Tibetan Independence Movement

Georgios Kirmitsakis

Tibet had always been a country with rich culture and history. Everything changed when the People’s
Republic of China invaded the Tibetan plateau in 1949. Ever since then, the people of Tibet fight for the
protection of their identity and their freedom. Why are the people fighting so relentlessly to get
recognition from the world and the communist party of China and what benefits and consequences will
these actions bring to Tibet?

The invasion brought huge consequences on the Tibetan people. For 72 years Tibet has been under the
occupation of the Chinese communist party and it has the fewer political rights and the most declining
economy than all the other districts in China. After the spread of communism in Tibet every religious
action is strictly illegal. The Dalai Lama, which is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, was exiled to
India in an attempt to erase his identity and presence while every mentioning of him in public or
exposed image can result in imprisonment and torture. Tibet was hugely influenced by Buddhism, being
it one of the main aspects of its culture. The CCP has destroyed almost every temple, has demolished
thousands of homes and has forcefully evicted monks, nuns and students to exiled communities in the
mountains. The national identity of Tibet is being suppressed by imprisoning every action for it and by
educating the younger generations the Chinese language and history. Political oppression and violence is
faced by the people in their every day life as being surveilled by thousands of cameras and being beaten
up by the police for peaceful protests. China has made Tibet a migration location making them the
minority in their own country and building infrastructure for Chinese migrants. Tibetans have no mean
of tourism as they are monitored by the police and have no right for a Chinese passport. Another
problem caused by the Chinese government is the destruction of the land and the environment of Tibet.
Extraction of raw material is practiced daily so China can boost its industrial development. People
protesting against it are met with violence and even imprisonment.

All these events have caused immense anger in the hearts of people. However, freedom of speech is
very limited in Tibet but the fact that Tibetans want a change is clear. Tibet tried to retake control once
when China was unstable during its famine . The uprising happened in 1959 in the area of Lhasa. Sadly,
it was a pointless attempt that only caused deaths on the Tibetan side because of its poor army
equipment. Before the uprising, the American organization CIA got involved, trained the guerilla
warriors and provided them with weapons so they can win their independence. Tibet managed to get
recognized by the US government but failed to give results on the battlefield. However the CIA didn’t
care about the Tibetan independence movement or for its people but during that era the cold war was
ongoing and the US was trying to destroy every sign of communism possible. The 14 th Dalai Lama who
was exiled to India created an organization named ‘’Middle Way Approach” in the late 1980s which
supported that Tibet stays a part of the Chinese republic but with more power and control over its own
affairs, in contrast with people in Tibet who support “Rangzen” meaning complete independence. The
two organizations have different views on the subject but both seek the same outcome from this
situation. In the latest years with the internet and the social media Tibet has managed to get more
attention. The problem is that the Chinese surveillance is so powerful that a possible uprising is almost
impossible. Still, there are many celebrities who still try to show the message to the world in hope of
change for the afflicted people of Tibet. Famous rock bands as “Gorillaz” and ‘’red hot chili peppers”
have made famous the problem in Europe and the US. An example is the awareness movement in
Western countries with the slogan “Free Tibet” that started from 1987 going until today. . Also, many
peaceful protests were formed in countries like Canada and France. Organizations being formed for the
sake of Tibet as the International Tibet Independence Movement located in Indiana, US formed in 1995.

What do the Chinese officials have to say about this situation? First of all they claim that Tibet was part
of the Chinese empire since the Yuan dynasty 800 years ago. The invasion of Tibet wasn’t brutal but it
was an attempt to liberate and reform Tibet’s feudalized society where everyone was enslaved to their
landlords. China has declared Tibet an autonomous state of China meaning it takes decisions on its own
and the people can perform any religion they want . Under the Chinese, Tibet has undergone huge
economic development and the Chinese government has done huge investments in infrastructure for
Tibet. They also accuse the Dalai Lama for wanting an independent Tibet only so he can rule over it again
because he has the need of power. Finally, China has the feeling that Tibet wants to overthrow the
Chinese government so they try to suppress them and accuse the westerns for not understanding the
full story. The Chinese people seem to believe the words of its leaders because they don’t seem very
active about the problem. Tibet is seen as another district of China where people can migrate to or even
visit as tourists.

In the end did Tibet manage to gain any recognition to help their situation? As seen, every battle has
two sides of the story. The Tibetan people felt oppressed so they asked for recognition via their
independence movements but the Chinese on the other hand acted accordingly to sustain control over
them and managed to justify all of it. Tibet had many consequences in its past and present for their
movements and uprisings but they still fight for recognition so one day they can as well see the benefits
out of this battle.

Sources: https://freetibet.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Tibet_(1950%E2%80%93present)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_independence_movement