media tour in western China on Wednesday, waving a Tibetan flag and protesting that the authorities were depriving them of their human rights. The disruption, in the city of Xiahe in Gansu Province, was another unexpected public relations setback for China, and marked the second time that monks have upstaged government efforts to control foreign media tours of Tibetan areas. Last month, several monks in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, risked official punishment when they made an emotional appeal to foreign journalists inside the Jokhang Monastery, one of the city s holiest shrines. The outburst on Wednesday came as authorities guided reporters through the Labrang Monastery. The tour marked the first officially approved visit to Xiahe by foreign reporters since monks and other Tibetans in the city clashed with police last month. During the tour, about 15 monks rushed out, waving a Tibetan flag, and approached a group of about 20 Chinese and foreign reporters. The Dalai Lama has to come back to Tibet, one monk said, according to Reuters, which was invited on the tour. We are not asking for Tibetan independence, we are just asking for human rights. We have no human rights now. Several monks draped their heads in robes, Reuters reported, possibly as an attempt to conceal their identities and avoid later punishment. They also said that local authorities were holding other monks and that armed, plainclothes security officers were posted around the city. The protest in Xiahe came as the issue of Tibet continues to create a domestic political crisis and international public relations disaster for China. Tibet and other regions were rocked by anti-chinese riots last month, and China is facing increasing criticism over its human rights record as it prepares to play host to the Olympic Games in August. This week, anti-china protesters angry about China s record on human rights disrupted the international Olympic torch relay as it passed through London and Paris, while San Francisco on Wednesday girded for a major confrontation with protesters during the only leg of the tour in the United States. International leaders, including President Bush, have called on China s ruling Communist Party to meet with the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, and begin a dialogue on resolving the Tibetan situation. On Wednesday, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd used a speech at Peking University in Beijing to raise human rights concerns about Tibet. Australia, like most other countries, recognizes China s sovereignty over Tibet but we also believe it is necessary to recognize there are significant human rights 1

problems in Tibet, said Mr. Rudd, a fluent Mandarin speaker, according to accounts in the Australian media. But, as yet, China has shown few signs of softening its tough accusations against the Dalai Lama and continues to blame a Dalai clique for the riots and protests that erupted on March 14 in Lhasa. This week, state media disputed a list of Tibetan victims released by the Tibetan government-in-exile, saying that many of the names could not be proved to exist. China s state media is also filled with reports defending China s policies toward Tibet, even as many Tibetans and analysts partly trace the roots of last month s violence to failed government policies. The press tour of Xiahe was organized by Beijing authorities, which invited only selected media organizations. The government used the same invitation-only strategy during the Lhasa tour, overruling objections from uninvited news organizations in the name of security concerns. The New York Times sought to be included in both tours but was not invited. At a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday, Champa Phuntsok, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region government, continued the campaign against the Dalai Lama, accusing the spiritual leader of telling lies to instigate antagonism between various ethnic groups and to cheat the international community. Champa Phuntsok also said that the protests in London and Paris proved the Dalai Lama was not sincere in achieving reconciliation with the Chinese government. I believe Tibetans are a good, simple people who know how to be grateful, he said. The chairman, himself Tibetan, said seeing images of overseas Tibetan protesters made him ashamed. He told reporters that the monks who protested to foreign reporters last month in Lhasa would not be punished despite assertions by monks that the government is doing just that. We simply do not punish or execute monks for telling a different version, he said. Of course, their version is untrue. Meanwhile, Chinese public security officials announced that security would be increased for the Chinese stage of the Olympic torch relay, which begins May 4 and continues until August 8, when the flame is scheduled to arrive in Beijing for the Olympic opening ceremony. The Ministry of Public Security issued a notice on its Web site calling on all local police departments to guarantee security work in order to assure a smooth procession of the torch through China, according to state media reports. Vocabulary: Disrupt = interrupt Setback = impede Upstage = draw attention from, distract attention, steal the show Shrine = chapel, church, altar Outburst = explosion of anger expressed in words Rush = go, move, act with great speed Drape = hang, cover, adorn with cloth Robe = dressing-gown Rock = distress, perturb, cause to rock (an erthquake rocked the house) 2

Record = a piece of evidence or information constituting an official account of sth that has occured, been said, etc Relay = receive sth and transmit it to others Gird = prepare for Leg = a section of a journey Overrule = annul a decision by or reject a proposal of Overseas = foreign Wednesday April 9 2008 The Guardian - Tibetan monks interrupt state media tour China's attempts to counter international criticisms of the state crackdown on Tibetan unrest received another setback this morning, as a second state media trip to a protest-hit area was interrupted by Tibetan monks. The authorities have launched a drive to counter what they allege is biased coverage of the unrest and their response by many in the western media. Foreigners are not allowed into Tibet at present and even under normal circumstances journalists are rarely granted permission to travel there. Reporters attempting to reach other areas of unrest in China have been turned back or ejected by security forces. Officials arranged for a small group to travel to Xiahe, Gansu province today. The town was the scene of angry protests last month. But the visit took an unexpected turn as between 15 and 30 lamas, carrying a banned Tibetan flag, burst out of a building at Labrang monastery and rushed across to the group of Chinese and foreign journalists. "The Dalai Lama has to come back to Tibet. We are not asking for Tibetan independence, we are just asking for human rights, we have no human rights now," one monk told the reporters in Chinese. According to a Reuters journalist covering the trip, many of the lamas had their heads covered in robes. They said other monks were being held by the authorities and that armed plainclothes agents were stationed throughout Xiahe. The state news agency Xinhua reported only that a group of monks at the monastery of Labrang in western Gansu province bordering Tibet had interrupted the event, and said the visit resumed soon afterward. It did not mention the tour on its websites. Last month lamas at the Jokhang temple in Lhasa disrupted the first trip for foreign journalists to Tibet, interrupting a speech on inter-ethnic harmony and telling reporters: "They are tricking you. Don't believe them. They are lying to you." At a separate press conference in Beijing, Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region government, said police had detained 953 people suspected of involvement in last month's violent riots in Lhasa. But he added that they were "an extremely tiny minority" of Tibetans and that only "an extremely tiny minority" of monks protested. 3

"They do not, and cannot, represent Tibet and the Tibetan people," he added. Puncog said prosecutors had also issued arrest warrants for 403 of those detained, a step that generally leads to formal prosecution. He said 362 people had handed themselves in to police in response to a government ultimatum, but 328 were released on the grounds that their crimes were light and they had a "good attitude" in confessing them. It was unclear if the remaining 34 were included in the tally of detainees. Police also issued warrants for 93 suspects, 13 of whom have been caught and nine who surrendered themselves. The government says 22 people, mostly "innocent civilians", died in the Lhasa riots. Independent accounts have described vicious attacks on Han Chinese residents. The Tibetan government-in-exile alleges the true tally across China is more than 140 with many protesters dying in clashes with security forces. Vocabulary Crackdown = take severe measures against lawbreakers Drive = an organized effort to achieve sth Allege = declare sth without proof; advance as an argument or excuse Lama = Tibetan Buddhist monk Resume = begin again, or continue after an interruption Tally = a mark registering a fixed number of objects delivered or received (HOMEWORK: WRITE A 1 PAGE ESSAY: YOUR OPINION OF NATO AND OF ITS SUMMIT IN ROMANIA) II. GRAMMAR : Practice (Present Tense-2): 1. Choose the most appropriate words underlined: a. I haven t decided yet about whether to buy a new car or a second-hand one. But I think about it/ I m thinking about it. b. All right, you try to fix the television! But I hope /I m hoping you know what you re doing! c. Every year I visit/i m visiting Britain to improve my English. d. It s time we turned on the central heating. It gets/it is getting colder every day. e. Of course, you re Mary, aren t you! I recognise/ I am recognising you now. f. What s the matter? Why do you look/ are looking at me like that? g. The film of War and Peace is very long. It lasts/ It is lasting over four hours. h. I can see from what you say that your mornings are very busy! But what do you do/ are you doing in the afternoons? i. I m going to buy a new swimming costume. My old one doesn t fit/ isn t fitting any more. j. That must be the end of the first part of the performance. What happens now/ is happening now? 2. Choose the most suitable word or phrase to complete each sentence. a. What exactly.? A. is this job involving? B. Does this job involve? 4

b. Who exactly.? A. does own this car B. does this car belong to c. that we have been here for six months already! A. Do you realise B. Are you realising d. I d like to stay longer. But.just for the weekend. A. I come B I ve come e. Terry is in bed. He..flu. A. has B. is having f. This new teaching job is really difficult, but. A. I survive B. I m surviving g. What on that notice? A. does it write B. does it say h. Ladies and gentlemen, I this ship HMS Highlight. A. name B. am naming i. Absolutely! I..with you completely. A. agree B. am agreeing j..this car. Do you want to buy it? A. I sell B. I m selling 3. Put each verb in brackets into the most suitable present tense. a. I (hear) that you have been promoted. Congratulations! b. British people (drink) more and more wine, apparently. c. I hope Sarah will be here soon. I (depend) on her. d. Please be quiet! You (continually interrupt). e. Hey, you! What (you think) you re doing? f. Could you come here please? I (want) to talk to you now. g. Jane is away on holiday so Linda (handle) her work. h. To be honest, I (doubt) whether Jim will be here next week. i. You ve only just started the job, haven t you? How (you get on)? j. Pay no attention to Graham. He (just be) sarcastic again. 4. Rewrite each sentence, beginning as shown, so that the meaning stays the same. a. What s your opinion of Ted s new book? What do.. b. Nigel keeps interrupting me. Nigel is.. c. What is the meaning of this word? What does. d. The number of people who own bicycles is increasing. More and more people. e. What about going to that new film at the Rex tonight? How do.. f. What is the weight of that piece of meat? How much g. Never mind about the price, just buy it! The price.. h. There s smell of onions in this room. This room.. i. What is inside the box? What does. j. Paul has flu. Paul is. 5. Put each verb in brackets into the most suitable present tense. I work in a large office with about thirty other people, most of whom I (1) know quite well. We (2) (spend) most of the day together, so we have all become friends. In fact, most of my colleagues are so interesting, that I (3) (think) of writing a book about them! (4) (take) Helen Watson, for example. Helen (5) (run) the accounts department. At the moment she (6) (go out) with Keith Ballantine, one of the sales representatives, and they (7) (seem) very happy together. But everyone (except Helen apparently) (8) (know) that Keith (9) (always make) eyes at Susan Porter. But I (10) (happen) to 5

know that Susan (11) (dislike) Keith. I can t stand people who (12) (apologise) all the time! she told me. And besides, I know he (13) (deceive) poor Helen. He (14) (see) Betty wills from the overseas department. And plenty of other interesting things (15) (go on). For instance, every week money (16) (disappear) from the petty cash box. When you (17) (realise) that someone in your office is a thief, it (18) (upset) you at first. But I (19) (also try) to catch whoever it is before the police are called in. I m not going to tell you who I (20) (suspect). Well, not yet anyway! 6. Rewrite each sentence so that it contains the word in capitals, and so the meaning stays the same. a. Charles and his father are exactly alike. LOOKS b. The cost of excursions is part of the price of the holiday. INCLUDES c. I find working here really enjoyable. ENJOYING d. I study hard, so I spend a lot of time in the library. MEANS e. What s your opinion of Wendy s new painting? THINK f. Sunrise is at 4.30 tomorrow morning. THE SUN g. What s on your mind at the moment? ABOUT h. Neil has the bad habit of getting in people s way. ALWAYS i. I am losing my voice. GOING j. How long is that wall? DOES 7. Choose the most suitable word or phrase underlined. a. I work in this office all this year/all the time. b. Are you studying French for long/at the moment? c. I am not making much money these days/ so far this year. d. The food tastes worse now/ usually. You ve put too much salt in. e. We normally / forever get in touch with customers by post. f. Pete was ill but he is getting over his illness currently/ now. g. I m feeling rather run down lately/ at present, doctor. h. I always stay on duty since/until six o clock. i. People continually/ traditionally prepare coloured eggs at Easter. j. Fortunately the baby now/ recently sleeps all night. 8.Identify any possible errors in these sentences, and correct them if necessary. a. I m depending on you, so don t make any mistakes! b. Is this total including the new students? c. Excuse me, but do you wait for someone? d. These potatoes are tasting a bit funny. e. How are you feeling today? f. I look forward to hearing from you. g. I have a feeling that something goes wrong. h. What s that you are eating? i. Are you hearing anything from Wendy these days? j. I think you re being rather mean about this. 6

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