Restless Tibet recalls decades of exile

TEnzin Passang wasn’t max born when her former homeland was officially annexed by prc 75 years agone, but growing up in Dharamsala, she was encircled by both myths and stories on Tibet. From her parents, she heard tales of her grandfather. Running through every story she was told as a child was the regret of statelessness and the dream of returning one day.“Even though most of us were born in exile and have only seen Tibet through the memories and stories of our elders, our connection to our roots is unbreakable. In our communities, we often say that every Tibetan carries an invisible ‘R’ on their forehead. It stands for three things: Refugee, Resistance, and Resilience,” said Passang, 29, national director of Students For A Free Tibet-India, which is a global grassroots network of students and activists working in solidarity with the Tibetan people.May 23 marks 75 years since the formalisation of the so-called seventeen-point agreement between China and the then local government of Tibet. In Dharamsala, the seat of the 14th Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile after he fled into India in 1959 along with thousands of followers, the agreement is seen as a forced treaty which they do not recognise.Among the local population – which has dwindled to roughly 7000 – the memory of the date is growing more faint but many say they continue to hold on to the hope of eventually returning to their former homeland, even as China has tightened its grip over the region in recent years.Passang agreed. “Our hope comes from our own endurance. The Tibetan resistance has survived for 75 years. If Beijing thought that time would make the younger generation forget, they miscalculated. Our resolve is not fading,” she said.Chinese annexation and a govt-in-exileIn 1949, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) first crossed into Tibet. The formal annexation by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) occurred on May 23, 1951 with the contentious treaty that Tibetan leaders later claimed was forced upon them by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Tibetan government-in-exile maintains that the agreement never had any validity since it was obtained through the use and threat of armed force.Later, the Dalai Lama after coming into exile repudiated the 17-point agreement.China’s annexation of Tibet triggered tensions within the region and eventually led to the failed uprising in Lhasa against communist rule, which forced the then 23-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, and over 80,000 Tibetans to flee to India, where he continues to reside along with the Tibetan government-in-exile. Following his escape to India, China further tightened its control over the territory.“Through decades of displacement, loss, and struggle, we have remained a people defined by hope and driven by an unbreakable determination. Ours is not a passive waiting; it is an active, unwavering fight to reclaim the freedom that was stolen from a previous generation,” said Karma Phuntsok Namgyal, 33, a Tibetan activist.The Dalai Lama established an administration in exile on April 29, 1959, in Mussoorie. Named the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), it was seen by the exiled Tibetans as the continuation of the government of erstwhile independent Tibet. In May 1960, the CTA was moved to Dharamsala, where it is now.The Dalai Lama formally relinquished his political and administrative role in 2011 by signing amendments to the Constitution of the Tibetan government-in-exile. He chose to remain solely the spiritual head, transferring political authority to the CTA and its democratic leadership.Dorjee Tseten, member of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile and programme director, Tibet Action Institute, said, “May 23, the anniversary of the so-called 17 Point Agreement, remains a brutal reminder of the occupation of Tibet. The agreement was signed under military pressure and has never been accepted by the Tibetan people as a legitimate expression of our national will.The very act of forcing Tibet to sign such an agreement demonstrated that Tibet was historically a separate nation.”Rising anxiety, dwindling populationIn recent years, the exiled Tibetans’ population in Dharamshala has dwindled. According to a rough estimation shared by officials, the population which used to be around 10,000 in early 2000s has now declined roughly to 7,000.Also, the arrival of Tibetans from Tibet has also declined in recent years. In the early 2000s thousands would annually arrive in India via Nepal, however, the number is down to a trickle now. It is mainly because of increased control of the Chinese government inside Tibet.There are other anxieties. With the Dalai Lama, the central figure of Tibetan Buddhism, ageing, the exiled population is worried about the reincarnation process.They say the process of recognising the reincarnations of lamas in Tibetan Buddhism is solely and uniquely a religious tradition. In contrast, Beijing maintains that the process of selecting his successor must adhere to Chinese law, asserting its control over Tibetan Buddhism and rejecting any succession beyond its authority.In Tibetan tradition, it is believed that when a senior Buddhist monk passes away, his soul is reincarnated in the body of a child. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was recognised as the reincarnation of his predecessor at the age of two.Beijing has already named a Panchen Lama, who is not accepted among exiled Tibetans. The Dalai Lama has said that the Gaden Phodrang Trust alone holds the legitimate authority to identify and recognise his reincarnation.“The key question remains: How will the international community respond to the pressure and interference exerted by China?” said Tenzin Lobsang, the general secretary of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), which is the oldest and largest Tibetan NGO with more than 38,000 active members across the world.