The Dalai Lama on March 29 blamed on Chinese soldiers who he said had been disguised as Buddhist monks to create an impression that Tibetans have incited riots. He made an accusation after a Buddhist service held in the Gandhi tomb in New Delhi. The basis for this assertion of his is a photo showing scores of Chinese armed police carrying monk's robes.

Dalai thinks himself having an irrefutable evidence, but he underrated the acumen and judgment of people. Then the photo was carried by some newspapers and spread on the web, netizens immediately identified the flaw, and some of the netizens cited the rumor as so absurd.

The French Web of the People's Daily Online received on April 2 a letter from netizen Michel Collon, who questioned the photo about Chinese soldiers disguising monks. Originally, a foreign website was the first to carry the photo with the caption reads: "This is not an uncommon ‘tactical move' from the Chinese government, as could be seen on the back-cover of the 2003 annual TCHRD Report (Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy). This photo was apparently made when monks refused to play as actors in a movie, so soldiers were ordered to put on robes."

On the for-real side, this picture was taken back in 2003, during the shooting of a film, because the monks had refused to be extras in the movie. So they hired the soldiers and here they are getting their wardrobe. A common practice over there? Whatever. In any case, it has nothing to do with the recent TV images of monks taking part in violent attacks against property in Lhasa.

Asked about this misrepresentation, the webmaster said that he went ahead and associated the photo with the text that accused the Chinese "in order to show the sort of dirty tricks the Chinese used in the recent riots".

"Then, all kinds of groups just cut the caption explaining the photo so people would believe that the picture was recent and showed a Chinese Army conspiracy. And since then, the photo has gone around the world…"

Rumors are, after all, not facts. Netizens and readers alike, by citing a host of evidences, have discovered that the photo showing Chinese Armed police passing themselves off as monks was purely a lie. Since October 2004, human power-driven tricycles in use in the city of Lhasa have curtains alternate with stripes of blue, red and green colors, posing the vivid ethnical Tibetan features, and they remain in use today, noted an official of the Lhasa tricycle management service company. The curtain of the tricycle in the photo, however, is in the solely blue color, and so the photo was taken undoubtedly before October 2004.

The picture was actually taken during a movie shoot in September 2001, said the person concerned in the photo. The police were acting as extras in the movie and were handed out costumes for their roles as monks. Many people become aware that the Armed Police and local personnel in the photo were in their summer wear. In contrast, the March 14 incident happened in the early spring, and it was still quite cold in Tibet, and all people then wore winter clothing.

"This picture was taken in September 2001, said the person concerned in the photo. The armed police in Tibet were taking part in the movie called "The Touch". They were wearing the 1987 style of uniform at that time. That uniform was changed in May 2006. So this picture is obviously taken before May 2006, and it has nothing to do with the March 14 incident.

In fact, it is not so difficult to speak out the truth and expose the lie about armed police disguising monks. To frame up armed police, the Dalai Lama produced a proof, but it cannot hoodwink any people with a sense of judgment. Perhaps, he has never expected that such a lie he has taken great pains to fabricate is turned into a laughing stock overnight. The Dalai Lama will never succeed with his plot to secede China, and he has once again shown its ugly feature by spreading rumors and telling lies before the people of the world.

When someone attempts to spread rumors and telling lies to fool the world's people, he is just about to come to a dead end. This represents a general rule and the Dalai Lama is without exception. Those falsely accusing others only discredit themselves. No one can conceal the truth under the watchful eyes of people and, to get along with people, one is better to be honest and, otherwise, he will "only lift the rock only to drop onto his own feet," provides he is bent on making distortions and turning truth upside down.

(People's Daily Online April 8, 2008)