Published by: World Tibet Network News, Thursday, October 17, 1996

New York Times Editorials/Letters Page, Friday Oct. 11, 1996

To the Editor:

China's New imprisonment of Liu Xiabo ("Champion of Democracy in China Draws 3-Year Sentence," news article, Oct. 10), the possible imprisonment of Wang Xizhe and the continued ill treatment of Wei Jingsheng in prison point to the leadership's low tolerance for democracy activists.

You do not report, however, the main reason that these men -- compared with numerous democracy petitioners in the past few years -- face harsh retribution: they have recognized Tibet's right to self-determination, posing serious challenges not only to Communist Party rule but also to the core concepts of burgeoning Chinese nationalism.

Clearly understanding that Tibetans had and again want independence, China holds more than 600 documented Tibetan political prisoners, including the 7-year-old Panchen Lama.

When Chinese (Han) democracy activists break the longstandign taboos on self-determination and recognize the plastic pillars of Chinese nationalism, silence breeds ignorance of China's greatest worries.

Greg Alling

New York City