PHOTO HOAX UPDATE: My Findings Reported & Supported in LA TIMES!

Shortly after I had posted my findings about the article and photo supposedly showing Chinese soldiers dressing as Tibetan monks during the recent unrest in Tibet, I was contacted by Mark Magnier, the Beijing Bureau chief of the LA Times. He called me from Beijing and we spoke for about an hour. I related all of the details and sources for my information, and then had an interesting discussion about the media in the 'Too-Much-Information Age', the Jeffersonian explication of a 'marketplace of ideas', and how people are much more alike than they would like to admit... including communists and capitalists, Chinese and Tibetans, conservative and liberal.

Mr. Magnier followed up on the information I provided to him, as well as digging up plenty of his own. The result is this article in today's LA TIMES.

I feel that Mr. Magnier did the best he could with this article, considering the difficulties he must encounter trying to report anything at all out of Beijing. The end result is not an outright 100% confirmation, but what I would consider substantial evidence, especially when all the pieces are put together.

Here, in my opinion, are the most important pieces from the article:

* Urgen Tenzin, director of TCHRD (Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy) in Dharmasala, said that the Dalai Lama's comments that "A few hundred soldiers have been dressed like monks." were drawn "...on independent sources." "He never based his information on that photo."

* I had informed Mr. Magnier that I was able to locate set reports and quotes from actress Michelle Yeoh's (now deleted) online diary from the 2001 film set of "The Touch", which talked about the filmmakers needing to use 2,500 extras because they couldn't find enough genuine lamas. (Michelle Yeoh fan website - See Entry 10/28/01) and (Film Gossip Site - See Entry 9/12/01)

Mr. Magnier reported this, and took it a step further by making contact with a photographer and an extra who were on the set in Tibet in 2001, both of whom confirm the story. The photographer, Yuan Rongzhao, shared his pictures from the set on his blog. The images clearly show military wearing monks robes in Lhasa on the 2001 set of 'The Touch'.

I suspect that these are the photos that are the "...similar images of soldiers carrying monks’ robes in the Jokhang temple in Lhasa, which were taken during a film shoot in 2001 which involved soldiers appearing as monks." which 'The International Campaign for Tibet' acknowledged that they are in possession of. (which I mentioned in a previous update)
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I had reported in my previous update that I had a solid confirmation from the films' distributor that the photo was from the 'The Touch'.  At this time, due to complications I'm sure you can imagine in dealing with information coming out of China, I cannot provide support for that specific confirmation.
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On a personal note, my one real disappointment with the article is that even though I made a very strong effort in my posts and throughout my hour long conversation with Mr. Magnier to point out that I am a Buddhist in the Tibetan tradition -- he did not mention it... or even that I was a Tibet supporter. In fact, the quote attributed to me in the article leaves out the heart of what was actually said, and without the context of my being a practicing Buddhist who supports the Tibetan cause, the reasons why I 'made it my mission' to convince people to not pass the photo along, are lost.

What was printed: "But the Internet picture supposedly featuring the Chinese paramilitary and the robes did not pass the smell test, as it seemed vaguely familiar, said Ehron Asher of Denver, a blogger, musician and artist. He has made it his mission on his blog and in Internet chat rooms to persuade people not to pass it along.

"Yes, the Chinese government should respect human rights," Asher said. "But the Tibetan cause should not come at the cost of our own honesty."

What was actually said to Mr.Magnier, and what I have repeated here and elsewhere many times: "It does not help the Tibetan cause (nor does it make sense, logically or karmically), to use deceit when trying to expose the Chinese govt's deceit. As a practicing Buddhist of the Tibetan lineage, devoted to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, His Holiness the Karmapa, the Vajra-Vidyadhara Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche -- I firmly do not believe that the freedom of the Tibetan people should come at the cost of our own genuine truthfulness, compassion and respect. Yes, the Chinese govt should respect Human Rights... and we should respect ourselves enough to not use deception and dishonesty to attain that goal."
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With that being said, I sincerely appreciate Mr. Magnier's effort and recognize how difficult it must be to try to investigate anything in China and try to report anything out of China. I wish you well, Mark. Please stay safe.

May all beings benefit from the truth.

with sincere respect,

Ehron
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By this merit may all obtain omniscience.
May it defeat the enemy, wrong doing
from the stormy waves of samsara may I free all beings.

By the confidence of the Golden Sun of the Great East
May the lotus garden of the Rigdens' wisdom bloom.
May the dark ignorance of sentient beings be dispelled.
May all beings enjoy profound, brilliant glory.