OUR HOME, THEIR WAR

--对中国西藏受难者的哀悼

--Condolences on the victims in China’s Tibet

众所周知，最近在中国西藏及周边地区发生了突然的暴动，一些人以不同政治见解为名恣意焚烧、破坏他人财产，而且绝对不可饶恕的是，这些暴徒有组织地对其他平民进行了攻击。

As it’s known, riots broke out in China’s Tibet and its neighboring regions lately. Under the pretext of being dissidents, a handful of gangsters perpetrated arson and damage to civilians’ properties. What is more unforgivable is that these rioters committed deliberate and organized assault to innocent civilians.

有相当多的迹象表明，这种破坏行动是预谋以久地针对非藏族中国平民进行的。此类暴行已导致他人财产的严重损失，并直接导致其他平民失去生命。

Evidences indicate that these atrocious acts of violence are deliberately targeted at non-Tibetan civilians. These atrocities have caused severe losses of properties and lives of innocent people.

我们无意在这里研讨中国西藏地区的所谓主权或独立问题，这些问题可以留给国际法理专家与政治家去处理；我们也无意在这里讨论中国西藏地区的所谓文化问题，因为这种暴行与文化早已毫不相干，任何文化都不应当靠暴力和杀戮的手段去推广；我们今天聚集在这里，是为了贯彻一个目的：在中国西藏地区，暴徒对无辜平民进行的罪恶不应当再发生。

We have no intention to discuss the so-called sovereignty or independence of China’s Tibet, which can be dealt with by international experts of law and politicians. Nor do we have any intention to debate the so-called Tibetan culture here, as we believe that violence has nothing to do with culture and any culture can never be promoted by way of violence and means of atrocities. We gather here today for one simple purpose, to ensure that never again will evil prevail, as it did for the innocent victims of these rioters in China Tibetan area.

一个文明社会应当奉行这样的标准：每一个人皆生而平等，享受平等的权利与自由。这一理念意味着，没有人可以根据人的肤色、文化背景、民族归属而对其他人进行歧视，任何人的肤色、文化背景、民族归属都不应当作为攻击或被攻击的理由，更无论用这种理由去肆意剥夺其他平民生命。这一原则不仅对中国汉族或其他民族的人适用，对世界其他地区的人也同样适用；同样，无论一个人是否承认他归属中国，都无法否认这一原则。

A civilized society should follow this criterion: each person is born equal and entitled to equal rights and freedom. This concept means that no one may hold prejudice towards others based on one’s color, cultural background and ethnic categories. The aforementioned should never be used as reasons for attacking or being attacked. Nor should it be ever used to take the lives of innocent civilians unscrupulously. This principle is not only applicable to Han Chinese and Chinese of other ethnic groups, but also applicable to people in other parts of the world. Likewise, no one can ever deny this principle regardless of whether or not he or she is willing to admit being a Chinese.

所以我们无比痛心地看到，在中国西藏发生的暴行，恰恰是对现代文明这一神圣原则最无耻、最恶劣的违背。当暴徒们野蛮排斥、驱逐其他民族的平民，当平民被攻击、财产被焚烧、生命被剥夺时，这些藏族暴徒所体现的不是一种政治诉求，而是一种人性的卑污，一种对人权与法理的粗暴践踏，同样，这种行径也体现了他们的本性究竟有多么可耻与无知。

Therefore, it is with utter distress and grief that we see the recent riots in China’s Tibet as a most disgraceful and despicable violation of this sacred principle governing modern civilization. When rioters savagely discriminate against and expel civilians of other ethnic groups, when innocent people are attacked, their properties burnt and their lives taken, what the Tibetan gangsters demonstrated was by no means their political request. On the contrary, they exposed their sheer despicable betrayal of humanity, their gross violation of human rights and law. Likewise, their acts of atrocities have testified how shameless and ignorant their nature is.

我们在新闻与报道上看到达赖喇嘛对这一事件的评论。坦率地说，面对这样的暴行与对人权的践踏，达赖喇嘛单方面袒护暴乱者的表态与其说是伪善，宁毋说是纵容。我们不想猜测他与这些暴行事件的关系究竟有多么紧密，只想在这里告诉所有人：这种对暴行的表态证实了他自身的道德水平。

We read about Dalai Lama’s comments on this incident from the media. Frankly speaking, facing with the acts of atrocities and violation of human rights, Dalai Lama’s being partial to rioters is more of conniving than of hypocrisy. Instead of being doubtful of how closely he is linked with the riots, we would just like to let everyone know that his stance on the riots simply shows his moral standards.

一个人的行径说明他自身。达赖喇嘛以人权为理由对暴乱进行辩护，也许他忘却了他统治时的西藏，农奴的人权状况是处于如何悲惨的状态，而他对这种悲惨状态又该负什么样的责任；

Everyone’s behavior speaks for himself. Under the pretext of human rights, Dalai Lama is attempting to argue and defend the recent riots. Maybe he has already forgotten the Tibet under his rule when the serfs were leading a most miserable and wretched life, and how he was responsible for their sufferings.

但从他所支持的群体对他人进行的暴行中，我们能看出他的道德水准有多么不一致，对暴行有多么无视与纵容。政治利益会使某些人在特定的场合，表现出特定的健忘，而我们也可以看到，文化竟然能沦为暴行的籍口，这样的文化系统确实有够邪恶和伪善。我们或许无法决定中国西藏的未来，但一定致力于不让中国西藏落入这种邪恶与伪善的控制中。

Nevertheless, judging from the acts of atrocities perpetrated by the gangsters he supports, we can clearly see how inconsistent Dalai Lama’s moral standards are and how heedless and conniving he is at the riots. Political interests may oblige certain people to become forgetful on certain occasions. But, we have witnessed that culture has been abused as pretext for violence. We may not be able to determine the future of China’s Tibet. However, we are definitely committed to making sure that China’s Tibet will not be at the mercy of this vice and hypocrisy.

同样使我们不能接受的是，有人竟然要以此次事件为理由，要求抵制奥运会。我们无法理解，奥运精神何以成为袒护民族歧视与暴力杀戮的工具，这种曲解已超出我们能接受的道德底线。

What is equally unacceptable to us is that there are even people who are audacious enough to abuse this incident as the very reason to boycott the Beijing Olympic Games. We cannot understand how on earth the Olympic spirits could ever be abused as a tool for shielding acts of racial discrimination and atrocities. Such a distortion has by far exceeded the moral bottom line we could ever accept.

使我们安慰的是，即使是在焚烧与杀戮最激烈的时候，依然有藏族同胞在掩护与帮助其他民族的同胞，而参与暴乱的暴徒只占当地人口极少数的比例；这使我们看到人性善良的光辉，并没有因文化与民族间的差异而泯灭，也由此相信，由多民族构成的中国，一定能实现民族间的理解与和睦相处。

We find consolation from the fact that even at the worst hours of burning and slaughtering, many Tibetans offered help and assistance to those of other ethnic groups, and that gangsters participating in the riots only account for a tiny percentage of the local population. This has enabled us to see that human kindness has not been extinguished by cultural and racial differences. Furthermore, it has convinced us that a China comprising many ethnic groups will surely proper in great harmony and in mutual appreciation.

今天我们聚集在这里，对那些死于排外暴动的无辜平民表示我们的哀思。他们同我们一样，有自已的家庭，尊严，财产，理想；他们和善地微笑着，遵守社会秩序，在和平中安然生活，然而他们的生命却被这些暴徒剥夺，财产被毁掠，鲜血还被某些政客利用来开脱凶手的罪行。

We gather here today to express our condolences to those innocent civilians who died from the racists’ riots. Just like us, they have their own families, dignity, properties and ideals. With kind smiles, they abide by the law and order, and lead an orderly life in peace. But, tragically, their lives have been taken by these gangsters, their properties destroyed and their blood being used by certain politicians to whitewash the crimes committed by the rioters.

作为在中国出生并长大的人，无论我们身在何处，我们关心我们的家园，我们不希望也不允许民族歧视与排外的悲剧再度发生；

As native Chinese born and bred in China, we will always be concerned about our homeland wherever we are. We do not expect to see, and we will not allow, the recurrence of such tragedies of racism.

我们并要求中国政府，采取切实有效的手段，保障中国西藏及周边地区平民的生命与财产安全，不令任何人有机会以民族或文化间的差异对他人再度滥施暴力。我们热爱和平，对这些天发生的排外罪行，我们深恶痛绝。倘使有人明目张胆地践踏社会秩序与人类的生存原则，我们将不得不要求以眼还眼，以牙还牙，以法律还暴行。这是中国政府的权利，也是中国政府的义务。

We strongly demand that, the Chinese Government take practical and efficient measures to ensure that lives and properties of civilians living in Tibet and its neighboring regions are protected, and no one can ever have a chance to perpetrate violence against others under the pretext of cultural and racial differences. We love peace, we detest and despise the racists’ crimes perpetrated recently. Should rioters ever dare to flagrantly encroach on our human principles of law and order, we would have to resort to retaliation of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth and laws for violence. These are not only rights, but also obligations of the Chinese Government.

我们的家园，他们的战争。

达赖喇嘛可耻！

OUR HOME, THEIR WAR.

SHAME ON DALAI LAMA！