Annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China: Difference between revisions
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The PLA sent released prisoners (among them [[Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme]], a captured governor) to Lhasa to negotiate with the Dalai Lama on the PLA's behalf<ref name = "Laird"/>. The PLA promised that if Tibet was "peacefully liberated", the Tibetan elites would keep their privileges and power. At the same time, Jigme and other released captives testified to their good treatment by the PLA<ref name = "Laird"/>. As the PLA had stopped and was asking for peaceful negotiations instead of entering Lhasa unimpeded, the United Nations unanimously dropped the issue from the agenda<ref name = "Laird"/>. The combination of military pressure, reports of good treatment from locals and released prisoners, and the lack of international support convinced the Tibetan representatives to enter negations with the PLA<ref name = "Laird"/>. |
The PLA sent released prisoners (among them [[Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme]], a captured governor) to Lhasa to negotiate with the Dalai Lama on the PLA's behalf<ref name = "Laird"/>. The PLA promised that if Tibet was "peacefully liberated", the Tibetan elites would keep their privileges and power. At the same time, Jigme and other released captives testified to their good treatment by the PLA<ref name = "Laird"/>. As the PLA had stopped and was asking for peaceful negotiations instead of entering Lhasa unimpeded, the United Nations unanimously dropped the issue from the agenda<ref name = "Laird"/>. The combination of military pressure, reports of good treatment from locals and released prisoners, and the lack of international support convinced the Tibetan representatives to enter negations with the PLA<ref name = "Laird"/>. |
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Several months later, in May [[1951]], the Tibetan representatives signed a [[Seventeen Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet|seventeen-point agreement]] in Beijing with the PRC's [[Central People's Government]] affirming China's sovereignty over Tibet. The agreement was ratified in [[Lhasa]] a few months later.<ref>Gyatso, Tenzin, Dalai Lama XIV, interview, 25 July 1981.</ref><ref name=goldstein/> |
Several months later, in May [[1951]], the Tibetan representatives, under PLA military pressure, signed a [[Seventeen Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet|seventeen-point agreement]] in Beijing with the PRC's [[Central People's Government]] affirming China's sovereignty over Tibet. The agreement was ratified in [[Lhasa]] a few months later.<ref>Gyatso, Tenzin, Dalai Lama XIV, interview, 25 July 1981.</ref><ref name=goldstein/> |
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==Statistics== |
==Statistics== |
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===Samdhong Rinpoche & 14th Dalai Lama=== |
===Samdhong Rinpoche & 14th Dalai Lama=== |
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According to [[Samdhong Rinpoche]] and the [[14th Dalai Lama]], by 1962 only 70 of the original 2,500 monasteries in the [[Tibet Autonomous Region]] were left after 93% of the monks were forced out. The loss of life as a direct result of the invasion and occupation from '''1950 to 1976''' has been estimated as follows: 173,221 Tibetans died in prisons and labor camps; 156,758 by execution; 342,970 by starvation; 432,705 in battles and uprisings; 92,731 by torture; and 9,002 by suicide.<ref name="Rin" /> Note that these statistics refer to a period of 26 years, not just the 1950 engagement. |
According to [[Samdhong Rinpoche]] and the [[14th Dalai Lama]], by 1962 only 70 of the original 2,500 monasteries in the [[Tibet Autonomous Region]] were left after 93% of the monks were forced out. The loss of life as a direct result of the invasion and occupation from '''1950 to 1976''' has been estimated as follows: 173,221 Tibetans died in prisons and labor camps; 156,758 by execution; 342,970 by starvation; 432,705 in battles and uprisings; 92,731 by torture; and 9,002 by suicide.<ref name="Rin" /> Note that these statistics refer to a period of 26 years, not just the 1950 engagement. |
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===Third party perspective=== |
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However, according to Patrick French, a supporter of the Tibetan cause who was able to view the data and calculations, the estimate is not reliable. The Tibetans were not able to process the data well enough to produce a credible total. French says this total was based on refugee interviews, but prevented outsider access to the data. French, who did gain access, found no names, but "the insertion of seemingly random figures into each section, and constant, unchecked duplication." <ref> Barry Sautman, June Teufel Dreyer, Contemporary Tibet: Politics, Development, And Society In A Disputed Region pp. 239</ref>” |
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==Perspective== |
==Perspective== |
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== Aftermath == |
== Aftermath == |
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The seventeen-point agreement was initially put into effect in Tibet proper. However, Eastern [[Kham]] and [[Amdo]], or the provinces of [[Xikang]] and [[Qinghai]] in the Chinese administrative hierarchy, were outside the administration of the Tibetan government in Lhasa, and were thus treated like any other Chinese province with land redistribution implemented in full. As a result, a resistance broke out in [[Amdo]] and eastern [[Kham]] in June 1956. The resistance, supported by the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA), eventually spread to Lhasa. It was crushed in the [[1959 Tibetan uprising]]. During this campaign, tens of thousands of Tibetans were killed.<ref name="giehist">Official Website of the Tibetan Government in Exile. [http://www.tibet.com/Status/10march59.html History Leading up to March 10th 1959]. 7 September 1998. Retrieved March 24 2008.</ref> The 14th Dalai Lama and other government principals fled to exile in India, but isolated [[Tibetan resistance movement|resistance]] continued in Tibet until |
The seventeen-point agreement was initially put into effect in Tibet proper. However, Eastern [[Kham]] and [[Amdo]], or the provinces of [[Xikang]] and [[Qinghai]] in the Chinese administrative hierarchy, were outside the administration of the Tibetan government in Lhasa, and were thus treated like any other Chinese province with land redistribution implemented in full. As a result, a resistance broke out in [[Amdo]] and eastern [[Kham]] in June 1956. The resistance, supported by the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA), eventually spread to Lhasa. It was crushed in the [[1959 Tibetan uprising]]. During this campaign, tens of thousands of Tibetans were killed.<ref name="giehist">Official Website of the Tibetan Government in Exile. [http://www.tibet.com/Status/10march59.html History Leading up to March 10th 1959]. 7 September 1998. Retrieved March 24 2008.</ref> The 14th Dalai Lama and other government principals fled to exile in India, but isolated [[Tibetan resistance movement|resistance]] continued in Tibet until 1969 when the CIA abruptly withdrew its support. {{Fact|date=January 2008}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 01:55, 25 March 2008
| People's Liberation Army operations in Tibet (1950-1951) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Tibetan Army[1] | File:Peoples Liberation Army Flag of the Peoples Republic of China.svg People's Liberation Army | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 5,000[3] | 40,000[3] | ||||||
The People's Liberation Army defeated the Tibetan army at Chamdo on October 7, 1950. This attack marked the beginning of Beijing’s campaign to incorporate Tibet into People's Republic of China.[2] Western and Tibetan sources generally refer to the event as an invasion.[4] In China, the event is generally referred to as (和平解放西藏) or the "Peaceful liberation of Tibet".[5][6]
Timeline
According to Samdhong Rinpoche and the 14th Dalai Lama, on January 1, 1950 the PRC promised to "liberate" Tibet. The People's Liberation Army first entered eastern Tibet (Chamdo) on October 7, 1950.[3] The highly mobile units of the PLA quickly surrounded the outnumbered Tibetan forces, and by October 19, 1950, 5,000 Tibetan troops had surrendered[3]. After confiscating their weapons, the PLA soldiers gave their prisoners lectures on socialism, and a small amount of money, and allowed them to return to their homes[3].
The PLA then continued on to central Tibet, but halting its advance 200km to the east of Lhasa, at what China claimed was the boundary of Central Tibet[4], where they stopped and demanded Tibet's "peaceful liberation"[3].
The PLA, while possessing overwhelming military advantage, was also set on winning the hearts and minds of the Tibetan populace[3]. At first, they treated the local populace very well, building roads, and paying locals for their labor[3]. According to Tenzin Gyatso, the current Dalai Lama, the PLA did not attack civilians: "The Chinese were very disciplined. They were like the British soldiers (in 1904). Even better than the British, because they distributed some money (to villagers and local leaders). So they carefully planned"[3].
The PLA sent released prisoners (among them Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, a captured governor) to Lhasa to negotiate with the Dalai Lama on the PLA's behalf[3]. The PLA promised that if Tibet was "peacefully liberated", the Tibetan elites would keep their privileges and power. At the same time, Jigme and other released captives testified to their good treatment by the PLA[3]. As the PLA had stopped and was asking for peaceful negotiations instead of entering Lhasa unimpeded, the United Nations unanimously dropped the issue from the agenda[3]. The combination of military pressure, reports of good treatment from locals and released prisoners, and the lack of international support convinced the Tibetan representatives to enter negations with the PLA[3].
Several months later, in May 1951, the Tibetan representatives, under PLA military pressure, signed a seventeen-point agreement in Beijing with the PRC's Central People's Government affirming China's sovereignty over Tibet. The agreement was ratified in Lhasa a few months later.[7][2]
Statistics
Tibetans and Western government
Some Tibetans and western governments have accused the PRC government of a campaign of terror after the invasion, which they claim led to the disappearance of up to 1.2 million Tibetans. The PRC fervently denies these claims. Scholars also question the plausibility of such figures, as the official Tibetan census in 1953 only recorded a population of 1.27 million.[8]
Samdhong Rinpoche & 14th Dalai Lama
According to Samdhong Rinpoche and the 14th Dalai Lama, by 1962 only 70 of the original 2,500 monasteries in the Tibet Autonomous Region were left after 93% of the monks were forced out. The loss of life as a direct result of the invasion and occupation from 1950 to 1976 has been estimated as follows: 173,221 Tibetans died in prisons and labor camps; 156,758 by execution; 342,970 by starvation; 432,705 in battles and uprisings; 92,731 by torture; and 9,002 by suicide.[4] Note that these statistics refer to a period of 26 years, not just the 1950 engagement.
Perspective
Other perspective
Charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, state terrorism and torture were investigated by a Spanish court in 2006.[9]
PRC perspective
Traditionally, a portion of the population in Tibet were serfs ("mi ser"),[10][11] bound to land often owned by wealthy Tibetan monasteries and Tibetan aristocrats. Exiled Tibetans have claimed, however, that the serfs formed only a small part of Tibetan society, and argued that Tibet would have eventually modernized itself without China's intervention.[citation needed] However, the Chinese government claims that most Tibetans were still serfs in 1951, and have proclaimed that the Tibetan government inhibited the development of Tibet during its self-rule from 1913 to 1959, and opposed any modernization efforts proposed by the Chinese government.[12]
Tibetan perspective
Aftermath
The seventeen-point agreement was initially put into effect in Tibet proper. However, Eastern Kham and Amdo, or the provinces of Xikang and Qinghai in the Chinese administrative hierarchy, were outside the administration of the Tibetan government in Lhasa, and were thus treated like any other Chinese province with land redistribution implemented in full. As a result, a resistance broke out in Amdo and eastern Kham in June 1956. The resistance, supported by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), eventually spread to Lhasa. It was crushed in the 1959 Tibetan uprising. During this campaign, tens of thousands of Tibetans were killed.[13] The 14th Dalai Lama and other government principals fled to exile in India, but isolated resistance continued in Tibet until 1969 when the CIA abruptly withdrew its support. [citation needed]
References
- ^ The Tibetan Army, Gyajong, was established according to the 29-point reform installed by Emperor Qianlong. See Goldstein, M.C., "The Snow Lion and the Dragon", p20
- ^ a b c Goldstein, M.C., "A History of Modern Tibet", p812-813
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Thomas Laird, The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, ISBN 080214327X, pp. 301-307
- ^ a b c Rinpoche, Samdhong. Roebert, Donovan. The 14th Dalai Lama. [2006] (2006). Samdhong Rinpoche: Uncompromising Truth for a Compromised World : Tibetan Buddhism and Today's World. World Wisdom, Inc. ISBN 1933316209. pg 116-117
- ^ Xinhuanet.com. "Xinhuanet.com." 人民解放軍和平解放西藏. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
- ^ Scholar.ilib.cn. "Scholar.ilib.cn." 1950 tibet. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
- ^ Gyatso, Tenzin, Dalai Lama XIV, interview, 25 July 1981.
- ^ See "A Note on Tibet's Population" Leo A. Orleans, The China Quarterly, No. 27 (Jul. - Sep., 1966), pp. 120-122
- ^ The Independent on-line
- ^ Goldstein, Melvyn, An Anthropological Study of the Tibetan Political System, 1968, p. 40
- ^ Rahul, Ram, The Structure of the Government of Tibet, 1644–1911, 1962, pp. 263–98
- ^ Jiawei, Wang, "The Historical Status of China's Tibet", 2000, pp. 194–7
- ^ Official Website of the Tibetan Government in Exile. History Leading up to March 10th 1959. 7 September 1998. Retrieved March 24 2008.