‘Witness to China’s Shame’ - The Washington Post

Demonstrations in Lhasa, Tibet in 1987. Photo by John Ackerly

February 25, 1989

By Blake Kerr

“IN CHOOSING to invite prominent Chinese dissident Fang Lizhi to his Beijing banquet today, President Bush is drawing attention to Chinese human-rights violations. If Bush is serious, he should bear in mind the tragic situation in Tibet. In 1959, China consolidated its military occupation of Tibet. For nearly three decades, that small Himalayan country virtually disappeared from western consciousness. Tibetans, however, continued to demonstrate against the colonization and forced assimilation of their ancient culture, in spite of China's often harsh and repressive response. Tibetans finally gained the West's attention in 1987…”