THE HISTORY OF TIBET Tibet is a very old nation. Its established history goes back to 127 B.C. By the year 700 the Buddhism was the dominant religion and spirtual purposes - a tender heart and a calmly clear sense - became the essential in the Tibetan culture. Scientists are agreed that Tibet in the year of 1911 had become a completely independent state according to modern rules. The historical Tibet was at that time an extensive country with a land area as large as west europe. THE CHINESE OCCUPATION In 1949 Chinese military started to invide eastern Tibet. The invasion culminated on October 7th 1950 when around 40 000 chinese soldiers went over the line of Tibet on eight different places and attacked the province capitol Chamdo in Kham. The Chinese forces could easily conquer the poor trained and armed tibetan army - that only existed of 8000 men - and subdue the Tibetan land. The international reaction of this was generally critical - the world nations all agreed that China had acted wrong. The United Nations' general assembly approved several resolutions which condemned the Chinese actions and demanded independance for Tibet and its people. However, China did not attach any concern by these requests and have ever since had military stationed in Tibet. The spring of 1959 the Tibetans did a massive rebellion against the Chinese in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Unfortunately it was brutaly beaten down by military forces. The spirtual and political leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, was forced to fly with his people over the Himalayas to India where they have lived in exile for over fourty years. However, only 80 000 Tibetans were able to go with him. After the revolt in Lhasa the oppresion of the Tibetans and their culture became more inhuman and brutal. Buddhism was to become the most important target for communist "reforms" of chairman Maos "culturerevolution". Tibet became a nation of pain and suffer, where hundreds of thousand were arrested and forced to jail and work camp. More than one million Tibetans, about a fifth of the entire population, have been killed during Chinese rule as a series of executions, torture, starvation and other causes. RELIGION- AND CULTURE DESTRUCTION The Chinese prohibited the study and practice of buddhism. In 1969 there was not a single monk or nun left in Tibet - they all had either gotten away, been exectuted or been arrested, or otherwise they had deprived their monk dignity. Before the invasion there were over 6000 monk monasteries and convents all over the country. In 1979 all of them - except for 13 - had been plundered and destroyed. An extremely big amount of religious sculptures and other pieces of work in precious metal were impudently stolen and taken to China later to be melt. Nowadays you are allowed to study and practice Buddhism, but in a limited range. The Tibetans have rebuilt their monasteries once again, but the Chinese government determine the amount of monks every monastery is allowed to have. Communist party officials are either permanent stationed inside the monastery area or have frequently check-ups to "retrain" the inhabitants. The retrain meetings are aimed at making the monks and nuns to deny the Dalai Lama and accept the Panchen Lama which has been choosen by China. With other words, accept the Chinese communist political ideology and deny the Tibetan freedom. PRISONS AND WORK CAMPS Prisons and concentration camps have for the Tibetans been a dominant element in life during the Chinese occupation. Every single criticism or resistance against the Chinese rule has made reasons for arresting. Today, there is not one single Tibetan that hasn't got at least a family member who has been arrested or killed. The exact amount of politically arrested in Tibet before 1979 is unknown but according to previous estimates, more than 70% of the prisoners have past away in captivity. Some prisoners were forced to work in chinese mines and factories with obnoxious conditions. Of 10 000 prisoners by one work camp for breaking of borax in Jang Tsalaka's northern part, it has been reportet that 8 000 lost their lives within a year. In a leadmine in Dartsedho, Kham, over 12 000 workers died within two years. Political and humanitarian activism, how peaceful it may be, is today considered as an extremely serious crime which will result in sentences from one year to life. In the same way, every show of support for the Dalai Lama, even the possession of a picture of him, makes reasons for arrestings or executions. HUMAN RIGHTS Torture is a rutine on examinations with political prioners in the Tibetan prisons. The torture methods vary a lot but are always very ruthless. They can use electricity shocks, punches with fist and nail provided sticks, metal rods or rifle butts, scalding with boiling hot water, sexual violations, long exposure for extreme temperatures, lack of sleep, food and water, as well as longterm visits alone in cells. POLLUTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT The Tibetan high tablelands, forests and mountains make a unique ecosystem with an avarage altitude of about 5000 yards/4500 meters above sealevel. Literally speaking, the worlds highest situated area. As the industrialize of the communist China goes on, Tibet's natural resources have exploited. China's demand for wood devastates the Tibetan forests, and the demand for fur and for all sorts of animalparts obliterates the unique animal life of Tibet. GEOGRAPHIC POSSESSION The historical Tibet consists of three provinces, U-Tsang, Kham and Amdo, which is an area of 2,5 million square meters. The Chinese have although usurped power of the entire Amdo province and about three fiths of Kham, and incorporated these areas with adjacent Chinese provinces. The remaining part, which only consists of the U-Tsang province and parts of Kham, has been renamed to "The Autonomous Region of Tibet". Despite that this part only makes half of Tibet's original land area, it is only this territory that China officially calls Tibet. IMMIGRATION The most serious menace to the Tibetans in their freedom fight of preserving their nation and their cultural identity, is the systematical, organized immigration of Chinese people to Tibet. This very anticipated political method is the communist party's "final solution" of the problematic occupation of Tibet. The Chinese simply hope that with this tidal wave of immigrants, be able to conquer Tibet - the nation nobody has yet not defeated with violence. THE TIBETAN EXIL GOVERNMENT After his flight to India, the Dalai Lama founded the Tibetan Exile Government by modern democracy principles. The Exile Government takes care of the Tibetan fugitives' welfare and concentrates mostly on children's education. It is also at the head of the Tibetan people's non-violence fight to win back their freedom and the right to practice their religion. In 1991, America's congress stated Tibet as an "occupide nation, whose truly representarives are the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Exile Governmet". However, due to the many countries that haven't showed any support of freeing Tibet, China still have the power over Tibetan territory. NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF CHINA The Dalai Lama and his government have been trying to find a solution of the Chinese occupation's unfairness by peaceful negotiations with China's government, but Beijing has consistently rejected their struggle. China, that is still runned by the strict communists, keeps demanding the Dalai Lama to first disclaim Tibets historical and legally status as an independent country, before any negotiations can be made. Internationally, the awareness of the situation in Tibet has increased during the last few years, particularly after the Dalai Lama in 1989 received the Nobel's Peace Price. A great amount of parliamentary groups and organizations have accepted resolutons where they blame violation by human rights in Tibet and exhort a peaceful solution of the conflict, but beijing keep refusing to negotiate. The Tibetan Exile Government has started to realize that the only way of breaking the current dead-situation is to make a better success internationally. Make people from other countries involved or at least have the awerness of the situation in Tibet. This can't go on forever. What we are facing now is something you will learn in history class 30 years from now. Are we just going to sit here and watch and perhaps regret it later on, or are we going to do something about it. Make a change and help people in Tibet. Let them have their freedom like everybody else. - Translated and edited by the Beastie Pad crew