![[Tibetan flag]](index_files/image001.gif)
| The Situation in Tibet |
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Introduction
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Situated on a vast high altitude plateau,
Tibet is the size of Western Europe.
Tibet was invaded by the Chinese Liberation Army in 1950 without an accepted legal basis for claiming sovriegnity over the country. Prior to the invasion there were no Chinese nationals in Tibet and Tibet has asserted its indpendence from China. There is a bulk of evidence to show that Tibet was an independent country although this is disputed by the Chinese. Tibet had its own currency and postal system, its own government and diplomatic contact with other countries. Tibet has an identity wholly separate from China with its own language, religious traditions and rich unique culture.
Following the invasion China signed a "17 point agreement" with the Dalai Lama agreeing to refrain from interfering with Tibet's government and society. In 1953 Mao Zedong promised the Dalai Lama that China would leave Tibet once it's "liberation" was complete. In 1959 there was an uprising by the Tibetan people which was crushed by the Chinese. An estimated 430 000 people were killed (Chinese estimate 87 000). 100 000 Tibetans fled to India to exile with the Dalai Lama.
Since the invasion an estimated 1.2 million Tibetans have died as a result of the Chinese occupation. 6000 monasteries have been destroyed and Tibet's unique culture is under threat. There are currently still hundreds of political prisoners in Tibet in jails in which torture is routine. There is no freedom of speech and the "Tibetan Autonomous Region" has the most serveillence cameras per head of population in the world. Possessing a photograph of the Dalai Lama is illegal. China is relocating thousands of Han Chinese settlers to the Tibetan Plateau. Although still a minority in the population (around 7%), these settlers control the economies of major cities like Lhasa. With the advent of the China Tibet railway the threat to Tibetans from settlers will be dramatically increased as China plans to relocate millions of Chinese settlers to Tibet. There is a real risk that in the coming decades Tibetans will become a minority in their own country as has happened in Inner Mongolia.
The Issues
Human rights' violations in Tibet cover civil, political economic and social issues. Arbitrary arrest and torture of prisoners-of-conscience dominate international human rights' concerns; images of His Holiness the Dalai Lama are banned and non-violent protests are suppressed with imprisonment. The population transfer of Chinese people into Tibet have made Tibetans a minority, depriving them of jobs and discriminating against their culture. Whilst Tibetans are denied political authority wiithin their country, these practices will continue. |
Torture
Repression
Culture |
Environment
"The exploitation of resources (in Tibet) such as water, agricultural products and mineral resources shows great potential." '100 Questions about Tibet', The Chinese Embassy, London.
- Tibet's fragile ecosystem is being decimated for unsustainable development. 80% of the forests in Eastern Tibet have been logged.
- The Tibetan Plateau plays a major role in the flow of the Monsoon winds. The rapid destruction of Tibet's fragile ecology through deforestation, mining and population transfer may change the pattern of the Monsoons with disasterous consequences.
- Major Asian rivers, including the Mekong, Yangtze and Salween, originate in Tibet. Chinese dam projects on these will damage the environment, displace local population and affect the water supply of 47% of the world's population.
Standard of Health and well-being
- Save the Children and Médecins Sans Frontières pulled out of Tibet in 2002 because of "unworkable restrictions."
- 67% of people living in Western regions of Tibet are living in poverty (Asian Development Bank, 2002)
- One months' medical care (necessary to heal a broken leg) costs 400 Yuan from an average 1410 Yuan average household income.
Tibetans in Exile
180 000 Tibetans live in exile as refugees with limited legal rights. Since fleeing Tibet in 1959, HH the Dalai Lama has established a democratic government based in India. The Tibetan Government-in-Exile (TGiE) preserves Tibetan culture and identity that is rapidly being destroyed in Chinese occupied Tibet. The TGiE has a policy of dialogue with China to reach genuine Autonomy. Many governments around the world have acknowledged the need for a fair resolution in Tibet but have so far failed to recognise the TGiE as legitimate.
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