About Tibet

Tibet lies in the center of Asia. At 850,000 square miles, it is slightly larger than all of Western Europe. Tibet is on a plateau resulting in an average elevation of 14,000 feet. The plateau lies between two mountain ranges. The Kunlun mountains to the north and the Himalayans to the south. The Himalayans include Mount Everest the highest peak in the world at roughly 29,000 feet. Tibetan Buddhism is the religion of 99% of the Tibetan people. Their political and spiritual leader is His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

Were it not for the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1949, it is unlikely that many westerns would be as familiar with Tibet as they are today.

The following information is designed to provide a brief overview of the Chinese invasion of Tibet and the affect it has had on Tibet and its people.

Tibet history dates back over 2000 years. Prior to the Chinese invasion of 1949, Tibet's history was not unlike that of other nations. At times, Tibet extended its influence over neighboring countries and people. At other times, it came under the influence of foreign rule.

In order for the Chinese to claim sovereign rights over Tibet, they would have to show at what particular moment in history they first legally acquired these rights. Ironically, China's claim over Tibet is based on two periods in history, when both Tibet and China fell under the rule of a foreign empire. Once in the 13th century, when they fell under rule of the Mongols and again in the 18th century during the Qing Dynasty.

In the case of the Mongol empire, China claims that during the Mongol's control of Tibet and China, the two countries were merged into one, however there is no evidence to support this claim. Therefore, it would be like claiming that any country that had once been conquered by the Roman empire could now claim sovereign rights over any other country that had been conquered by the Roman empire. Additionally, the Mongols were very respectful of the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader. As a result, a close relationship between the Mongolian and Tibetan people exists to this day. As an interesting note, Tibet regained their independence from the Mongols before China did. Tibet then maintained their independence until the 18th century.

In the 17th century, the Manchus conquered China and created the Qing Dynasty. The Manchus had great respect for Buddhism, as a result the Dalai Lama gave spiritual guidance to the Manchu emperor in exchange for the protection of Tibet. Although Tibet maintained its independence, during the 18th century, the Manchus did exert tremendous influence when it came to the political and foreign affairs of Tibet. The relationship ceased when the Qing dynasty was overthrown in 1911. Again, there was no relationship between China and Tibet. This case for Chinese rule of Tibet, is even more tenuous since truly Tibet was never even under the rule of the Qing dynasty.

Once again Tibet remained independent until 1949, when the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China invaded Tibet. From this point on, the Tibetan people have suffered greatly under the illegal occupation of their country.

In 1951, the Tibetan government was forced to sign the 17 point agreement. This agreement brings the country of Tibet under Chinese rule. However, it also stated that Tibet would maintain a great degree of autonomy. It clearly stated that the established status, functions and powers of the Dalai Lama would not be altered and that the religious freedoms of the Tibetan people would be respected.

The greatest irony of this document is that by requesting the Tibetan government to sign an agreement that brings Tibet under Chinese rule, the Chinese government was acknowledging that Tibet was not under Chinese rule at the time the People's Liberation Army invaded. Their own document shows that they had no right to be in Tibet in the first place! For the document to be binding, Tibet would have had to invite the Chinese into Tibet of their own freewill to engage in an open discussion.

However, the issue of the document being signed under duress is ultimately of little concern, since the Chinese government went on to breach the treaty by failing to abide by the points outlined in it.

The violations of this treaty lead to the National Uprising of 1959 by the people of Tibet. The result of this uprising is painful to recount. Somewhere between 87,000 and 430,000 of Tibet's people were killed (The lower number is reported by China, the higher number is reported by Tibet). Fearing for their lives and safety, over 100,000 Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama were forced to flee Tibet, most seeking refuge in India and Nepal.

The atrocities continue:

• Approximately 6,000 monasteries and shrines where destroyed.

• Prior to the Chinese invasion Tibet was ecologically stable.
  The Chinese then used 80% of farmable land for harvesting wheat.
  Failure of harvests and the export of food to mainland China led to
  famines in the early 1960s. It is estimated that 340,000 Tibetans
  died as a result.

• Human rights groups have confirmed by name over 700 Tibetan
  political prisoners. Many of whom are monks and nuns.

• In 1995, the 11th Panchen Lama disappeared. A Panchen Lama is
  the second most important religious figure in Tibetan culture. The Dalai
  Lama being the first. The Chinese confirmed that they have him, claiming
  they are holding him in protective custody, because he is not the real
  Panchen Lama. No human rights organization, including the UN, has been
  allowed to visit him. His exact whereabouts remain unknown to this day.
  The Chinese government named another boy as the 'real' 11th Panchen
  Lama in an attempt to exercise control over the Tibetan people by having
  a Panchen Lama that would speak for the Chinese government.

• The Chinese government has implemented financial incentive programs to
  encourage the Chinese to move to Tibet. This has resulted in the Tibetan
  people being the minority. As such they have suffered an increase in
  unemployment and are discriminated against in their own country.

• There are at least 3 nuclear missile launch sites in Tibet. Nuclear waste
  from the research facility is feared to be dumped on the nearby plains
  where Tibetan nomads allege they have suffered illness and death from
  strange diseases consistent with radiation sickness.

• Deforestation since the Chinese invasion has resulted in the loss of 50%
  of Tibet's forests.

• China maintains an occupation army in Tibet in excess of 250,000.