Photo caption: His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Prime Minister David Cameron and
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, UK, on May 14, 2012.
The issue of Tibet as an independent state rolls down to the root of its history. Tibet was a free country for almost two thousand years. Tibet had it’s own identity and culture, it’s own language and flag, and it functioned as freely as any independent nation today. Furthermore, in 1965 at UN General Assembly, Irish Representative Frank Aiken stated: “For thousands of years, or for a couple of thousand years at any rate, (Tibet) was as free and as fully in control of its own affairs as any nation in this Assembly, and a thousand times more free to look after its own affairs than many of the nations here”. [UN GA Docs A/PV 898 1960);A/PV 1394, 1401 1965]
Then in 1949, Tibet was invaded by Communist China in what they called a ‘peaceful liberation’. The Tibetan people finally demonstrated against the Chinese invasion of Tibet on 10 March 1959. With his life and the future of Tibet in real danger, Tibet’s leader His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama fled into exile in India. The ‘peaceful liberation’ was followed by guns, tanks and soldiers of the People’s Land Army. Over 1.2 million Tibetans died as a direct result of the China’s invasion.
Photo caption: Tibetans and Tibet supporters protesting outside Chinese Embassy in London
Since the invasion, the Tibetan people have been subjected to unbearable pain and torture, to acts of inhumanity including the systematic destruction of the Tibetan culture and religion, the destruction of environment through the process of militarisation and nuclearisation of Tibet, enforced abortion and sterilisation programme and these acts continue to this day.
The Tibetan issue is very much still alive, in our 56th year of a peaceful struggle through non-violence under the leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. There has been growing international support with the Dalai Lama’s peaceful resolution to the issue of Tibet. Your voice has made a tremendous difference to our struggle and we urge you to continue with your support. Here are a few ways of how you can make that difference:
Photo caption: Tibetans & Tibet supporters joining an annual National Uprising Day in central London.
- Writing to Newspapers and Magazines about Tibet’s freedom struggle
- Writing to your MPs and MEPs about Tibet and ask them to raise the issue of Tibet in the parliament
- Urging your government to review its policy on Tibet.
British Parliamentarians: http://findyourmp.parliament.uk
European Parliamentarians: http://www.europarl.org.uk/en/your_meps.html
- Urging your government to support a resolution on Tibet in the UN
- Setting up Tibet Support Group at your place and inform the local people in your region about Tibet and the Tibetan people.