On October 7, 1951, Lhasa, the peaceful heartland of Tibet was invaded by the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army. Since that day more than one million Tibetans are believed to have perished by starvation, excecution and imprisonment. Thousands more were driven into exile in neighbouring lands. Tibetan culture was declared an alien import in its own country and the backbone of Tibet's society, Mayahana Buddhism, was ruthlessly supressed. Monks and Nuns who refused to renounce their beliefs were politically re-educated, confined and tortured, some were even forced to fornicate in the streets.
The Chinese introduced appalling birth control programs which involved forced sterilization, pregnancy checks, and even full term babies being killed at birth. This was forced upon Buddhist women, who regard the taking of all sentinent life a sin.
Tibet's rich mineral resources were plundered and the eco-system destroyed. (Craig M, 1999)
This is a struggle that has been ignored for far too long by the western world.
The Chinese called it 'liberation' but to the Tibetan's it was
Since the late 1980s, the number of Tibet support groups around the world has increased significantly. Although the majority of the groups are in Europe and North America many can be found in Africa, Latin America, Asia, The South Pacific and the former Soviet Republics. More than 300 Tibet Support Groups (TSGs) in over 50 countries are working actively to pressure the Chinese government and the international community to find a peaceful resolution of the conflict between China and Tibet. These groups have a combined membership of well over 100,000 people and, through their networks, have the potential to mobilise hundreds of thousands of people.
The International Tibetan Support Network has 116 member organisations, which includes the Australia Tibet Council.
The administration of Tibet by the Chinese is colonialist. Repression of the people and destruction of resources. In Tibet the law of the People's Republic of China is used for the prevention of the "splitting of the motherland". Non-violent opposition to the occupation of the Chinese is met with charges of "counter-revolution" and the offender categorised as an enemy of the people. There are no effective official channels through which detainees or a representative can make complaints. If a friend or relative does, they are likely to be brought under suspicion as an independence sympathiser. There is evidence that China has responded to international pressure, but, in general, China continues to breach its obligations under the Convention Against Torture. China has also failed to observe in Tibet prohibitions against torture written out in its own domestic legislation.
Punishment for Tibetan's who perform counter-revolutionary crimes
The average term of imprisonment since the trials began in 1989 seems to be six and a half years. There have been prison sentences of up to 19 years handed down to Tibetans found guilty of counter-revolutionary offences. There is growing speculation that Tibetan political prisoners have been executed. However, it is unclear whether any Tibetans have been executed since autumn 1987 because of their political activities (Defying the Dragon; p.36).
Click on the above link for information on the Dalai Lama and his position within and for Tibet
FREE THE PANCHEN LAMA FROM HOUSE ARREST IN CHINA
The Panchen Lama was abducted by the Chinese government when he was 6 years old. He has been missing for 6 years and is the worlds youngest political prisoner. There are many webpages that tell the story of the Panchen Lama in hope that the word will be spread and information about the Panchen Lama's where-a-bouts will be discovered.
Click on the above photo of the Panchen Lama for more information about his story.
This page mentions some things you can personally do to help the situation in Tibet
The Current Situation in Tibet
Human rights abuses, religious repression and environmental destruction are everyday occurrences in Tibet. The population transfer policy, which encourages Han Chinese to settle in Tibet, is constantly threatening Tibet's unique culture and is the reason that Tibetan's are becoming a minority in their own land. There are three major campaigns currently running. These are:
In summary, Tibet is still a far way off independence. The military and political might of China has scared other countries into not interfering in its colonisation of the peaceful nation of Tibet. In 1949, we turned our backs on Tibet, and they have been that way since. If not for the hundreds of international organisations that have supported Tibetan's and their fight for freedom, the situation in Tibet would have been far worse, and many more lives would have been lost.
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Support the global fight to find and rescue the Panchen Lama by placing the above banner on your webpage
