Tibet is a crucial issue for India, Asia and world, says youth body chief amid uprising anniversary

Tibetan Uprising Day commemorates the fighting spirit of the people of Tibet against the tyranny and oppression of China. The day remembers the 1959 event when a revolt erupted in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. The initial uprising which started on March 10 was the result of Chinese-Tibetan tensions that further led to anti-Chinese sentiments in the region. 

It started as a peaceful protest, which then snowballed into heavy quelling by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and ended with the escape of the 14th Dalai Lama from Lhasa. This changed the city of Lhasa forever. It was fully captured by Chinese security forces on March 23, 1959, and thousands of Tibetans were killed. 

As Tibetans mark the March 10 anniversary of the uprising and observe the day with the Tibetan diaspora, WION spoke to the General Secretary of the Tibetan Youth Congress, Sonam Tsering. 

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Tibetan Youth Congress is the largest international pro-independence organisation with more than 30,000 Tibetans as its members. It was founded in October 1970 in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, with the 14th Dalai Lama delivering its inaugural address. 

In 2023, China still continue to persecute ‘pure Tibetans’ 

Ahead of the annual observance of the March 10 uprising, Janet Rice, a Senator in the Australian Parliament presented a report that claimed that the Chinese authorities continue to persecute Tibetans for their culture and beliefs. Even after six decades, in 2023, Chinese authoritarianism over Tibetans, both inside and outside Tibet, is an undeniable fact. And this persecution is not disorganised, but a systematic abuse of power by China. 

“The Chinese Communist Regime systematically introduced and implemented many hard-line policies primarily aimed to eliminate Tibetan culture and its identity,” Sonam Tsering told WION.

“One of them is the colonial Boarding School, and the goal of this school is entirely political. It aims to cut off the students' bond with their families, dissecting their cultures, and instilling new mindsets and agendas of the Chinese Communist Regime. CCP forcefully enrol Tibetan students in colonial boarding schools, where they have no access to Tibetan culture-related curriculum activities,” Sonam said. 

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According to a report titled ‘Separated from their families, hidden from the World’ by the Tibet Action Institute, nearly one million Tibetan children, aged between 4 to 18 are currently forcibly enrolled in Chinese colonial boarding schools in Tibet, away from their families. 

China is trying to create a rift among Tibetans

The Chinese are going the British way and using the old tactic of ‘divide-and-rule’ to create a rift among the Tibetans through various methods. 

Sonam said that China is trying all means “either through the Chinese agents’ infiltration into the Tibetan community, or through the spies and hackers who spread misinformation on social media”. 

China's fear of Tibetan unity is real, as it tries hard to build a narrative that suits its political purpose. Sonam shared one such false narrative-building practice by the Chinese authorities. During a live webinar by the Tibetan Youth Congress on His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the video was viewed by 10,000 and more than 5,000 comments were received within an hour.

“Later, with the support of our technical team, we knew that all the negative comments are received from one particular region in China. Therefore, CCP is not only posing a threat to the Tibetan community alone, but they are also posing a cyber security threat to the rest of the world”. 

Tibet is Asia’s issue 

Whenever we talk about Tibet, it seems like a thing of the past, something that happened in history about which no one talks in 2023. 

It might give a perception to some that the world has forgotten the cause of Tibet, but it is very much living, present and ubiquitous. The world might neglect Tibet, but its immediate neighbourhood, Asia is directly affected by Tibet’s sovereignty, Sonam pointed out. 

Sonam emphasised that “the future security of many Asian countries lies with the sovereignty of Tibet, whether it’s water security or national security of these nations that China continues to threaten.” 

“The independence of Tibet ensures a permanent peace for India and other Asian nations,” he added. 

India: Second home for Tibetans 

The relations between Tibet and India are as old as the 7th and 8th centuries AD. Scholars like Buton Rinchen Drub have suggested that Tibetans are descendants of Rupati, a Kaurava military general from the historical Kurukshetra War. Another common and one of the most prominent threads between the two regions is the teachings of Buddhism. 

But in 1959, when Dalai Lama came to India following the uprising, India became like a second home for Tibetans-in-exile. Talking about India, Sonam said, “Can’t ask more from India, our second home that sheltered us for the last six decades”. 

With India’s growing stature on the world stage, it is India’s responsibility to highlight the issue of Tibet and becomes the voice of the people, Sonam said. 

“India should lead the other Asian nations in resolving the Sino-Tibet conflict with a firm political stand that benefits the long-term national interest of India and the rest of the South Asian nations.” 

The Sino-Tibet conflict is a matter of India’s permanent peace and to entire region’s stability as well. Sonam reminded us that “Tibet is dying a silent and slow death under China's repressive rule“. 

It is hence everyone’s responsibility and the Indian government’s in particular to speak on the current critical situation inside Tibet. 

World looks at Tibet as if they are looking at a dragon fruit

On a poignant note, Sonam described what it means to be a Tibetan. “The saddest thing about being a Tibetan refugee is that there is nothing around you that you own, and even the heart deep inside your chest chooses to run away to the homeland every now and then.” 

He presented a thought-provoking analogy of how the world looks at Tibet. “The world is looking at Tibet as if they are looking at a dragon fruit. They know the historical status of Tibet and its current critical situation, but they lack the courage to speak up for same. It is as if they avoid eating the flavourful fruit because of the thorns”. 

The Tibetan issue is not just about China persecuting Tibetans, it is also about the existence of a buffer state that ensures peace in Asia, pointed out Sonam. Its culture, beliefs and human values are a gift to the entire world, which needs to be preserved.

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