Tibet and China: The Story of Death, History and PoliticsRiots have recently been taking place in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. There are no accurate counts of the death toll and they range from the official Chinese Government number of 10, to the anecdotal info of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in Exile of about 100. The cause has been attributed to everything from pre-Olympics protest to highlight the desire for Tibetan independence, to diplomatic friction over the US and German hosting of the Dalai Lama, to local discontent over the harsh treatment of Tibetans by the Chinese Communist Party in Tibet. Until we know more, we need to examine historical events that give a perspective of Tibetan attitudes toward their Chinese overlords.Soon after the Chinese Communist Party under Mao Zedung rose to power in 1949 it claiming that Tibet was actually part of China. Using the propaganda of communist-speak it began asserting that the people of Tibet were inviting China to liberate the country from imperialist forces and from the reactionary feudal regime represented by the Tibetan spiritual leader, The Dalai Lama. And, in 1950 the Dalai Lama, then 15 years old, briefly left Tibet for the security of India but soon returned in mid-1951. Only three years later, in 1954, Mao had 222,000 members of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) stationed in Tibet. At that time the population of Tibet was only about 2.8 million so the PLA represented an increase in nonproductive population of about 8%. In a country which was based on a delicate subsistence agricultural system this stretched the availability of food beyond capacity and famine conditions became rampant. Facing starvation and a repressive military occupation a guerrilla insurgency broke out in February 1956, in several areas in Eastern Tibet. Mao had the PLA begin bombing and pillaging monasteries in Eastern Tibet, arresting nobles, senior monks and guerrilla leaders. Chinese Communist military authorities began publicly torturing and executing these groups to discourage what appeared to be a large-scale revolt.In early 1959, although the rebellion was still taking place, as the spiritual leader of the Tibetans, the Dalai Lama was preoccupied with taking his Final Master of Metaphysics examination. On March 1, 1959, two junior Chinese army officers visited him at the sacred Jokhang cathedral and tried to pressure him into attending a theatrical performance and tea at the Chinese Army Headquarters in Lhasa. Interestingly, the invitation was not conveyed through the Kashag (the Cabinet) as it should have been. In addition, the party was not at the palace where such functions would normally have been held, but at the military headquarters. And, the Dalai Lama had been asked to attend alone. Several days later the Dalai Lama agreed to attend the theatrical presentation at their army camp on March 10, 1959.The day before the Dalai Lama was to attend this presentation the commander of the Dalai Lama’s bodyguards was ordered that on March 10th there was to be no customary ceremony as the Dalai Lama moved from the Norbulinka summer palace to the army headquarters and no armed bodyguard was to escort him. It must be realized that by custom, an escort of twenty-five armed guards always accompanied the Dalai Lama and the entire city of Lhasa would line up whenever he went. On March 10, 1959, fearing that he would be abducted and forcibly taken to Beijing to attend the upcoming Chinese National Assembly, 30,000 loyal Tibetans to surround the Norbulinka palace. This protective show of loyalty forced the Dalai Lama to turn down the army leader's invitation. Late in the afternoon of March 17, 1959 the Chinese Communist Peoples Revolutionary Army fired two mortar shells at the Norbulinka palace. Fortunately for the Dalai Lama and the others in the Norbulinka, the shells landed short of the palace walls in a marsh. This attack, along with the other sequence of events, convinced the Dalai Lama to finally leave his homeland. An so, on the evening of March 17, dressed as a soldier complete with uniform and a gun slung over his shoulder, the Dalai Lama left the Norbulinka palace and headed to India. Two days later, fighting broke out in Lhasa. The Chinese Communist PLA bombarded the Norbulinka palace with 800 shells. In addition, Lhasa's major monasteries, Gaden, Sera and Drepung were shelled and monastic treasures and precious scriptures destroyed. Thousands of monks were either immediately killed, relocated to cities and forced into slave labor, or deported. Over 86,000 Tibetans in central Tibet were killed by the Chinese during this period; this represented about 3% of Tibet’s total population.The Dalai Lama and his party continued their escape and crossed into India at the Khenzimane Pass on March 31, 1959. Indian President Nehru announced on April 3, 1959 in the Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha) that the Government of India had granted asylum to the Dalai Lama. Knowing these historical facts allows us to recognize that the continued repression of Tibet by the Chinese Government, which continues today, is in some way responsible for the current problems. More recent facts will reveal that even the Chinese Government of today, which is more globalized, is still repressing Tibet. "Whether the (Chinese) government there admits or not, there is a problem. There is an ancient cultural heritage that is facing serious danger," the Dalai Lama said. "Whether intentionally or unintentionally, some kind of cultural genocide is taking place" he added.
Hal Stevens is President of CemeterySpot, Inc. http://www.cemeteryspot.com/ an online memorial website and blog .To schedule an interview, or discuss this article, please call Hal Stevens at 405-210-4363 or email Hal at hal@cemeteryspot.com .
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