전국철학앙가주망네트워크(PEN)

중국 정부의 티베트 유혈진압 사태를 강력히 규탄하고

이에 대한 즉각적 중지와 평화적 해결을 촉구한다

 

안녕하십니까? 전국철학앙가주망네트워크(PEN)입니다.

 

PEN은 중국 정부의 티베트 유혈진압 사태를 규탄하고 이에 대한 즉각적 중지와 평화적 해결을 촉구하는 성명을 발표하고자 합니다. 특히 이번 성명서는 한국 철학계로부터 출발하여 평화를 상징하는 올림픽의 횃불처럼 전세계 철학계로 봉송되면서 중국 정부 당국자들과 국제사회 및 언론에 전달될 예정입니다. (이 점에서 성명문이 영문으로 쓰였음을 양해바랍니다.)

 

중국 정부는 최근 티베트인들의 평화 시위에 중국 무장 경찰을 투입하여 티베트 소요사태를 발생시켰으며, 인도 다람살라에서 티베트 망명정부를 이끌고 있는 정신적 지도자 달라이 라마를 이번 사태의 주범으로 지명함으로 모든 책임을 회피하려 하고 있습니다. 그러나 중국의 티베트 지배가 부당한 억압이며 이번 시위가 평화적 독립운동이었다는 것을 국제사회가 공히 인지하고 있음에도 불구하고, 각국은 저마다 국익에 얽매어 강력한 비판을 삼가하고 있는 것 또한 사실입니다. 피식민지배와 민주화 운동의 경험을, 아프지만 자랑스럽게 간직하고 있는 한국의 철학자들은 자유와 민주주의를 향해 외롭게 투쟁하고 있는 티베트인들의 부름에 응답할 자격과 권리, 의무가 있다고 감히 말씀드립니다.

 

중국 정부는 이번 사태가 내정에 관한 일이라고 일축하고 있으나, 이는 어디까지나 인권의 문제이며 세계 그 어느 곳에서든 마땅히 수호되어야 할 보편적 가치의 문제입니다. 중국 정부는 마땅히 이번 소요사태에 대해 책임을 지고 평화적으로 해결해야 하며, 그렇지 않으면 한국을 비롯한 국제사회로부터 지금보다 훨씬 더 가혹한 비난을 면하기 어려울 것입니다.

 

이번 성명문 초안은 박노자 교수(오슬로 대학)가 작성하였습니다. 존함과 소속을 국문 및 영문으로 보내주시면 성명서에 연명하여 발표하겠습니다. 초안에 수정할 부분이 있다면 함께 부탁드립니다. 1차집계는 오는 27일(목)까지입니다.

 

잦은 요청에도 기꺼이 응답을 보내주신 이 땅의 많은 철학자들에게 다시 한번 감사와 존경의 말씀을 전합니다.

 

감사합니다.

PEN 올림.

 

 

KPEN, The 8^th Statement

 

We, South Korea’s Engaged Philosophers, Resolutely Protest

 Against China's Bloody Crackdown On the Tibetan Protesters

 

We, South Korea’s engaged philosophers, resolutely protest against China's bloody crackdown on the Tibetan protesters in Lhasa and other parts of China in the recent days. We point out that by the actions the Chinese authorities lay bare the colonial character of their rule in Tibet. While violent protests often happened in the recent years in many parts of China proper and are regularly being put down by the police state methods, the use of live ammunition against the Tibetan protesters, which led to many casualties (some estimates point out that the figure may well exceed 100 persons) does show that the Tibetans are rather viewed as colonial subjects than equal citizens of China. While the demands of the protesters in China proper are often being attentively heard by the authorities as long as these demands do not threaten the political powers of the party-state, the Tibetans appear to be brutally put down without being given any positive attention by China’s power holders. Do the Chinese leaders really think that they can acquire the “soft power” of moral authority in the world affairs (to which they evidently aspire), by demonstrating such an extent of the colonial brutality, reminiscent of the worst European atrocities in Asia and Africa in the heydays of European imperialism?

 

We take no position of principle in the question of the recognition of Tibet's independent statehood – we think that the issue should be ultimately decided in accordance with the free will of the Tibetans themselves, and once they will demand independence, this demand should be dealt with in a democratic and non-violent way by the Chinese authorities. We also sincerely believe that the future of Tibet - be it a genuine, wide autonomy or independence - should be discussed in the process of direct negotiations between Tibet's Government in exile and Chinese government in a peaceful and mutually respectful manner. However, the colonial brutality employed now by the Chinese authorities casts doubt on their willingness to allow the democratic ｅxpression of the will of the Tibetan people and to negotiate with Tibet’s exiled Government. We believe that, as a country claiming to aspire to the great ideals of socialism, China should have been able to handle peacefully the legitimate discontent of the Tibetan ethnic minority whose traditional way of life and religion seem to be seriously endangered both by the institutions of state control and by the recent introduction of market economy in its most inhumane and unfair forms. We believe that as a power holding practical control over Tibet, China should stop using arrests and other methods of state violence against religious and nationalist activists, should stop denouncing Dalai Lama, who is accepted by the majority of Tibetans as their spiritual leader, and should take radical steps to ameliorate rural poverty and narrow the growing gap between urban and rural populations, as well as gaps in earnings between ethnic Tibetans and ethnic Han Chinese or Hui Muslims. We also warn China that the violence it employs in Tibet - which reminds all of us about the violence Japanese colonizers employed against the Korean people during the national March 1 movement in 1919 - may make us to reconsider our attitudes towards the coming Beijing Olympics and Korean participation in this event. The Olympics were originally supposed to be the celebration of peace, the event which temporarily stopped all the wars in ancient Greece. Today, China seems, however, to be engaged in a brutal war against the people whom it claims to be its own, and who want the Chinese authorities to recognize their cultural and religious particularity, as well as their legitimate aspirations towards genuine democratic self-rule. The rulers of Chinese should not think that we will enjoy the Olympics in full knowledge of the ordeals the political prisoners in Tibet will have to go through in their dungeons at that moment. We will not. The Chinese authorities should reconsider their position while it is still not too late, or face the full and complete loss of the respect and trust by the outer world.

 

 

2008. 3.

KOREAN PHILOSOPHICAL ENGAGEMENT NETWORK

PEN 소개 및 가입안내는>> http://home.freechal.com/pen2004   전국철학앙가주망네트워크(PEN) Philosophical Engagement Network E-mail: phil-engagement@daum.net