nwasianweekly.com
April 26, 2008

Tashi Namgyal

Perspective on Tibet-China relationship

By Tashi Namgyal
Northwest Asian Weekly

Tibet and China have a long historical relationship, unique to themselves. The relationship has never been a very comfortable one. During this period, both Tibet and China went through ups and downs numerous times.

China claims that Tibet has always been a part of China, but Tibet has a long history of being an independent nation. In 821 Tibet and China ended almost 200 years of fighting with a treaty engraved on three stone pillars, one of which still stands in front of the Jokhang cathedral in Lhasa, which calls, “Tibetans shall be happy in Tibet and Chinese shall be happy in China.”

Not going back 200 years, it may be worth recalling that if Tibet had been an “inalienable part” of China, why wasn’t a single Chinese soldier sent to fight in Tibet against the 1904 British invasion of Tibet? This is to say that China had nothing to do with the security of Tibet. In fact, the last of the Chinese troops were expelled from Tibet in 1912 and the 13th Dalai Lama proclaimed Tibet Independence.

However, China started invading Tibet in 1949 and completely occupied it in 1959, which saw the flight of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetans to neighboring countries of India, Nepal and Bhutan. Since then the question of Tibet has attracted worldwide attention, including three resolutions in the United Nations in 1959, 1961 and 1965, calling for, among others, self determinations for Tibetan people.

The Chinese occupation of Tibet saw the untimely death of more than 1.2 million Tibetans and destruction of over 6500 monasteries and cultural institutions. The Tibetans had been turned into second-class citizens in their own land.

Yes, some material progress has been made in Tibet. In reality, the benefit from such development to Tibetan people is minimal. Above all, in more than 50 years of so called “development and progress,” the Chinese government was not able to produce one single Tibetan to take up the post of party secretary of Tibetan Autonomous Region or “to let Tibetans really be the masters of their own lives,” as Hu Yaobang said during his 1980 Tibet visit. Why is it so?

Talking about the amount of money spent for the development of Tibet, Hu Yaobang remarked during this first ever visit to Lhasa by Chinese Party leadership in 1980, “Our present situation is less than wonderful because the Tibetan people’s lives have not been much improved, but in general, Tibetans still live in relative poverty.” It is amply clear from this statement Tibetans did not benefit by the developmental work carried out by the “central government.”

The recent developments since March 10, 2008, are a culmination of long-simmering dissatisfaction with Beijing’s treatment of Tibetan people for the past 50-plus years. It is unfortunate that some shops, market stalls and vehicles owned by Han Chinese were targeted during the demonstration. I do not blame the Tibetans in some ways because they are faced with discrimination almost everywhere every day. If the sons of the soil had to endure such a treatment from their new master, it is but natural that their resentment would grow.It is of interest to note that the number of Han Chinese settlers in Tibet before 1959 could be counted on fingertips, while today the Han Chinese population in Tibet is 7.5 million against 6 million Tibetans. Most of the Han Chinese settlers in Tibet today came as part of the occupational forces.

Yes, Tibet was underdeveloped and poor, but no one slept on empty stomachs. Most important of all, Tibetans were happy about the way they were living. The Tibetans did not request the Chinese to come and help us. The People’s Republic of China invaded our peaceful land and then Tibetans were denied every individual right enshrined in the universal declaration of Human Rights. Even today, it is regarded as illegal and anti-national even to keep a photo of their spiritual leader — His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

It may be relevant to mention here that I have been separated from my parents and siblings for the past 47 years. I saw my infant sister dying from being separated from her mother. What was our fault? There are hundreds of such children like me who were separated from their parents at such a tender age; numbers of children have lost their parents, one or both. How many people have lost their wives, husbands, mothers, brothers and sisters, and how many innocent people have lost their lives? There is not a single Tibetan who has not lost one of their near and dear ones because of the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Does anyone think that Tibetans will be still happy? Despite these facts, a majority of the Tibetans do not harbor any hatred or anger against the Chinese people. We are against the treatment of Tibetans by the regime in Beijing, which does not enjoy the support of the majority of Chinese people.

Despite historical status, His Holiness is looking to the future and his middle-way approach is a reasonable and pragmatic initiative. His approach takes into consideration the interest of the Chinese, too. Thus, it enjoys the broad support and the goodwill of a vast number of Chinese people around the globe.

The essence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s middle-way approach is that it does not seek independence. Nor does it accept the present status of Tibet. His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s approach seeks to resolve the issue of Tibet within the constitutional framework of the PRC.

Lastly, let me conclude with the words of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from his appeal to the Chinese people, “Dispel the misunderstandings between our two communities, and help us find a peaceful, lasting solution to the problem of Tibet through dialogue in the spirit of understanding and accommodation.”

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