That China’s regime is guilty of cultural genocide against the Tibetan people is known the world over, and despite the propaganda gloss; which claims Tibet was ‘liberated’ and that since then Tibetans have enjoyed economic and social progress, people are not fooled by such disinformation.

What’s perhaps not realized though is the fear which China’s tyranny exerts upon Tibetans, it has traumatized an entire people, the psychological damage arising from years of abuse, oppression and military occupation has terrorized Tibetans. They feel asphyxiated and under an ever present condition of anxiety, for the consequences of a stray word or action are grim indeed!

There’s much evidence to support this, including studies on the rise of alcohol abuse within Tibet (the availability of cheap alcohol is but one toxic consequence of Chinese rule) and also the documented testimony of Tibetans who have reported on the harrowing conditions they face.

If you want an insight into the terror which has been instilled into Tibetans by China’s regime then look no further than the disturbing videos which are available online of self-immolations against Chinese rule. They are of course extremely unsettling, yet apart from the sacrifice and harrowing nature of protest, there’s something equally worrying, hidden in plain sight. This can be seen in the video below (advisory-graphic content) which shows a 63 year-old Tibetan, named as the Venerable Tengha, who self-immolated November 26 2017 in Kardze, Kham region of eastern Tibet, in protest against China’s vicious and illegal occupation of Tibet.

It’s almost impossible not to find your attention fixed on the actions of that courageous Tibetan as he rolls in flames across the ground, but if you can refocus onto the Tibetans standing within feet of this event. Ask yourself why is it that not one of them runs to the aid of their compatriot? You may also question why it is that a people whose main religion is Buddhism appear to be bereft of any sense of compassion as he suffers before their eyes? Just what is it that seems to holding them there like silent witnesses? Where is the basic human nature to intervene?

What you are seeing here is of course not an absence of humanity, or a desire to help someone in such a plight, nor indeed is there any lack of compassion within Tibetans, the reason is simply one of fear! Such is the machinery of terror imposed upon people in Tibet that they repress a natural instinct to bring assistance, and are internally conflicted between acting in accordance with their Buddhist culture of compassion and the dark consequences of associating themselves with the self-immolation protestor.

Can you begin to imagine what it must be like to find yourself repressing your values, moral standards and basic humanity for fear of being arrested and tortured?