Everyone must have seen those pictures of the Tibetan protesters grappling and struggling with the carriers of Olympic torch in France. For a few rare moments, the protestors actually succeeded in grabbing the torch. And perhaps for the first time in known history, the torch was put out for a few minutes “due to security reasons”. The incident attracted widespread attention. Yet, as is liable with most such incidences, this also grabbed its share of 15 minutes, and rapidly disappeared from public memory. A lot of people noticed the incident, but few seemed to notice the cause or the reasons for this protest.

For the past few days, I have seen the vibrant Hubpage community engage in rather vibrant discussions about the Israel-Palestine conflict. Understandably, there have been rather sharp, polarized views about the conflict. I couldn’t help but notice the contrast and the similarities with the situation in Tibet.

Similarities:

1. An extremely powerful and well armed adversary ranged against a relatively weaker regime.
2. Blatant human rights abuse by the powerful adversary.
3. Wholesale extermination of unarmed civilians.
4. The governments of the vanquished regimes are still-born.

Differences:

1. No armed struggle, extremist movement or terrorism resorted to by Tibetan people.
2. Deafening silence of powers that be, probably because of #1 above and because it makes bad business sense.

With the advent of the Communist regime in 1949, China laid its claim on Tibet as a part of the newly established PeoplesRepublic of China. Through repeated coercion and intimidation, it succeeded in getting the “Seventeen-Point Agreement” signed in April, 1951. The five member delegation that had went to Beijing for negotiations was held in confinement, coerced and threatened with physical violence to obtain the agreement. The delegation made it eminently clear that since the agreement was obtained under duress, the Government of Tibet was under no obligation to recognize it.

Yet, China trumpeted that “an agreement has been reached for the ‘peaceful liberation’ of Tibet”. The official seals of Tibetan government were forged to give an air of authenticity to the “agreement”. The agreement was broadcast on radio subsequently, and that is how the Tibetan government came to learn about it. The Tibetan Head of State, the Dalai Lama (who was an 18 year young man at that time) reacted with shock and disbelief at the agreement.

Under the terms of the “agreement”, the PLA (People’s Liberation Army-the Chinese army) attacked Tibet in September 1951. They occupied almost the whole of Tibet, including the capital, Lhasa. The next few years saw a systematic taking over by the Chinese of virtually all the reins of power and administration of the Tibetan government. Any uprising (and there were numerous of these) was brutally suppressed and people were massacred in large numbers. Eminent personalities of Tibet and important Tibetan government officials were invited to various functions in China, from which they never returned.

Matters came to a head in March 1959, when the Dalai Lama himself was invited to one such function. To further add to the suspicion, he was “requested” to come without his team of (dedicated) bodyguards. Upon receiving the news of this suspicious invitation, the Tibetan public surrounded the Norbulingkha, the summer palace of the Dalai Lama. Shortly afterwards, the PLA marched into Lhasa, resulting again into widespread massacre of mostly unarmed and vastly outnumbered and outgunned Tibetans.

Sensing trouble and an imminent danger to his life, Dalai Lama was prevailed upon by his loyal followers to escape to safety. He escaped to India on the night of March 17, 1959, shortly followed by another 80,000 Tibetans. He subsequently appeared in public a few days later in Mussoorie, and declared that “Wherever I am, accompanied by my government, the Tibetan People recognize us as the Government of Tibet”.

-         Claim of ‘Ownership” of Tibet by China

-         Unilateral declaration in 1949 that PLA will liberate all Chinese territories, including Tibet and Taiwan.

-         4000 Tibetan troops slaughtered in an attack in October, 1950.

-        Using coercion and duress to get the “Seventeen Point Agreement” signed by the Tibetan delegation.

-         Attack and siege of Tibet from 1951 to 1959.

-         Attempt to murder the Dalai Lama in 1959.

-         Systematic annexation and incorporation of Tibetan territories into Chinese provinces.

-         Establishing a Chinese military command in Tibet.

-         Major ethnic tribes of Tibet like the Sherpas, Lhopas, Tengpas etc stripped of their Tibetan identities, and classified as Chinese minorities.

-         More than 87,000 Tibetans murdered between March and October 1959 alone.

-         Till date, more than 1.2 million Tibetans killed by Chinese aggression.

-         Hundreds of arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detentions, disappearances and summary executions still take place.

-         Freedom of movement severely restricted for Tibetans in Tibet itself.

-     Changing the ethnic mix of Tibet by large scale settling of people from mainland China.

Since 1978, successive Chinese governments have negotiated with the Tibetan government in exile. But apparently, they want the negotiations to progress in only specific directions, the ones suited to the Chinese intent. Till this date, they do not recognize the Tibetan Government in Exile. It has even declared its own successor to the Dalai Lama, contrary to the wishes of the Tibetan people, and against the due process laid down by the Tibetan traditions. The original successor to the Dalai Lama lives in India, guarded by trusted bodyguards. The Tibetan Government in Exile still continues in India, with Dharmashala in Himachal Pradesh as its capital.