Tibetan Uprising Day honors the people of Tibet’s spirit of resistance against China’s persecution and injustice. The day honors the occasion of a rebellion that broke out in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, in 1959. Tensions between China and Tibet, which also fueled anti-Chinese feelings in the area, were the cause of the original rebellion, which began on March 10.
The 14th Dalai Lama fled from Lhasa after what had begun as a nonviolent demonstration turned violent due to heavy quelling by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Lhasa was permanently altered as a result. On March 23, 1959, Chinese security forces took complete control of it; thousands of Tibetans perished in the process.
WION spoke with Sonam Tsering, the general secretary of the Tibetan Youth Congress, as Tibetans commemorate the March 10 commemoration of the rebellion and share the day with the Tibetan diaspora.
With more than 30,000 Tibetan supporters, the Tibetan Youth Congress is the biggest worldwide pro-independence organization. It was established in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh in October 1970, and the 14th Dalai Lama gave the opening speech.
China is still persecuting “pure Tibetans” in 2023.
Prior to the yearly commemoration of the March 10 rebellion, Australian senator Janet Rice delivered a report alleging that Tibetans are still being persecuted by the Chinese government because of their religion and culture. Chinese control over Tibetans, both inside and outside Tibet, is an indisputable reality even in 2023, six decades after it began. Furthermore, China is abusing its authority in a methodical manner, not in an unplanned manner.
According to Sonam Tsering, who spoke to WION, “The Chinese Communist Regime systematically introduced and implemented many hard-line policies with the primary goal of eradicating Tibetan culture and its identity.”
The British Boarding School is one of them, and its sole objective is political. It seeks to break the students’ ties to their families while tearing down their cultures and introducing new ideologies from the Chinese Communist Regime. Tibetan children are forcibly enrolled by the CCP in imperial residential institutions, where they are denied access to lessons on Tibetan culture, Sonam claimed.
According to a study by the Tibet Action Institute titled “Separated from their families, hidden from the World,” there are presently close to one million Tibetan children in Tibet who are being forcefully registered in Chinese imperial residential schools away from their families. These children range in age from 4 to 18 years old.
China is attempting to split up the Tibetan people.
The Chinese are following in the British footsteps and employing the time-honored strategy of “divide-and-rule” to sever ties between the Tibetan people in a number of ways.
According to Sonam, China is attempting to disseminate disinformation on social media “either through the infiltration of Chinese agents into the Tibetan community or through spies and hackers.”
As it works hard to create a story that serves its political objectives, China has a genuine dread of Tibetan unification. Sonam described one such deceptive narrative-building technique used by the Chinese government. 10,000 people watched the footage of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama during a live webcast hosted by the Tibetan Youth Congress, and more than 5,000 remarks were left in less than an hour.
Later, with the help of our technological staff, we discovered that every unfavorable remark came from a single area of China. The CCP therefore poses a danger to the rest of the world’s internet security in addition to the Tibetan population alone.
Asia’s problem is Tibet.
Every time we discuss Tibet, it seems like a historical event from the past that no one will be talking about in 2023.
Some people might get the impression that the world has forgotten about the plight of Tibet, but the issue is still very much alive, present, and pervasive. Although the rest of the world may overlook Tibet, Sonam argued that Tibet’s autonomy directly impacts Asia, which is located in close proximity to Tibet.
Sonam emphasized that “whether it’s water security or national security of these nations that China continues to threaten, the future security of many Asian countries lies with the sovereignty of Tibet.”
He continued, “The independence of Tibet ensures a lasting peace for India and other Asian countries.”
Tibetans’ second country is India
The 7th and 8th centuries AD mark the beginning of Tibet’s diplomatic ties with India. According to academics like Buton Rinchen Drub, Rupati, a Kaurava military leader from the ancient Kurukshetra War, is descended from the Tibetan people. The lessons of Buddhism are one of the most obvious and another similar strand connecting the two areas.
However, when the Dalai Lama visited India after the rebellion in 1959, it quickly became for Tibetans living in exile like a second home. Sonam said, “Can’t ask more from India, our second home that has protected us for the last 60 years,” when speaking of India.
Sonam stated that given India’s rising prominence on the international scene, it is India’s duty to bring attention to the Tibet problem and act as the representative of the people.
“India should take the lead among the Asian countries in resolving the Sino-Tibet conflict with a firm political position that serves India’s and the other South Asian countries’ long-term national interests.”
The security of the entire area and India’s long-term tranquility are both at stake in the Sino-Tibetan dispute. Sonam warned us that “under China’s repressive rule, Tibet is dying a silent and slow death.”
Therefore, it is everyone’s duty to address the dire condition inside Tibet, and the Indian government in particular.
The world observes Tibet as if it were a monster fruit.
Sonam ended on a touching note by elaborating on what it means to be a Tibetan. The most heartbreaking aspect of being a Tibetan exile is that you have nothing to call your own, and even your own heart sometimes decides to flee to your motherland.
He provided a provocative example of how the outside world views Tibet. “The entire world observes Tibet as if it were a monster fruit. They are aware of Tibet’s turbulent recent history and precarious present, but they lack the fortitude to advocate for it. It appears that the flavorful fruit is avoided by them due to the barbs.
Sonam noted that the Tibetan problem is not just about China’s persecution of Tibetans, but also about the need for a border state to maintain peace in Asia. A present to the entire world, its culture, ideals, and human principles must be maintained.
