Why China Invaded Tibet

So, I got two people asking the same question: Why did China invade Tibet? I'm not exactly sure why China invaded ALL of Tibet. I read somewhere that about two-thirds of Tibet was actually part of China at one point. Thus, China probably felt like they needed more land and invaded. Today, Tibet is split into three regions. The two regions that belonged to China - I believe U-Tsang (Central Tibet) and Amdo (Northeast Tibet) are now under China's government. The third section - Kham in the Southeast Tibet is known as the T.A.R. or Tibet Autonomous Region, which is basically a colony.

Works Cited Issue

Well, it looks like my Works Cited isn't giving the website information needed. So, to fix that, I have posted all of the websites that I used as links to make it easier.

This first link is to The Government of Tibet in Exile's homepage - this is where I got a lot of my information.
http://www.tibet.com

The next link is for my first post, Tibet Today.
Information: http://www.tibet.com/glance.html
Picture: www.ciolek.com/WWWVLPages/TibPages/tib-flag.html

Here is for my second post, The History of the Conflict:
Information: http://tibet.com/WhitePaper/exesum.html
Picture: http://giacomobutte.wordpress.com/

This is for the third post, Human Rights Issues:
Information: http://tibet.com/WhitePaper/white5.html

And, the fourth post, Torture:
Information: http://tibet.com/Humanrights/torture/torture.html

Next, the fifth post, A Special Political Prisoner:
Information and Picture: http://www.molnies.com/2007/china-imprisoned-a-child-and-stole-a-religion/

Finally, the latest post, a YouTube video on what happened in Tibet on 3/15/08:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SBhhOPXMCFk

[Sky News] Dozens Killed In Tibet Riots 2008.03.15

Celebrating the 49th year of standing up against the Chinese government's occupation of Tibet. Many Tibetans stood up in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa and were killed and imprisoned. The riot recieved worldwide attention.

A Special Political Prisoner

In 1995, one of the world's youngest political prisoners was taken in. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was only six years old when the Chinese government considered him to be a political prisoner. Appointed as the Panchen Lama by the current Dalai Lama, the Chinese government imprisoned him and his parents, and, by lottery, appointed a new Panchen Lama. However, the Dalai Lama doesn't recognize his appointed Panchen Lama and neither does most of the Tibetan population.





According to the Dalai Lama,
"The safety of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his proper religious training is of particular concern for me. I, therefore, appeal to all governments, religious and human rights organizations for their intervention in ensuring the safety and freedom of the young Panchen Lama."

The Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nymia
at six years old (1995). He is now eighteen.

Works Cited:

Information and Picture:

"China Imprisoned a Child and Stole a Religion." Molnies. 5 Jan 2008. Molnies. 27 May 2008 .

Torture

Even today, the Chinese military tortures Tibetan prisoners, especially political prisoners. According to a 1997 report by Physicians for Human Rights, 94% of Tibetan prisoners experience some sort of torture during their incarceration.

Some forms of torture include:
- Electric shocks by cattle prods to genitals, eyes, mouth, and other sensitive body parts.
- Beatings with metal rods, sticks, pistols or rifle butts, plastic hoses filled with sand, and pieces of furniture.
- Exposure to extreme heat or cold.
- Aerial suspension or restraint by rope in uncomfortable positions.
- Starvation
- Forcing prisoners to stare at the sun for extended periods of time.
- Witnessing others being tortured.
- Urinating in victims' mouths.
- Death threats
- Forced work in labor camps.

Typically, Tibetan prisoners experience torture twice. The first time is before their trial date. The second time is after the trial and is usually more intense.

Works Cited for this post:
Information:
"Torture in Tibet." The Government of Tibet in Exile. 27 Apr 2000. The Government of Tibet in Exile. 26 May 2008 .

Human Rights Issues

Human rights have become a major issue in Tibet. Here are a few statistics.

Today more than 1.2 million people have died since the Chinese invasion in 1949.
In May 1982, 115 Tibetan political activists were imprisoned for protesting the Chinese government.
By November 1983, there were more than 750 political prisoners in the jail in Lhasa (the Tibetan capital) alone. The Lhasa prison usually only had about 30 prisoners in it at one time before China was in Tibet.
On September 27, 1987, more than 200 Tibetans demonstrated against the Chinese government in Lhasa. Many of them were imprisoned.
Between October 1, 1987 and March 5, 1988, the Chinese army killed many protestors and imprisoned at least 2,500.

Many different countries have put out parliamentary resolutions for China to respect the Tibetans. The list includes:
- European Parliament on Oct. 14, 1987, Mar. 15, 1989, and Apr. 26, 1990
- West Germany on Oct. 15, 1987
- Italy on Apr. 12, 1989
- Australia on Dec. 6, 1990
- The United States on Oct. 29, 1991

At the United Nations, Tibet is constantly discussed. For example, in 1985, a group of non-government organizations asked the UN Commision om Human Rights to look closely on what is going on in Tibet. Today, talks about Tibet's situation are on the UN agenda.

Because of the way China treats the Tibetans, especially the political prisoners, the U.S. and China have had disagreements, as the U.S. does not support what China is doing to it's prisoners.

Works Cited:
Information:
"White Paper - Human rights." The Government of Tibet in Exile. 2 Feb 1996. The Government of Tibet in Exile. 23 May 2008 .

The History of the Conflict

Here's a sort-of timeline for the history of the conflict between China and Tibet.

1949-1951: China invades Tibet.
1951: Invasion ends and Mao Zedong's "17-Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet" is signed.
1952: Resistance to China's interference in Tibet begins.
1959: Tibetan resistance at it's greatest, moves "underground."
March 1959: Refugees fleeing from eastern Tibet to escape Chinese military "atrocities."
1959: Tibetans stand up against Chinese military.
March 1959 - October 1960: More than 87,000 Tibetans killed in the uprising.
October 1960: Dalai Lama flees the country hours before the place he was staying is shelled by Chinese military. Thousands were massacred as a result of blocking the Dalai Lama's palace in a dire attempt to save him.
October 1960: Tibetans were sent to concentration and labor camps and religious institutions were destroyed as a part of China's Cultural Revolution.
1979: Chinese ruler Deng Xiaoping states "anything except total independence of Tibet could be discussed and resolved."
1979 - present: Dalai Lama proposed multiple agreements with China - with no results.
1980: Dalai Lama attempts to send teachers in exile to Tibet to educate young Tibetans
1988: Dalai Lama's Five-Point Plan known as the Strasbourg Proposal - an attempt for independence of Tibet.

Works Cited for this post:
Information:
"Executive Summary." The Government of Tibet in Exile. 2 Feb 1996. The Government of Tibet in Exile. 21 May 2008 .
Picture:
"Design and Curiosity in Tokyo." 21 May 2008 .