WORLD NEWS

February 13th is truly a significant day for Tibet and Tibetans as it was on this day in 1913 that Tibet officially asserted her independence under the reign of the 13th Dalai Lama. This year we celebrate 111th anniversary of the declaration of independence of Tibet.

Tibet was historically never a part of China until communist China invaded Tibet in 1950 within a few months of ousting the nationalist Kuomintang and ruling China. Tibet’s history was wrought with external forces entering Tibet and exerting its influence over Tibetan territories particularly the Mongols, Manchus and the Chinese empires. However, Tibet was never an official part of any of these empires. The level of influence and relationship varying from priest patron, tributary state to protectorate.

Tibet possessed all the characteristics of a modern nation state- a distinct geography, population, shared identity and culture, a system of governance and sovereignty. The only element lacking was the international recognition of Tibet as a sovereign nation state due to its isolation and lack of foreign relations.

The official proclamation of independence by the 13th Dalai Lama was a watershed in the history of Tibet. During the period

from 1913-1950, Tibet was under the reign of the 13th Dalai Lama without any foreign influence or interference. He brought reforms in the monastic institutions and introduced English medium schools, paper currency and postage stamps. Becoming aware of the significance of external relations, able young Tibetan officials were sent abroad for exposure and training.

Tibetan delegation attended the tripartite Simla Convention of 1914 which was attended by Chinese and British Indian delegates.

With the untimely demise of the 13th Dalai Lama in 1933, the fifth Reting Rinpoche and subsequently the third Taktra Rinpoche ruled as the regent of Tibet until the 14th Dalai lama who was enthroned in 1940 assumed full political power on 17th November 1950 at a tender age of 15.

Before the invasion of Tibet by the Communist China in 1950, Tibet asserted its sovereignty with its own military, foreign affairs department, currency, issued passports and even Tibetan trade missions were sent in 1948 to several countries, including China, United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Switzerland, Ireland, Saudi Arabia and India with visas issued on Tibetan passport.

In little over six months after its illegal invasion of Tibet, China attempted to legitimize its rule with the signing under duress of “Seventeen Point Agreement of the Central People’s Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet” on May 23rd, 1951.

Communist China began gradually eroding the very identity, culture and eco system of Tibet. The revolt against the Chinese started in Kham and spread to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. Mass uprisings took place on March 10 and 12, 1959. Many of our parents and elders fought the Chinese under the Chushi Gangdrug Tibetan national voluntary army. Chinese army shelled all the Tibetan areas, brutally crushed the revolutionaries with a bombardment of artillery shells, killing many thousands and imprisoning many more. The Dalai Lama was strongly advised by the Tibetan government and the state oracle to escape Tibet. On March 17,1959, the Dalai escaped to India in disguise and reached India on 30th and he was followed by over 80,000 Tibetans in the years to come.

Despite the might of China and brutal crackdown in Tibet, the Chinese authorities have failed to break the spirit and destroy the identity of Tibetans. The world is now aware of the ongoing Chinese strategies of massive political indoctrination to decimate Tibetan identity and forcefully assimilate Tibetans into Chinese mainstream. Tibetan children as young as 4 are forced to be enrolled in Chinese boarding schools away from home and brainwashed with Chinese ideology and immersed in Chinese thought and language. China is also using all its propaganda machinery to erase Tibet from the world map and lingo and instead propagate the Chinese “Xizang”.

China has interfered in the reincarnation of Tibetan Lamas and has promulgated laws on reincarnation requiring its consent on all provisions. China is bound to interfere in the reincarnation of the 15th Dalai Lama. We Tibetans have made it very clear that only the 14th Dalai Lama has the sole authority to determine his next reincarnation.

Tibet’s call for help in the aftermath of Chinese invasion fell on deaf ears. The world at the time was caught up in cold war geopolitics and India was an idealistic and nascent democracy just emerged out of British rule. China’s designs and ambition was obvious but not given much attention. Today the world is acutely aware of the threat that China poses not only to its neighbors but also as a belligerent force engaged in dominating the world order using all means at its disposal.

We must all work together to combat Chinese aggression and in doing so draw lessons from the Chinese invasion of Tibet.

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