Tibet

The following documentation has been taken from Students for a Free Tibet UK, original article can be found here: www.sftuk.org

Tibet in the 20th Century
Tibet’s status following the expulsion of Manchu troops is not subject to serious dispute. Whatever ties existed between the Dalai Lama and the Manchu emperors of the Qing Dynasty were extinguished with the fall of that empire and dynasty. From 1911 to 1950, Tibet successfully avoided undue foreign influence and behaved, in every respect, as a fully independent state. Tibet had its own currency, issued its own passports, and had a modern post & telegraph system.
Tibet maintained diplomatic relations with Nepal, Bhutan, Britain, and later with independent India. Relations with China remain strained. The Chinese waged a border war with Tibet while formally urging Tibet to “join” the Chinese Republic, claiming all along to the world that Tibet already was one of China’s “five races”.
13th Dalai Lama History & CultureIn an effort to reduce Sino-Tibetan tensions, the British convened a tripartite conference in Simla in 1913 where the representative of the three states met on equal terms. As the British delegation reminded his Chinese counterpart, Tibet entered the conference as “independent nation recognizing no allegiance to China.” The conference was unsuccessful in that it did not resolve the difference between Tibet and China. It was, nevertheless, significant in that the Anglo-Tibetan friendship was reaffirmed with the conclusion of bilateral trade and border agreements. In a Joint Declaration, Great Britain and Tibet bound themselves not to recognize Chinese suzerainty or other special rights in Tibet unless China signed the draft Simla Convention which would have guaranteed Tibet’s greater borders, its territorial integrity and full autonomy. China never signed the Convention, however, leaving the terms of the Joint Declaration in full force.
Tibet conducted its international relations primarily by dealing with the British, Chinese, Nepalese, and Bhutanese diplomatic missions in Lhasa, but also through government delegations traveling abroad. When India became independent, the British mission in Lhasa was replaced by an Indian one. During World War II Tibet remained neutral, despite combined pressure from the United States, Great Britain, and China to allow passage of raw materials through Tibet.
Tibet never maintained extensive international relations, but those countries with whom it did maintain relations treated Tibet as they would with any sovereign state. Its international status was in fact no different from, say, that of Nepal. Thus, when Nepal applied for United Nations’ membership in 1949, it cited its treaty and diplomatic relations with Tibet to demonstrate its full international personality.
The Invasion of Tibet
Tibetan army History & Culture
The Tibetan army prepare to defend themselves against China in 1950
mao 1950 History & CultureThe turning point of Tibet’s history came in 1949, when the People’s Liberation Army of the PRC first crossed into Tibet. After defeating the small Tibetan army and occupying half the country, the Chinese government imposed the so-called “17-Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet” on the Tibetan government in May 1951. Because it was signed under duress, the agreement lacked validity under international law. The presence of 40,000 troops in Tibet, the threat of an immediate occupation of Lhasa, and the prospect of the total obliteration of the Tibetan state left Tibetans little choice.
As the resistance to the Chinese occupation escalated, particularly in Eastern Tibet, the Chinese repression, which included the destruction of religious buildings and the imprisonment of monks and other community leaders, increased dramatically. By 1959, popular uprising culminated in massive demonstrations in Lhasa. By the time China crushed the uprising, 87,000 Tibetans were dead in the Lhasa region alone, and the Dalai Lama had fled to India, where he now leads the Tibetan Government-in-exile, headquartered in Dharamsala. In 1963, the Dalai Lama promulgated a constitution for a democratic Tibet. It has been successfully implemented, to the extent possible, by the Government-in-exile.
19592 History & Culture
Tibetans protest during the 1959 Uprising
Tibet in the 21st century: The situation today.
Over 1.2 million Tibetans have died as a direct result of China’s illegal occupation of Tibet, and human rights conditions remain dismal. In Tibet today, there is no freedom of speech, no freedom of assembly, no freedom of press and no freedom of religion.
Cultural and religious repression
What the Chinese government fears most in Tibet is Tibetan nationalism. In Tibet, a country which is predominantly Buddhist and whose culture and political structure were deeply intertwined with Buddhism before the occupation, nationalism and the Tibetan people’s sense of identity is firmly rooted in Tibetan culture and religion. 
Tibetan language
The Tibetan language is very different from Chinese. For one, it is written in an alphabet whereas Chinese is written in pictograms. Moreover, the grammar and pronunciation are very different from Chinese. In Tibet today, students are taught Chinese in school and, in secondary schools, all classes are in Chinese. Tibetan language is becoming less and less useful, and Tibetans who do not speak Chinese have a very difficult time competing in the job market. Since 2008, there has been a visible drive by sections of Tibetan society to protect Tibetan language. Tibetan students have been at the forefront of the drive to protect their language, protesting in their hundreds against being forced to learn in Chinese, and often having their schools placed under seige and students and teachers detained by authorities for doing so. It shows how intrinsic the Tibetan language is to Tibetan’s culture, and how important Tibetans regard its protection.
Tibetan Buddhism
During the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s, China’s People’s Liberation Army destroyed nearly every one of Tibet’s monasteries and nunneries. More than 6,000 monasteries and nunneries were razed to the ground. Tibet’s monastic system, previously an important component of Tibet’s social structure, was destroyed. By 1979, only 13 monasteries remained in Tibet. Many monks and nuns had died, either as a result of the occupation or of natural cause, and many had been forced to disrobe.
The time of so-called “liberalisation” in Tibet came to a quick halt when the Chinese government realised that even the harsh brutality of the Cultural Revolution had not been able to stamp out the Tibetan people’s fierce patriotism and their strong sense of ethnic and national identity. As soon as the Chinese government loosened its grip on Tibet, the Tibetan resistance was reinvigorated. Beginning in the late 1980s, Tibetans took to the streets in spontaneous mass demonstrations against the Chinese occupation.
By the late nineties, hundreds of monks and nuns were imprisoned throughout Tibet for taking part in nonviolent demonstrations for Tibetan freedom. In 1996, China launched the “Strike Hard” Campaign, aimed at cracking down with severity on resistance in Tibet. A major component of this campaign focused on religion. Monks and nuns had to attend “patriotic re-education” sessions, photos of the Dalai Lama were banned, monks and nuns who did not comply with all regulations were expelled from monasteries and nunneries and monastic life was closely monitored and regulated by the Communist Party. While all Tibetans suffered under the “Strike Hard” Campaign, monks and nuns bore the brunt of most of the new policies. Monks and nuns must also undergo “Patriotic Re-education” classes during which they are taught to be loyal to the Communist Party, to denounce the Dalai Lama and to accept that Tibet is a part of China, and are kept under heavy surveillance by Chinese secret police. 
Self immolations
There has also been a tragic trend since 2011; Tibetans have been setting themselves on fire as a means of protesting against Chinese rule, laying down their lives to make an impact for their country. Even though it’s hard for people not living under the constant repression of the CCP to understand self-immolation, it’s a testament to the principles of Tibetans that even when things get this bad, they would rather hurt themselves than another human being. But their demands are growing stronger; rights and freedoms, the return of the Dalai Lama and independence for Tibet.
20thjune History & Culture

Environmental damage
Because of Tibet’s high altitude and extreme climate, the damage caused by aggressive development of the fragile high-mountain ecosystem is becoming irreversible. Much of the traditional respect for the delicate ecosystem has dissipated as demographics of the area have changed with Chinese population influx and traditional Tibetan ways of life being supplanted by other models. Tibet now face severe environmental challenges, fueled in part by the need to meet the demands of the growing population, as well as the needs and ambitions of mainland China itself.
Deforestation
Forests in Tibet are the third largest within China’s present day borders. Government lumber operations went unhindered for decades. Reforestation is neglected and ineffective, leaving hillsides vulnerable to erosion. Rapid and widespread deforestation has life-threatening consequences for the hundreds of millions who live on the flood plains of the major rivers of Southeast Asia, many of which have their headwaters in Tibet. In 1998, China witnessed severe flooding of the Yangtze (in Tibetan: Drichu) river valley, the result of massive deforestation in eastern Tibet. Clear-cutting also threatens the habitat of Tibet’s other residents; the rare giant panda, golden monkey, and over 5,000 plant species unique to the region.
Deforestation is also one of the world’s main drivers of climate change, as cutting down huge forests reduces the amount of CO2 which can be absorbed, gradually warming the planet. This is particularly devisive in Tibet, which houses the third largest store of water-ice outside the poles, and which is warming at a phenomenal rate. If Tibet’s glaciers melt, estimates state that over one billion people who’s lives depend on the waters from Asia’s major rivers will be at severe risk.
Natural Resources Extraction
The Tibetan plateau is rich in natural resources. Natural gas, oil, timber, gold and other minerals can all be found it Tibet. Moreover, over 10 major rivers originate in Tibet. The Chinese government has already begun stealing Tibet’s natural resources for use in the rapidly industrializing cities on China’s east coast. The extraction of minerals and wood from Tibetan regions is largely done by, or at the direction of, newly arrived Chinese workers and administrators. Some meager short-term benefit may accrue to local Tibetans, but more often than not, the land is left spoiled and traditional Tibetan livelihoods disrupted. Moreover, roads built to access uncut forests or untapped minerals usually result in an increase in Chinese settlers and administrators.
Recently, the completion of an oil pipeline that runs through Tibet has raised grave concerns about lifestyle disruption in traditionally nomadic areas of northeastern Tibet, as well as increased settlement of Chinese workers along the pipeline. In a world where oil-related conflicts are becoming more common while these resources run dry, the discovery of what may be the world’s third or fourth largest store of oil in the North of what China calls the ‘Tibet Autonomous Region’ creates even more resources for China to exploit and even more need for Tibet’s environment to be protected from the kind of rapid industrial development which is already damaging this globally vital environment.
Hydroelectric Construction Projects
China has plans to build dozens of hydroelectric dams on Tibet’s rivers and export the electricity to Chinese cities such as Chengdu, Xining, Lanzhou, and Xian. There are grave concerns about forced resettlement and flooding associated with these dam construction projects. China has a horrendous track record when it comes to hydroelectric dam construction. During the construction of the infamous Three Gorges Dam in China, around 1.5 million people have were forcefully evicted, and the Chinese police have brutally cracked down on protest by local Chinese against the dam. Since then, Chinese studies have actually revealed horrendous flaws in the construction of the Three Gorges, some of which have had disasterous effects for the environment and left huge habited areas and sites of acheological and agricultural importance underwater. If this is the track record for China’s most prestigious dam, there are huge worries over future projects, worries which the Indian government especially, whose people will be at risk if errors are made over a proposed dam on the Brahamaputra, have often stood up to express.

Economic and social exclusion
There are a number of negative consequences of China’s “Go West” policy, listed below. Tibetans in Tibet want development, but they do not want the kind of development the Chinese government is imposing on them, where they have no say and ultimately do not benefit from it. 
Chinese population transfer
One of the most serious threats to the survival of the Tibetan national, cultural, and religious identity is population transfer. To the Chinese government, Tibet, with its 850,000 square miles of land (roughly the size of Western Europe), represents the space needed for the rapidly expanding Chinese population. Mass immigration by Chinese settlers into Lhasa and other areas of the Tibet Autonomous Region is encouraged by the government, which offers economic incentives to settlers. Tibetans are now a minority in their own land: Tibetan exiles claim 7.5 million Chinese now live in Tibet alongside 6 million Tibetans.
Job descrimination
The Chinese state often avoids criticism of human rights abuses by underlining te amount of money it invests in Tibet, and these comments are entirely true, but are used as a smoke-screen. There is no denial that China invests money in Tibet, but investment is exactly what it is; money is only put in so that far more money can be taken out, and the problem is that this money rarely benefits Tibetans, often having a detrimental effect.

Why are these policies implemented?

The Chinese government is determined to wipe out all traces of Tibetan national identity in an attempt to stifle any form of dissent among Tibetans. This includes not only cracking down on the peaceful protests which continue to be seen across the region, but also on the day-to-day lives of Tibetans. Tibetans can be arrested, beaten, jailed and tortured for all manner of ‘crimes’ including possessing a picture of the Dalai Lama or a Tibetan flag, downloading MP3s and ringtones of songs which mention the Tibetan nation, Tibetan unity or repression, sending e-mail to friends about crackdowns in Tibet, calling for the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet, writing magazine articles about state corruption or even being a relative or friend of somebody who does any of the above.

  • For further information, please feel free to contact our society:

    We are a student movement who stands in solidarity with the Tibetan people in their non-violent resistance against systematic cultural, social and religious repression. Come and join the resistance.
    Meetings: Thursdays 7.30-9pm @ Room 2, Chaplaincy, Bistro Square.
    Facebook: 
    www.facebook.com/EdinburghUniversityTibetSociety
    Twitter:  
    https://twitter.com/EdUniTibetSoc
    Email Addresstibetsoc@gmail.com 

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