The Portrait of a Cruel "Olympic Host" -- Tibet's Forgotten Children

Tibet's Forgotten Children

Dr. César Chelala

Special to The Epoch Times
Apr 25, 2008

http://en.epochtimes.com/news_images/2008-4-25-bitet80633128.jpg
Indian and Tibetan children display placards at Rajghat the memorial of
Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi. (Manpreet Romana/AFP/Getty Images)

Every summer, in a Tibetan ritual called Planting of the Arrow, Tibetans
invoke the protection of the mountain God. During that ceremony, each
family brings a long decorated staff, its "arrow," which is sanctified
and then placed inside a corral to remain there until the following
year. Tibetan children could very well use that protection.

Studies on children's health in Tibet reveal that almost half of them
suffer from malnutrition. As a result, they have stunted growth and
potentially defective intellectual development. In spite of the Chinese
government insistence on the region's economic and social progress,
Tibet continues to be one of the poorest regions in the world, with a
per capita income of less than US$100.