By Tharchin Y Gonpo
Nearly one lakh Tibetans have been taking refuge in different parts of India since 1960s. If you notice the major Tibetan refugee settlements are in south while few of the largest settlements and Buddhist monasteries in Karnaka state. The Chinese aggression into Tibet started from 1949 on wards from its eastern province of Kham and Amdo region while the whole of Tibet was finally captured on 10th March, 1959. The day was the biggest resistance put forward by the ill-equipped Tibetans in Lhasa, the capital. As a result of brutal military occupation by the People’s liberation of Armies under the chairman Mao Tse Tung nearly 87,000 innocent Tibetans were killed according to the statistic. The peaceful land was flowed with human blood from all corners which turned the holly city into a horrible state. The savage act of aggression result to the approximate death of 1.2 million Tibetans and ever since Tibet has been a colony of communist China.
So every year on 10th March Tibetans and Tibet supports groups throughout the world organize series of freedom struggle movements to voice against the illegal occupation of Tibet by the communist China. The day is marked as the national uprising day. During the 45 years of exile life in India, every year Tibetans of all age group go out for processions on street to vehemently oppose against the ruthless and bloody suppression by Chinese government and also to show their anger, resentment over the injustice and indifferent attitude shown by U.N.O. Tibetans in every parts of India undertake processions but unfortunately the mass medias in India hardly give coverage and are least bothered about the tragedy being faced by traditional neighour. Tibetans have truth behind their struggle and have been looking for justice. The saddest thing to the people of Tibet is that Medias have been indifferent towards their struggle for freedom. I strongly feel that the state of Tibetan issue would have been in lighter moment if Medias have come forward support our struggle for truth and justice
Even though H.H the Dalai Lama seek support from India and other countries but the nations remained indifferent towards the plight of the forbidden Himalayan nation, thus succumbed as tiny prey to the mighty communist China. The biggest tragedy on the Tibetan issue came when Pandit Nehru meekly succumbed to the pressures from china and thus accepted “Tibet as an inalienable part of china”. Since then the policy of the Indian government towards the Tibetan issue remained unchanged even today. Though Pandit Nehru was sympathetic to Tibet’s tragic fate but he made blunder mistake and shattered the hope of every Tibetans when he knowingly made the mistake by Tibet as the part of China.
In April 1954, China and India had signed an agreement known as “Panch Shila” or the five principles of peaceful co existence. “Tibet was murdered”, wrote Dawa Norbu, “and upon its grave the Panch shila were engraved”. Nehru’s dream of peaceful co-existence with the People’s Republic of China was shattered after the sudden attack by Chinese guns towards India’s north east frontiers on 20th Oct, 1962. In fact the rape of Tibet in which he weakly acquiesced had deprived India of a peaceful buffer state between itself and China and rendered its northern regions open to attack at any time. The late visit by the Indian Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpai to China was a major disappointment to Tibetans when he reinstated the statement that “Tibet autonomous region is an inalienable part of China”. For nearly 45 years large chunk of Tibetan refugee population has been taking refuge in India and expecting a favourable stand from the Indian government towards Tibetan issue, but the hopes and expectations of Tibetans throughout the world and especially in India was shattered when Indian stick to its old indifferent political stand. However it’s a wake up signal to the fellow Tibetans especially in India to act now before it is too late.
“If the world wants non violence to succeed, then it will have to help the Tibetan people in their peaceful struggle”, Archbishop Desmond Tutu told. Today is hard to come across a Tibetan family that has not has at least one member imprisoned or killed by the Chinese regime. These facts reveal the volumes about the ‘liberation’ and the ‘democratic reform’ China claims to have brought to Tibet. Independent Tibet was certainly not an embodiment of perfect human society, but it was, by no means, nearly as tyrannical as it is today under the Chinese rule.
The China’s systematic destruction of Tibet’s environment, culture, traditions, religion and the very survival of Tibetan identity has been under threat since the execution of population transfer into Tibet. These days in many regions of Tibet there are more number of Tibetan than Chinese in their own country where the Tibetans are becoming an endangered race. The rampant destruction of Tibetan environment and dumping of nuclear waste has been a threat to not just to Tibetans but also to neighbouring nations. Tibet being the prime sources of rivers in Asia, the fragile ecological balance of Tibet indeed causes floods and abrupt climatic changes neighbour states especially India. Besides the China’s attempt to change route of rivers will have disastrious affect its neighbours.
In addition the militarization of southern Tibet has been a major threat and challenge to India which shares some hundreds of miles of common border with Tibet. In fact India has been spending crores of rupees to defend its long borders sharing with southern Tibet.Therefore the issue of Tibet is a concern not only to Tibetans but also to India as well. Thus future stability of India largely depends on the fate of Tibet which had been a buffer state between two Asian giants.
