As recently as July last year, I was in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa for a conference. I visited the monasteries with walk-

abouts in the city. I chatted with many Tibetans and had long admired the spirituality of the Tibetan masters. I would like to share my insights.

With the remoteness of Tibet, the tendency for any outsider is to cast aside as propaganda claims of progress by the Chinese government. Yet my one-week sojourn convinced me of one truth: The Chinese authorities in Lhasa have contributed much in modernising Tibet.

I was not just in Lhasa. My week-long stay was coupled with a jeep journey to Xigaze, west of Lhasa. I am convinced beyond doubt the Chinese authorities have, over the past two decades, developed the socio-infrastructure needed by the Tibetan people.

Idyllic backwardness may charm Westerners tired of relentless competition under capitalism. This ignores the grim reality from 500 years of Western colonialisation: A people not able to transform themselves technologically (for example, African tribes) are enslaved en masse. Tibetans as a people escaped this trauma only because of Himalayan remoteness.

The Chinese have done their utmost to upscale the Olympic Games as an event. Who benefits? My argument is that it is for athletes globally. Just compare: torch relay, 137,000km route compared to 86,000km in Athens in 2004; 21,880 torch bearers versus 13,300 in Sydney in 2000. If you do not applaud them, at least be fair and recognise their efforts.

Also, a truly wise world leader does not sully his reputation by denigrating the Olympics with politics. Tibetan protesters should extend a thought to the athletes. Think of all the training and sacrifices they have to put in to qualify to compete. Indeed, in ancient Greece, Olympic athletes competed under their own names.

Do not put out the Olympic flame. For we all need the light of day to help us cope with the darkness of night. It is not right for a minority to disrupt what everyone shares in earnest: to witness the performances of the best athletes on earth.

There is a right time and a right place to resolve a dispute quietly. The riots that erupted on our TV screens are grossly unjustified. The Olympics are neither the arena nor the season for these riots. Instead of unrest leading to arrests, sit back, relax and enjoy, like everyone else, the splendour of sports.

Dr Foo Check Teck