What happened in Tibet?

In 1950, despite protests by Britain and the US, 40 000 People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops overwhelmed the small number of Tibetan troops and volunteers at Chamdo in Eastern Tibet. By May 1951 the PLA entered Lhasa as part of the 'peaceful liberation' of Tibet. The Tibetan delegation was forced to sign the '17-Point Agreement' detailing the terms of the surrender of Tibet. The Chinese government forged the Tibetan Seals of State and later violated this unequal treaty.

As open resistance to the China's occupation escalated, the PLA's repression increased dramatically. In 1959 popular uprisings culminated in massive demonstrations in Lhasa. Estimated 87 000 Tibetans had lost their lives as the result, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama fled into exile to India followed by some 80 000 Tibetans.

While HH the Dalai Lama introduced a democratic constitution in exile for future Tibet, the repression in Tibet continued full force and more Tibetans escaped the occupied country. Over 6000 monasteries and nunneries were looted and destroyed, religious figures and local leaders were tortured and murdered. It is believed that over 1 million Tibetans have died as a result of the China's occupation.

Tibet Today…

The systematic destruction of Tibetan identity still continues: Han Chinese (7.5 million) in Tibet has out numbered Tibetans (6 million) due to the Government's population transfer scheme and is expected to increase thanks to the new railway construction; Tibetans are marginalised in economic, political and social spheres; women are subjected to forced abortion and sterilization; and militarization turned once a peaceful buffer state between India and China into a vast military base; many people in China are suffering from the gross human rights violation committed by the Chinese government. Hundreds of Tibetans still walk across the Himalayas every year, risking their lives to escape into exile.

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