The History of Tibet - Essay Example

Tibet Introduction “Over the past year, since protests broke out on March 10, 2008, the Chinese government has sought to block all information reaching the outside world on the torture, disappearances and killings that have taken place across Tibet” (Deaths of two Tibetans after torture) Tibet always capture the headlines of news papers because of Chinese massacres and the human right violations happening there. This paper briefly explains the history of Tibet and the Chinese claim over Tibet. History of Tibet Tibet is one of the hottest political topics of the modern world because of their struggle for independence from the Chinese dominance. “Five hundred years before Buddha Sakyamuni came into this world i.e., circa 1063 B.C., a semi-legendary figure known as Lord Shenrab Miwo reformed the primitive animism of the Shen race and founded the Tibetan Bon religion. According to Bonpo sources there were eighteen Shangshung Kings who ruled Tibet before King Nyatri Tsenpo” (Brief History of Tibet) After the empire of Shangshung exhausted another kingdom known as “Bod” came into exist and the present name of Tibet has been used during this era. The Tibetan has been ruled by many kings of different empires in the following years. “During the first decade of the 16th century, Tseten Dorje, a servant of the Rinpung family, with the help of some local tribes and Mongols, managed to gain control of Shigatse and the surrounding regions of Tsang province. From 1566 to 1642 Tseten Dorje and his two successors ruled Tibet with the title of Depa Tsangpa.” (Brief History of Tibet) Sonam Gyatso, one of the prominent figures of Tibetan history was born in 1543. He was a person of immense wisdom in spiritual activities and his visions and missions were soon made him the unquestionable leader of the Tibetan community. He converted Altan Khan to Buddhism and the latter conferred on him the title Dalai Lama meaning "Ocean of Wisdom" in 1578. In 1642, the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lozang Gyatso, assumed both spiritual and temporal authority over Tibet and established the present system of the Tibetan Government. (Brief History of Tibet) The Ming emperor who was ruling China at that time had a wide respect towards Dalai Lama and they were never questioned the sovereignty of Tibet under the leadership of Dalai Lama. In 1786 Ghurkhas invaded Tibet because of the Tibetan help to Sikkim people when they were attacked by the Ghurkha led Nepal. In order to escape from the attack of Ghurkhas, the eighth Dalai Lama, the ruler of Tibet at that time sought help from China which can be considered as a foolish act by the 26 year old immature Dalai Lama. The Chinese had grabbed the opportunity with both hand and they slowly tried to take control of the Tibetan administration. Tibet tried to escape from the hands of China by establishing strong ties with Russia which created fear in the British administration since they afraid that Russia’s increased involvement in this region may be harmful to their interest and hence they invaded Tibet 1904. Since the Chinese were never in full control over Tibet till that time, they did not raise much protest against the British invasion. When the British invaded Tibet the 13 th Dalai Lama has escaped to Mongolia. But after the treaty was signed between Tibet and Britain the British troops were handed over the sovereignty back to Tibet. But the Chinese emperor Manchus has immediately entered Tibet and took control of Tibetan administration. They have divided Tibet into Chinese provinces and the Dalai Lama escaped to India. In 1912, because of political uncertainty, China had restored Dalai Lama. “In September 1949, Communist China, without any provocation, invaded Eastern Tibet and captured Chamdo, the headquarters of the Governor of Eastern Tibet. On November 11, 1950, the Tibetan Government protested to the United Nations Organization against the Chinese aggression.’(Brief History of Tibet) For the last 59 years the Tibetan people are under the iron fist of Chinese administration and the call for withdrawal of Chinese troops from Tibet has not been accepted so far by China. China’s claim over Tibet “By a Tibetan-Chinese agreement (May, 1951), Tibet became a "national autonomous region" of China under the traditional rule of the Dalai Lama, but under the actual control of a Chinese Communist Commission”. (Tibet) China has never accepted the claims for an independent state by the Tibetan people because of their concerns about the possible threat an independent democratic Tibetan state can create to the communist dominance in China. China is well aware that if they respect the sovereignty of Tibet as an independent country, definitely it will become a democratic country under which people will enjoy immense freedom. The Chinese people may get an opportunity to compare their life with that of the Tibetan people since Tibet is very much nearer to their country. Any such social life comparison may provoke dissatisfaction among Chinese people about their social life and may boost the internal agitations against the communist led government in China. Another factor which prevents China from giving independence to Tibet is religion. Tibet is a religion dominated state in which Buddhism is one of the prominent religions. Dalai Lama is more of a religious leader than a political leader for them. Under the leadership of Dalai Lama Tibet may become a Buddhist country which China does not want to occur. Religious domination in a neighbouring country again may force the Chinese people to think about the importance of religion over politics which may be harmful to the Chinese interest. A democratic Tibet may definitely establish ties with other democratic countries like India, America and Britain which may harm the Chinese interests in this region. So China has established an undeclared apartheid in Tibet in which the Tibetan community is treated differently from their Chinese counter parts. “In 1962, China launched attacks along the Indian-Tibetan border to consolidate territories it claimed had been wrongly given to India by the British McMahon Commission in 1914. Following a cease-fire, Chinese troops withdrew behind the disputed line in the east but continued to occupy part of Ladakh in Kashmir. Some border areas are still in dispute.” (Tibet) China should respect international law and should allow freedom to the Tibetan people. No country has the right to exercise its immense power over weak countries by sacrificing all the laws of a civilized society. China should respect the history and the historical importance of Tibet. They should remember that even the bigger colonial powers like Britain has forced to give independence to the colonies like India they ruled by respecting the people’s movements against them. “To earn the right to play host to this summer’s Olympics, Beijing promised to improve its human rights record. As its behaviour in Tibet — and the recent arrest of the human rights advocate Hu Jia and others — demonstrates, China does not take that commitment seriously.” (China Terrorizes Tibet) “Chinese authorities detained Tibetan filmmakers Dhondup Wangchen and Golog Jigme (Jigme Gyatso) in March 2008 in Tibet, shortly after they completed the filming of Leaving Fear Behind, a bold new documentary, which depicts the plight of Tibetans under Chinese rule and reveals their true feelings about the Beijing Olympics”.(Tibet Online) The above incidents clearly shows that China neither respect international call nor the sovereignty of Tibetan people. Conclusions Tibet is a historically important sovereign state which respects democratic and religious values. Buddhism is the prominent religion in Tibet and Dalai Lama is their political and religious leader. At present China has taken the control of Tibet and they are arguing it as a Chinese colony in order to escape from their own political problems. They strongly believe that a democratic state like Tibet in their near hood may create problems for the communist led administration in China. Moreover the prominence of religion in Tibet may influence the Chinese people also and hence the communist doctrines may be questioned. China should respect international law and order and they should respect the sovereignty of Tibetan people. Works Cited 1. “Brief History of Tibet”. (n.d). 28 May 2009 2. “China Terrorizes Tibet”. 28 May 2009. The New York Times. 2008 3. “China: Free Dhondup Wangchen and Golog Jigme” 28 May 2009. 4. “Deaths of two Tibetans After Torture”. 28 May 2009. International Campaign For Tibet. 2009. 5. “Tibet”. 28 May 2009. The Columbia Encyclopaedia. Sixth Edition. Columbia University Press. 2004 Read More