Tibet

FACTS

Tibet is situated in the Himalayas, bordered by India, Nepal, Bhutan and China, with an area of 2.5 million square kilometers and is called "the roof of the world".

It has long been an independent country, dating for centuries. It has its own unique culture, with its own spoken and written language, system of government, costume, architecture and its own style of Buddhism.

Now, Tibet is an occupied colony of China. Its capital is Lhasa. The political and religious leader is the 14^th Dalai Lama, who governs in exile in India.

HISTORY

The peaceful Buddhist country of Tibet was invaded by Communist China in 1950. Since that time over 1.2 million Tibetans have been killed, 6.000 monasteries have been destroyed and thousands of Tibetans have been imprisoned.

The Dalai Lama, Tibets political and spiritual leader, fled in 1959. He escaped to India, where he lives now along with the rest of the Tibetan government and over 100.000 Tibetan refugees in exile. The Tibetans continue to resist Chinese rule peacefully and nonviolently.

What is nonviolence?

The philosophy of nonviolence can be defined as the opposition to the use of violent force in solving conflicts. Violence is not necessarily restricted to crime, wars and conflicts between people. It also includes environmental violence and the violence in the media. It is something far more complex than just the raising of an arm or the pulling of a trigger.

Since 1959, the Tibetan people have maintained a nonviolent struggle against the Chinese occupation. They have lobbied, demonstrated and gone on hunger strike for their freedom. In keeping their traditional Buddhist thoughts, they always acted with love and compassion. The integrity of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people stand as a model for all of us.

Nonviolent action continues all over the world today in places like Burma, Nigeria and Tibet.

Problems with the UN

When China invaded Tibet in 1950, the Dalai Lama appealed to the newly formed United Nations to protect Tibet's safety. Unfortunately nothing was done, because Tibet was not a member-state.

The Universal Decleration of Human Rights was signed and ratified just two years before Tibet was invaded. Since that time, the Tibetans have been denied many of their human rights. They have no freedom of religion, association, movement or education. Tibetan women are subjected to forced abortions and sterilization. Their natural resources have been exploited and because of the population transfer of the Chinese into Tibet, the Tibetans become a minority in their own land.

But because of Chinas veto-power in the UN nothing can be done. China represents such a potentially gigantic market that it is impossible for politicians to set any trade sanctions.

TIBET TODAY

In Tibet today, there is no freedom of speech, religion, or press and arbitrary arrests continue. There are currently over 700 political prisoners in Tibet. Statistics show that one out of ten Tibetans has been held in prison or forced labor camps for periods of ten to twenty years.

While the Chinese government claims that Tibet has always been part of China, there is no historical evidence to support this. Tibetans as a people are distinct from the Chinese and other neighbouring peoples. The two cultures are completely different. Their languages do not even come from the same root, and their food, dress, lifestyle and religion have almost no relation.

Time is running out for the people in Tibet. The time is now to take economic and political action against the human rights abuses comitted by the government of China.

Tibetan Deaths Under Chinese Occupation
(through 1988)

Source: International Campaign for Tibet, Washington, DC.

HEINRICH HARRER - Seven years in Tibet

Heinrich Harrer traveled to India on a climbing expedition in 1939. Then World War II broke out and Harrer and all other Germans and Austrians in India were imprisoned by the British. In 1944 Harrer escaped into the mountains of Tibet. Two years later he arrived in the forbidden city of Lhasa. He stayed for five years and became a friend and tutor to the teenage Dalai Lama. Soon after the Chinese Communists invaded Tibet, Harrer left. He wrote a book about his experiences which was translated into 48 languages and sold three million copies.

In 1997 the Movie "Seven years in Tibet", starring Brad Pitt, was released. This movie educated thousands of people all over the world about the situation in Tibet.

MILAREPA FUND

The Milarepa Fund is a non-profit organsation which was founded in 1994 by Adam Yauch from the Beastie Boys. They support movements that use nonviolence to stop social injustice, like the Tibetan struggle. And they organize events like the Tibetan Freedom Concert to bring the Tibetan's struggle against Chinese occupation attention on international level. Last year, on the 13^th of June the third Tibetan Freedom Concert took place in Chicago, Amsterdam, Sydney and Tokyo. Some of the Artists were the Beastie Boys, Run DMC, Rage Against The Machine, The Roots, Garbage, Blur, REM, Blondie, Alanis Morrisette and Live.