Harnessing the Dragon`S Fume

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HARNESSING THE DRAGON`S FUME

(Challenging the Chinese Communist Party`s distorted Tibet narratives)

Tsewang Gyalpo Arya

DIIR PUBLICATIONS

Published by: Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) Gangchen Kyishong Dharamsala - 176215 H.P. INDIA

Email: [email protected] Website: www.tibet.net Cover illustration: Yuki Goto

First edition: April 2021 (1000 copies) © tgarya

ISBN 978-93-85578-23-6

Printed at: Narthang Press, Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamsala - 176215 (H.P.)

FOREWORD

Since the coming of Xi Jinping at the helm of Chinese communist party, China adopted an offensive stance on various fronts to assert its claim on Tibet and has through its mouthpiece like, the Global Times, Xinhua News and CGTN barraged its propaganda to the outside world. It has consistently tried to justify its occupation of Tibet by harping on the development it has made and the increased GDP growth in the region. While China claims great development, human rights and prosperity in Tibet, it has barred the U.N. rapporteurs, diplomats and media from visiting Tibet.

It has, however, from time to time invited limited foreign journalists on a state sponsored tour in Tibet with a clear message to parrot the communist party`s propaganda.

Through these foreign media, China has tried to distort the historical facts and assert its ownership over Tibet since ancient times. In a gross violation of religious freedom, Chinese communist party, who does not believe in religion, has taken over the management of Tibetan monasteries. The CCP leadership is now openly interfering in the selection of high Tibetan Lamas and has come out boldly to exert its authority in the selection of the next Dalai Lama. Dr. Tsewang Gyalpo Arya, the then Information Secretary and Tibet News Bureau Chief of DIIR, has effectively issued timely rebuttals to these Chinese media onslaughts. He has further challenged the Chinese propaganda through personal op-eds and writings in various media outlets. We are pleased to publish the collection of these op-eds and writings in a book form titled “Harnessing the Dragon’s Fume”. The writings contain important information and facts to counter the Chinese assertions and the CCP`s inimical conspiracy to distort historical facts. While we congratulate the author on his writings, the views expressed are author’s own. We hope the book will serve as an additional resource for all to challenge and refute the increased Chinese ignominious and distorted claims.

Dr. Lobsang Sangay President (Sikyong), Central Tibetan Administration, Dharamsala, INDIA 10th March 2021

Contents

Tibet, Tibetan refugees and the way ahead ...... 1

China has no historical, religious and political rights to interfere in Dalai Lamas’ reincarnation issues...... 14

China was only a part of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty; it was neither the authority nor the inheritor of the dynasty ...... 24

The 17-point Agreement: What China promised; what it really delivered and the future? ...... 33

Tibet has never been an internal affair of China ...... 48

A real Tibet behind the safest Chinese city Lhasa, a rebuttal ...... 55

Tibet has never been a part of China anywhere in its pre- 1949 history ...... 60

Chinese communist leadership should stop its tirade against His Holiness the Dalai Lama ...... 65

Why Chinese leadership is avoiding talks with the Tibetan representatives...... 70

China’s white paper on defense: a sugar coated sabre...... 75 China’s white paper on human rights a blatant farce ...... 80

Chinese ambassador’s statement on Tibet misleading and not true ...... 85

China buying Indian media for propaganda gimmick ...... 90

Serfs emancipation day, a Chinese drama to mislead the international community ...... 95

Coronavirus pandemic: a Chinese Trojan horse to global hegemony ...... 99

China’s Global Times article false, incorrect and misleading-a rebuttal ...... 107

Phunchok Stobdan’s televised attack is misleading, divisive and dangerous...... 111

China’s ostentatious seminar on Tibet, an attempt to save its face at UNHRC ...... 118

Xi Jinping’s speech at Tibet Forum betrays CCP’s policy failure ...... 124

A brief introduction to Losar, Tibetan New Year ...... 130

A Short note on Lungta, a Tibetan prayer flag and its origin ...... 138

Chotrul-duschen: The Great Prayer Festival of Tibet ...... 147

~1~ Tibet, Tibetan refugees and the way ahead

A group of early Tibetan refugees in Northern India, 1960s (Photo courtesy: the Tibet Museum/DIIR.) June 20 is World Refugee Day. The United Nations designated this day to remember the refugees around the world and to remind ourselves of how we all could work together to restore the rights and dignity of the refugees. Most of the refugees are the victims of dictatorial or tyrannical regimes. Replacing these regimes with more democratic and responsible governments is the panacea to all the ills and sufferings associated with the refugee problems. Tibet, too is a victim of a tyrannical Communist regime. Tibetans in and outside Tibet have suffered and are still suffering under the Chinese communist regime for the last seventy years.

1 On this World Refugee Day, let me briefly share the Tibetan refugees` story, how Tibetans lost their country and became refugees, their struggle, hope, and future aspirations.

Introduction

Tibet has been a peaceful and independent country since ancient times. It is situated on the highest plateaus of the world, the Pamir and Tibetan plateaus. Therefore, it is also known as the roof of the world and the source of major rivers of Southeast Asian countries. Geographically, it lies north of India and Nepal, West of China, and south of Mongolia. Nepal and Tibet share Mount Everest, one side of the mountain is in Nepal, and the other side is in Tibet. According to the ancient Indian sacred books Rigveda and Atharvaveda, Tibet is Trivistapa, the heavenly abode, with Mount Kailash as the center or navel of the earth.

After the Communists took over China in 1949 as part of their expansionist policy, this peaceful and holy nation was attacked and invaded in 1950. The Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal head of Tibet, escaped and sought asylum in India. Some 80,000 Tibetans followed him into exile thereafter.

History

India, Nepal, and Tibet share many historical, cultural, and religious values. Tibet during the 7th to the 9th century has been one of the most powerful military empires in Asia. Tibetan emperors like Srongtsan Gampo (569-650 AD), Khrisong Deutsan (742-798 AD) and Khri-ralpachen (802- 2 841 AD) conquered the territories of the neighboring Central Asia, Nepal, India, and China. Around that time, Buddhism from India also entered Tibet. The Tibetan emperor, Khrisrong Deutsan, invited Indian Buddhist masters such as Shantarakshita and Guru Padmasambhava to Tibet and made Buddhism a state religion.

Since the adoption and propagation of Buddhism in Tibet, the war-like nature of Tibetan people got pacified, and more and more attention was paid to spiritual development and promotion of peace and harmony, both in the land and around the neighboring countries. Tibet’s military strength dwindled, and spiritual pursuit gained momentum. The number of armies decreased, and the number of monks and nuns increased exponentially. When the modern world was busy exploring physical matters and industrial revolutions, Tibetans were busy exploring deeper into the mind and seeking a spiritual revolution. Many Indian scholars visited Tibet to teach, and many Tibetan scholars visited India to study Buddhism. Military campaigns and territorial aggression stopped, Tibet became peaceful, and the neighboring countries began to look to Tibet for spiritual guidance and enlightenment.

Rule by the priests (Lama)

Buddhism and Tibetan Lamas played an important role in maintaining peace and stability in Central Asia. The belligerent descendants of Genghis Khan of Mongolia, who conquered half of Europe and most of Asia, ultimately got pacified by the teaching of the Tibetan Sakya Lamas, who convinced the 3 Mongol Kings that the victory over one’s ignorant mind is far more virtuous than victory over physical enemy through killings and lootings. It was the Tibetan Lamas who kept the warring factions of Mongol, Tibet, Nepal, China and Manchuria in peace and friendly accord. The Mongolian Yuan Empire, Chinese Ming and Manchu Qing empires, all were greatly benefited by spiritual discourses and guidance offered by the Tibetan Lamas. The most notable and respected Lama was the Dalai Lama. He was greatly revered by the Tibetans and by the kings and subjects of the neighboring countries.

The first Dalai Lama, Gedun Drupa, was born in 1391 AD. Dalai in the Mongolian language means “ocean.” meaning a Lama or a teacher whose knowledge is as vast as the ocean, i.e., an ocean of wisdom. In Tibetan Buddhism, the high Lamas (teachers or gurus) upon their demise reincarnate to continue the work of teaching and to guide the sentient beings. It was during the fifth reincarnation, Lobsang Gyatso (1617- 1682), that the Dalai Lama assumed the temporal and spiritual leadership of Tibet in 1642. Since then, Tibet has been ruled by the successive Dalai Lamas until the Chinese invasion.

Communist invasion

In 1949, the Chinese Communist Party of Chairman Mao Zedong came to power in China and established the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Mao Zedong claimed Tibet as a part of China, forcefully took over Tibet under the guise of “peaceful liberation,” and forced the 17-point agreement in 1951. A peaceful Buddhist country, Tibet could not defend 4 herself from the heavily armed Chinese soldiers. India and the international community’s sympathy was with Tibet, but they could not defend Tibet.

The incumbent Dalai Lama, H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama, was only 14 when he assumed the leadership of Tibet in 1950. He, along with his cabinet, tried his best to accommodate the Chinese demands and maintain truce, but the Chinese atrocities became too much, and the people revolted on 10 March 1959. The revolt was brutally crushed, and many people died. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, along with the members of the cabinet, fled Tibet and sought asylum in India. Some 80,000 Tibetans followed him into exile and settled in Nepal, India, and Bhutan.

With the occupation of Tibet by China, more than 1.2 million Tibetans died and around 6,000 monasteries were destroyed. China perpetrated cultural genocide in Tibet to achieve complete sinicization. Tibetans are denied freedom of language, culture, and religion; repression is still going on. Even today, no diplomats, UN rapporteurs, and journalists are allowed to visit Tibet, and no Tibetans are allowed to travel outside. The Chinese state propaganda keeps on saying that they have developed Tibet, and Tibetans are happy there, but the truth is exactly the opposite.

Tibetan refugees

The government and people of India welcomed His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a state guest and helped in the integration

5 of Tibetan refugees. Pandit Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India, helped in establishing Central Schools for Tibetans to educate the young refugees in India. The Tibetan government- in-exile, which is now known by Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), was established in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, to look after the welfare of the Tibetans and to work for the restoration of freedom and justice in Tibet.

With the help of the government of India and international donors, there are some 40 Tibetan settlements in 12 Indian states: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Ladakh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, and Karnataka. There are, as of now, approximately 90,000 Tibetans in these settlements. Tibetans have worked hard, and today they have become a highly self- reliant community. It is often said that Tibetans in exile are the most successful refugee community in the world.

Around 50,000 have migrated to foreign countries, mainly to the US, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, and other European countries. There are some 64 registered Tibetan associations abroad. In Nepal, there are around 10,000 Tibetans. So, the total Tibetan population in exile is around 150,000 only, while Tibetans inside Tibet is around 7 million. It may be noted here that Tibetans in Nepal are facing great restrictions due to increased interference by China in Nepalese internal affairs.

6 Tibetan struggle

Under the leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan non-violent struggle for freedom and justice has gained good support from India and the international community. His Holiness the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his work and contribution toward the promotion of world peace and non-violence. Sensing the need for people’s participation in the governance, His Holiness the Dalai Lama introduced democracy through a series of reforms in the exile administration, and in 2011, he fully devolved his political authority to the popularly elected leadership. Today, the Tibetan community in exile enjoys freedom and a vibrant democracy, which is denied to their brethren in Tibet by China.

There are more than 450 Tibet Support Groups and its chapters in India supporting the Tibetan cause, prominent among them are: the Indo-Tibetan Friendship Society, Bharat Tibet Sahyog Manch, Himalaya Parivar, Himalaya Culture & Buddhist Association, National Campaign for Free Tibet Support, etc. There are 210 International Tibet Support Groups and their chapters spread across the world and several World Parliamentarian Forums to support the just cause of Tibet.

In the Tibetan refugee settlements in India, Nepal, and Bhutan, there are Settlement Officers who look after the welfare of the people; there are schools, monasteries, health centers, and so on. What has been lost and destroyed by China in Tibet is properly preserved and maintained in exile. The Settlement 7 Officers keep the Home Department of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamshala well informed of the needs and grievances of the settlements. This is how the Tibetan community in exile has earned the reputation of being strong, efficient, and resilient. Spiritual and cultural renaissance

With the coming of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other High Tibetan masters, India has experienced a great spiritual and cultural renaissance through the revival of Buddhist science, philosophy, and religion. Buddhism took its birth in India and spread across Asia, but it suffered setbacks and negligence for a long time due to various internal and external factors. Today, it is vibrant across the Himalayas, and India has realized this soft power of Buddha’s message. Buddhism has now reached Western countries not only as a religion but also as science and philosophy.

Most of the Tibetan monasteries in India and Nepal have numerous students from the Himalayan regions and from other parts of India. There are students from Southeast Asian countries and from the West who study Buddhism in these Tibetan monastic universities. India has once again assumed its position as the source of authentic Buddhist teachings. More than 200 Tibetan Buddhist texts have been translated back into the Sanskrit language at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Varanasi. His Holiness the Dalai Lama rightly said that, what the Tibetans have learned from the Indian masters long before, now they are handing it back to India. “India is our Guru; we Tibetans are chelas [disciples]. But we have been

8 reliable chelas. We have kept the ancient Nalanda teaching intact,” he says.

Dialogues with China

Mao Zedong died in 1976, and his successor Deng Xiaoping suggested that the Tibet issue can be resolved if the Tibetans stop seeking separation from China. Tibetan language and culture are under great threat due to increased state-sponsored migration of Han Chinese into Tibetan areas. Huge ecological damages are being done through excessive mining and damming of the rivers. China is getting more powerful militarily. Under these circumstances, there is a danger that, within ten years or so, Tibetans will become a minority in their own country, and Tibetan language, religion and culture will be eradicated.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration came up with the Middle Way Approach (MWA) to resolve the Tibet issue. The gist of the MWA is that the Tibetans will not seek separation from China but firmly reject the Chinese repressive policy and that China should give genuine autonomy to Tibet as prescribed in the Chinese Constitution. From 2002 to 2010, nine rounds of Sino- Tibetan dialogues were done, and a Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People was submitted to the PRC in 2008. But China did not accept the Tibetans’ proposal of MWA. This is, in fact, against the Chinese Constitution, which has promised regional autonomy to national minorities living in concentrated communities.

9 India and Tibet

India and Tibet had a strong cultural and spiritual bond since ancient times. Tibetans looked at India as a holy land, and a visit to Bodhgaya is considered a lifetime spiritual achievement. Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarover are greatly venerated by the Tibetans. Tibet is equally revered by the Hindu community as the abode of Lord Shiva and his consort Paravati. For the Hindus, a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and the Lake is a lifetime spiritual achievement. Tibet is Trivistapa for the Indians, and India is Aryabhumi [the land of noble beings] for the Tibetans. Tibetans and Indians traveled freely across the borders without any hindrances.

Now, with the Chinese invasion of Tibet, the long and peaceful border between Tibet and India has become their most militarized and expensive border. China attacked India in 1962, and it continues to make border intrusion in Ladakh, Arunachal, and Sikkim. India has lost a friendly buffer state and the abode of Lord Shiva; its borders are under perpetual threat from Chinese aggression. Atal Behari Vajpayee, the former Prime Minister of India, has said, “from the point of view of national interests, the fact that Tibet is being annihilated cannot be for the good of India in the long run.”

Tibet is a source of major rivers in Southeast Asia. Indus, Sutlej, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Salween, Mekong, Yangtse, the Yellow River, and others all have their source in Tibet. Any ecological damage to these sources will have a great repercussion to the riparian states down the streams. China already has tried 10 to dam the Brahmaputra River, causing strategic as well as livelihood threat to the people living along the river. Therefore, the restoration of Tibet to the Tibetans is in the interest of India and Southeast Asian countries.

The way ahead

Although China keeps on saying Tibet is an internal affair of China, it is clear that Tibet has become an international issue. It is an issue of illegal occupation of a peaceful country; it is an issue of human rights and religious freedom; it is an issue of democracy and the rule of law. The international community looks to the Tibetan struggle as a source of inspiration to fight tyranny and dictatorship around the world. China belongs to the Chinese people and not to the CCP. Even the Chinese people are not happy under the repressive Communist regime.

The spread of the Coronavirus pandemic is the result of the Communist regime’s effort to silence the victims and prevent doctors from revealing the truth. The way China mishandled and exploited it has revealed the treacherous nature of the CCP leadership. The post-COVID world will surely hold China accountable for all the sufferings that both the Chinese people and the international community have undergone.

The outspoken Chinese Professor Xu Zhangrun of Tsinghua University said that, “China has reached a ‘dead end’; democracy is the only way out.” And it is of no surprise that Prof Xu is currently under house arrest with his Internet connection cut. Indian leader Jayaprakash Narayan has rightly said, “Tibet

11 will not die because there is no death of the human spirit. Communism will not succeed because humans will not be slaves forever.”

The world has rejected Communism and repression. The Berlin Wall fell in November 1989; Soviet Union broke down in December 1991, Communism will die in China too. With the birth of democratic China, Asia and the world will see the rise of a peaceful China contributing to world peace and harmony. This will once again have Tibet resume its age-old role of sharing the message of peace and non-violence and maintain stability and harmony in the region.

References:

• Indian leaders on Tibet, DIIR publications, 1998, Dharamsala, India

• Middle Way Policy and All Related Documents, DIIR Publications, 2011, Dharamsala, India

• www.manthandigital.com / Manthan; Journal of Social & Academic Activism, Jan-March 2020 issue, New Delhi

• Shakabpa Tsepon, Tibet - A Political History, Potala Inc, 1984, NY

• Tibet was never a part of China... DIIR Publications, 2019, Dharamsala, India

• The Dalai Lama, www.dalailama.com

• The impassioned words of Xu Zhangrun 14/02/2010: 12 https:// www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ global-opinions/ the-impassioned-words-of-xu- zhangrun/2020/02/14/12 a8bd7518-4dcd-11ea-bf44- f5043eb3918a_story.html

• Chinese activist detained after calling Xi Jinping ‘clueless’ on coronavirus crisis: https://www.theguardian.com/ world/2020/feb/17/chinese-activist-arrested-xi-jinping- clueless-coronavirus-xu-zhiyong

(The article originally appeared in the Bitter Winter’s site on the World Refugee day on 20/06/2020 https://bitterwinter.org/tibet- tibetan-refugees-and-the-way-ahead/) and later shared by (https://tibet. net/ tibet-tibetan-refugees-and-the-way-ahead/)

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~2~ China has no historical, religious and political rights to interfere in Dalai Lamas’ reincarnation issues

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama at his enthronement ceremony, February 22, 1940, in Lhasa, Tibet. (Photo courtesy of Tibet Museum)

Oblivious to the international uproar over the growing repression in Tibet and Uighur region and Hong Kong unrest, China invited journalists from India this month and condescendingly warned India on the Dalai Lama and

14 Arunachal Pradesh issues. They explicitly conveyed in no less intimidating terms that China will select the 15th Dalai Lama within the country and any interference by India on the issue will not be tolerated!

The inspiration behind the move seems to be from the two dictums in the Sun Tzu’s Art of War tactics. The first, “The further you penetrate into a (enemy’s) country, the greater will be the solidarity of your troops, thus the defenders will not prevail against you.” The second, “Reduce the hostile chiefs by inflicting damage on them; make trouble for them, and keep them constantly engaged; hold specious allurements, and make them rush to any given point.”

Wang Neng Shang, a Vice Minister in TAR and Director General of people’s government information office; Zha Luo, the director of China Tibetology Research Center, the premier Chinese government Tibet policy think tank; and Xiao Jie, assistant fellow at the Institute of Commentary Studies were the three main Chinese officials who interacted and briefed the visiting journalists.

The Chinese officials pointed out two things as important historical criteria for the selection of the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation. First, the selection should be within China based on the 200-year old historical process. Second, it should have the approval of the Chinese Central government. Wang and Xiao further went on to explain that the incumbent 14th Dalai Lama is Dalai Lama because of the Chinese Central government’s recognition. 15 With due respect to the three learned Chinese officials, we beg to differ because the fact is otherwise. This is a blatant deliberate attempt by the Chinese leadership to distort historical and religious facts.

When they said “200-year old historical process”, it should be around 1819 AD during the reign of the Qing emperor Jiaqing [r.1796-1820]. However, the history and institution of the Dalai Lama date back to more than 500-year, when the first Dalai Lama was born in 1391. It existed much before the emergence of the Qing dynasty [1644-1911] in China. Therefore, the purported indirect assertion that the Qing emperor’s decree governed the reincarnation of the Dalai Lamas is unfounded and baseless. Now, let us have a glimpse of the history of the Dalai Lamas’ reincarnation.

The first Dalai Lama, Gedun Drupa was born in 1391 and his reincarnation, the second Dalai Lama, Gedun Gyatso was born in 1475. The third Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso was born in 1543; it was during his time that the Mongolian King Altan Khan conferred the title of Dalai Lama on him as a mark of respect. The fourth Dalai Lama, Yonten Gyatso was born in 1589 in Mongolia. The fifth reincarnation, Lobsang Gyatso [1617-1682], became the spiritual and temporal head of Tibet with the help of Mongolian King Gushri Khan. Then came the sixth in 1682, the seventh in 1708, the eighth Dalai Lama in 1758 and the ninth Dalai Lama in 1805. All the reincarnation selections had been done as per Tibetan religious tradition.

16 In 1792, during the reign of Manchu emperor Qianglong [r.1736-1795], Tibet requested Manchu’s help to fight the invading Gurkha force. As this was the fourth time the Tibetans asked for the Manchu’s help, the Manchu officials suggested 29-point regulation for the effective administration of Tibet. This was based on the Priest-patron relationship; it has no ruler-subject context. One of the points was to use the Golden Urn method to select the reincarnation of Dalai lamas and Panchen Lamas. But except for the selection of the 11th Dalai Lama, this method was never used. For the 10th Dalai Lama, Tsultrim Gyatso, the selection was already done, but to humor the Manchus, it was announced that the Golden Urn was used. For the 12th Dalai Lama also, Golden Urn was used as a formality only, as the selection was already confirmed as per Tibetan religious tradition.

So, the Tibetan age-old religious tradition was followed to select the Dalai Lamas. The 13th and the 14th Dalai Lamas’ reincarnations were also selected as per Tibetan religious tradition. Representatives from the neighboring nations, including China, came during the enthronement ceremony of the 14th Dalai Lama in 1940. No approval or recognition of any kind from any central government was sought. Wang and Xiao’s assertion, “It was with the central government’s recognition that the Dalai Lama became the 14th Dalai Lama.” is misleading and deplorable.

Therefore, the three Chinese government officials’ statement emphasizing the method of Golden Urn and approval of

17 the Chinese central government as mandatory criteria for the recognition of the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama is not true and baseless. It is an aggressive and ignominious attempt on the part of the Chinese leadership to distort the ancient religious tradition of Tibet to serve its current political agenda.

To make the historical record straight, it was the Manchu Qing dynasty with whom the Tibetans had been dealing with, China was only a part of the dynasty at that time. If China’s claim on Tibet is based on the Manchu’s relationship with the Tibetans, then Mongols have a better reason to make claims over Tibet.

Sun Yatsen, the father of the Chinese republic, has stated that the Chinese nation had fallen twice under foreign rule: the first time under the Mongol Yuan dynasty [1271-1368] and the second time under the Manchu Qing dynasty [1644-1911]. So, where is China? What central government are Wang and Xiao talking about? The People’s Republic of China of Communist China came only in October 1949.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has on numerous occasions explained his stance clear on reincarnation. Here is what he said in September 2011, it is on the official website:

“As I mentioned earlier, reincarnation is a phenomenon which should take place either through the voluntary choice of the concerned person or at least on the strength of his or her karma, merit and prayers. Therefore, the person who reincarnates has sole legitimate authority over where and how he or she takes rebirth and how that reincarnation is to

18 be recognized. It is a reality that no one else can force the person concerned, or manipulate him or her. It is particularly inappropriate for Chinese communists, who explicitly reject even the idea of past and future lives, let alone the concept of reincarnate Tulkus, to meddle in the system of reincarnation and especially the reincarnations of the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas. Such brazen meddling contradicts their own political ideology and reveals their double standards. Should this situation continue in the future, it will be impossible for Tibetans and those who follow the Tibetan Buddhist tradition to acknowledge or accept it.

When I am about ninety I will consult the high Lamas of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, the Tibetan public, and other concerned people who follow Tibetan Buddhism, and re- evaluate whether the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue or not. On that basis we will take a decision. If it is decided that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama should continue and there is a need for the Fifteenth Dalai Lama to be recognized, responsibility for doing so will primarily rest on the concerned officers of the Dalai Lama’s Gaden Phodrang Trust. They should consult the various heads of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the reliable oath-bound Dharma Protectors who are linked inseparably to the lineage of the Dalai Lamas. They should seek advice and direction from these concerned beings and carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition. I shall leave clear written instructions about this. Bear in mind that, apart from the reincarnation recognized through such legitimate methods, 19 no recognition or acceptance should be given to a candidate chosen for political ends by anyone, including those in the People’s Republic of China.”

While the international community respects His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a great spiritual master and accorded the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution in promoting peace and non- violence, the Chinese leadership has condemned him as a devil, a terrorist, a separatist, and a wolf in a sheep’s skin. The important question here is: then why are they so desperate to have the devil, terrorist, separatist, and the wolf to be reborn?

The concept of reincarnation is based on the Buddhist and Hindu belief of the existence of past and future lives. Chinese communist leadership should first learn and accept the existence of past and future lives before meddling in the reincarnation of Tibetan lamas. China’s State Religious Affairs Bureau Order No. 5 should be withdrawn. Buddhists and devotees around the world, including those in China, will not tolerate this communist blasphemy!

Therefore, the leaders of the free world and the advocates of freedom, justice, and democracy around the globe should uphold the words of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as final in his reincarnation issue and collectively urge the Chinese leadership to refrain from any act of sacrilege against the highest order of Tibetan Buddhism. The fact is that communist China has no historical, religious, and political rights to select the Dalai Lamas.

20 Reference:

• China May Reject Dalai Lama Chosen Abroad, by Rezaul H Laskar, Hindustan Times, https://www.hindustantimes. com/india-news/china-may-reject-dalai-lama-chosen- abroad/story-iTFUbCTATHD8KKJKnwGj7I.html

• Disregard for China’s Dalai Lama Could Affect Ties, by Sachin Parashar, Times of India, July 14, 2019 https:// timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/ disregard-for-chinas-dalai-lama-could-affect-ties-beijing/ articleshow/70216747.cms

• India Must Approve Next China Dalai For Better Ties, by Sridhar Kumaraswami, July 15, 2019 https://www. asianage.com/india/all-india/150719/india-must-approve- next-china-dalai-for-better-ties.html

• My Land and My People, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Timeless Book, New Delhi 2016 Edition

• Next Dalai Lama Should be Chosen Within China; India Should Not Intervene: Chinese Authorities, by Manash Pratim Bhuyan, PTI, 14 July 2019 https://economictimes. indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/next-dalai-lama- must-be-chosen-within-china-india-should-not-intervene- chinese-authorities/articleshow/70215668. cms

• Reincarnation: https://www.dalailama.com/the-dalailama/biography-and-daily-life/reincarnation

21 • Short Biographies of the Previous Dalai Lamas: https:// www. dalailama.com/the-dalai-lama/previous-dalai-lamas/ previous-dalai-lama

• Selection of the Next Dalai Lama May test New Delhi- Beijing Ties by Elizabeth Roche, Teh Mint, 15 July 2019 https://www.livemint.com/news/world/-beijing- will-reject-dalai-lama-s-successor-chosen-by-tibetan- govt-1563108350468.html

• Tibet and Manchu: An Assessment of Tibet-Manchu Relations in Five Phases of Historical Development, DIIR Publications, India, 2001

• Tibet was Never a Part of China but the Middle Way Approach Remains a Viable Solution, DIIR Publications, Indian, Reprint 2019

• The Religious Rituals and Historical Convention of Living Buddha Reincarnation: http://eng.tibet.cn/eng/index/ Archive/201901/t20190124_6488493.html

• Why did Emperor Qianlong adopt the reincarnation system: http://eng.tibet.cn/eng/index/Archive/ 201903/ t20190304_6516972.html

22 (20/07/2019: https://tibet.net/china-has-no-historical-religious-and-political-rights-to-interfere-in-dalai-lamas-reincarnation- issues/) and (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/ khawaripa-speaks/china-has-no-historical-religious-political-rights-to-interfere-in-dalai-lamas-reincarnation-issue-4723/)

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~3~ China was only a part of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty; it was neither the authority nor the inheritor of the dynasty Abstract: Tibet was an independent state politically and historically before its invasion by communist China in 1950. People’s Republic of China (PRC) claims Tibet as a part of China on various unfounded historical pretexts, most notably the Yuan Empire [1271-1368 CE], which ruled the eastern part of the Mongol empire. China says that it inherited Tibet from the Yuan dynasty when the Chinese Ming took over in 1368 CE. This paper will examine the relationship between Tibet and Mongol around that time to see if the Chinese claim has any substance in the matter, or is it just a propaganda gimmick to distort historical facts to satisfy their political agenda.

Mongolia was once dominated by various warring nomadic tribes, and it was Genghis Khan who put Mongolia on the world map and history through his conquests. The major tribes during the time of Genghis Khan were: the Tartars in the east, the Keraits in the center, the Merkits and Ongut in the north, the Naimans in the west, Olkhunut, Bayud, Khongirad, Kirghiz, Oirats, and so forth[1]. Genghis Khan, born as Temuchin in 1162, united these warring independent tribes and became the Great Khan. He went on to consolidate the

1 David Morgan, The Mongols, p-56 24 largest contiguous empire in world history. Mongol Khanate in Russia and Europe; the Yuan empire in present-day China, Burma and Koreas in the east; Chagatai Khanate in the present- day Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kirghizsthan, etc. and Ilkhanate in Persia, present-day Iran, Iraq, Turkey, etc. [Map-4 of DIIR, The Mongols and Tibet]

Tibet also came under the Mongol’s influence around those times and later developed a close and special relationship with the Mongols and its people. It was not a relationship of the conqueror and the conquered, of the subduer and the subdued. There emanated a unique Priest-patron [Tib: chos- yon] relationship which navigated their political and spiritual pursuits. This relationship was mutually beneficial; for the Tibetans, it gave them full autonomy and protection against any invasion; for the Mongolians, it gave their Emperors legitimacy to rule and its people the profound Buddhist philosophical teachings and moral foundation.

The Mongols came to the Tibetan border for the first time in

25 1207 and 1209, when Genghis Khan attacked the Tangut of Hsi Hsia Kingdom[2] in the north of Tibet[3]. Tibet submitted to the Mongols and agreed to pay tribute and thus was spared invasion. But it was only in 1226 that Mongols finally subjugated the Tangut; Genghis Khan died the year after, and Tibet stopped paying tribute to the Mongols. A Tibetan text Hor chos ‘byun, says Tibet submitted to Genghis Khan, and the latter adopted Buddhism. Some scholars say this could be erroneous, Tangut is known in Tibet as Mi-nyag and the conquest of Mi-nyag was taken as conquest of Tibet[4].

Prince Godan, the second son of Ogodai [the 3rd son of Genghis Khan] attacked Tibet in 1240, in which the Reting monastery and Gyal Temple were destroyed, and some 500 monks and civilians were killed[5]. Later, Prince Godan realized that although the Mongols were powerful and strong, they lacked the strong moral and spiritual civilization of Tibet. He invited Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsan [1182-1251], a highly revered Buddhist master of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1247, Godan and Sakya Pandita met at Liangzhou, the present-day Parig region of Amdo[6]. But this place could be the present-day Wuwei city in Gansu province above the Amdo region of Tibet.

2 Also known by the Western Xia or Xi Xia, it was known by Tibetan as Mi-nyak 3 DIIR, The Mongols and Tibet, p-2, 2nd edition, 2009 4 Kwanten Luc Herman, Tibetan-Mongol Relations during the Yuan dynasty, p-50, p-52, p-57, Phd thesis, 1972 5 Shakabpa, Tibet a Political History, p-61 6 DIIR, The Mongols and Tibet, p-11. But Shakabpa says it is Lan-chou, the capital city of Kansu, p-63 26 Sakya Pandita taught Godan starting with the Buddhist concept of refuge-taking, the law of Karma, and generating Bodhisattva’s mind. The latter was so impressed with the teaching, and he made Buddhism the State religion. As Tibet was under his influence at that time, the Prince gave Sakya Pandita temporal authority over the thirteen myriarchies [Tib: Khri ‘khor bcu gsum] of Central Tibet[7].

In a letter written by Sakya Pandita to Tibetan leaders from the Mongol court, he advised everyone to accommodate the Mongol’s power and refrain from any violent action which would not be of mutual benefit. In the letter, he writes toward the end:

The diverse teachers and powerful figures of China, Tibet, Uighur, Tangut etc., listen to my teachings with great appreciation. They [Mongols] respect me greatly. Have no concerns about how Mongols will treat us here. All may keep these words in mind and stay at peace[8].

It is clear from the letter that China, Tibet, Uighur, Tangut, etc., were distinct entities, and Sakya Pandita, being revered by the people of these countries, was advising them out of his concern for everyone.

China has quoted the meeting between Godan and Sakya Pandita and the latter’s note to claim Tibet as a part of China. It says:

7 Shakabpa, p-63 8 DIIR, The Mongols and Tibet, p-14 27 The meeting is called the ‘Liangzhou Talk’ in history, after which the “Sakya Pandita’s Letter to the Tubo People” was issued, which thus officially incorporated Tibet into Chinese territory and made it an administrative region under the central government of the Yuan Dynasty[9].

It further says:

The historical event of the Liangzhou Talk is a landmark moment in the history of the development of Tibet-Central Government relations. The Mongolian and Tibetan people have made significant contributions to the peaceful reunification of the motherland and the development of ethnic unity[10].

It is irrational on the part of China to claim over Tibet on the basis of the aforementioned assertion. Here it is the relationship between Mongol and Tibet, and China is only an outsider who came under Mongol rule in 1279 CE. Kublai Khan declared the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty in 1271, much before it annexed China’s southern Sung Empire. Therefore, China’s claim on the Yuan Dynasty does not hold any ground.

Sakya Pandita, passing his religious authority to one of his nephews, Phagpa, died in 1251 in Liangzhou and Prince Godan too died in the same year.

Mongke Khan, the grandson of Genghis khan and the eldest son of Tolui took over. During his reign, the Mongol empire

9 The Liangzhou Talk between Godan and Sakya Pandita, http://eng. tibet.cn/eng/index/Archives/201907/t20190712_6635163.html 10 ibid 28 extended greatly in the east and as well as the west and other directions. Kublai Khan, the second son of Tolui, invited Phagpa to his capital Shangdu in Inner Mongolia. Despite the differences at the initial stage, Kublai Khan and his Queen Chabu and many of the Mongolian ministers and officials became devoted Buddhists, and Buddhism further gained popularity throughout the regions. Kublai Khan gave Phagpa full authority over the three provinces of Tibet, and the Sakya Lamas began to rule Tibet from 1254 CE. It was also recorded that at the request of Sakya Pandita Kublai Khan stopped the annual ritual of drowning Chinese to check the Chinese population [Tib: Gya’i me yur chen mo][11]. This was all before Kublai Khan became the Great Khan of Mongolia.

Around the 13th century, there was a northern Jin empire and Southern Sung. They were in a perpetual fight over the territories. Ogodai, the third son of Genghis Khan conquered Jin empire in 1234 and started a campaign to invade the southern Sung empire. It was finally in 1279 that the whole Sung Empire came under the direct rule of Kublai Khan, who already had assumed the title of Yuan in 1271 to rule the eastern territories of the Mongol empire and made Beijing its capital.

What was there around that time was: Mongolia, East Turkestan, Tibet, Tangut, Dali, Jin, Sung, Korea, Burma, Vietnam, etc. They all came under the influence of the Mongol empire, the Yuan dynasty. Historical maps around that period may give a

11 Shakabpa, p-65

29 better picture of what China we are all talking about. [DIIR map-3, The Mongols and Tibet]

There is no denying the fact that Tibet came under Mongol’s sphere of influence at different periods of its history. But it was a very special relationship of Priest-patron [Tib: Chos- yon] under Godan Khan and Kublai Khan. Mongol did not rule Tibet directly; it was left to the Tibetans only. This all happened before the establishment of Kublai Khan’s Yuan dynasty in 1271 CE to rule the Mongol’s eastern conquest. Southern Sung of China finally came under Mongol’s rule in 1279. This clearly shows that China was only a part of the conquered territories of the Yuan dynasty.

More importantly, Kublai Khan and his successors tried organizing the territories under the Yuan Empire into different provinces. This was finally achieved during the 5th Yuan Emperor Shidebala, Yingzong [r. 1321-1323], in which the Yuan empire was divided into twelve provinces for political and

30 administrative purposes[12]. This map was officially published in China in 1914. It includes all the territories under their direct rules, but we don’t find Tibet in it. This goes on to say that Tibet was never considered a part of the Yuan Empire.

Therefore, the Chinese assertion is doubly unfounded. [DIIR map-5, the 12 provinces of Yuan Empire]

Lastly, whatever influences that Mongols held on Tibet were shelved in 1350 when Phagdru Jangchub Gyaltsan [r. 1350- 1364] took over Tibet from the Sakya’s rule and declared Tibetan independence from any Mongol influence. China gained independence from the Mongols only in 1368, i.e., eighteen years later.

Therefore, China’s claim that Tibet was a part of China because of the Yuan Dynasty is baseless and unfounded. The Yuan Dynasty was a Mongol Dynasty under which Tibet, China, and

12 DIIR, The Mongols and Tibet, p-21

31 many other Asian nations came under its direct and indirect influence.

References:

• David Morgan, The Mongols, Basil Blackwell Inc., 1987, New York, USA

• Department of Information & International Relations, The Mongols and Tibet, Reprint 2009, Dharamshala, India

• Jigme Rigpai Dorje (‘Jig med rig pai’ rdo rje), Hor gyi chos ‘byung bzhugs so, mTso sngo mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1993, Tibet

• Kwanten Luc Herman, Tibetan-Mongol Relations During the Yuan Dynasty (1207-1368), Ph.D thesis, University of South Carolina, 1972, USA

• Shakabpa Tsepon W.D., Tibet A Political History, Potala Publications, 1984, New York, USA

• The Liangzhou Talk between Godan and Sakya Pandita http://eng.tibet.cn/eng/index/Archives/201907/ t20190712_6635163.html

(08/11/2019: https://tibet.net/china-was-only-a- part-of-the-mongol-yuan-dynasty-it-was-neither-the-authority-nor-the-inheritor-of-the-dynasty/)

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~4~ The 17-point Agreement: What China promised; what it really delivered and the future?

After the occupation of eastern Tibet’s provincial capital, Chamdo, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), on 23 May 1951, forced Tibet to sign the 17-point “Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet”. The alternative, the occupying forces said, was immediate military operation in the remaining parts of Tibet. (Photo adapted from Claude Arpi exhibition. Arpi exhibition)

Abstract: The 17-point Agreement signed between Tibet and China on 23 May 1951 in Beijing is a controversial document that led to the incorporation of Tibet into China. Many believe that with this Agreement, Tibet became a part of China and lost its independence. China talks big of this document as a peaceful agreement with the Tibetans, which justified their liberation and occupation of the land. However, the Tibetan

33 side asserts that the document was signed under duress and has no legitimacy. This paper will explore the origin, legitimacy, and validity of the document. It will analyze what China has promised, what it really delivered, and see if it still could play a role in resolving the Sino-Tibetan issue.

Historical Background

From the historical perspective, despite the Chinese claim that Tibet has been a part of China since the ancient time[13], irrefutable facts abound to demonstrate that Tibet has never been a part of China anywhere in its pre-1949 history[14]. It is only after the formation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), that China began to assert sovereignty over Tibet. Communist China has tried to claim Tibet as a part of China under various insubstantial grounds. But like most of its concocted propaganda, the nature of the claims kept changing. First, they claimed Tibet as a part of China since 7th century Tibetan Emperor Srongtsan Gampo [Tib: Srong btsan sgampo], when the Tang Princess Wencheng Kungchu became one of the queens of Tibet. The other four being: Tibetan Mongsa Tricham, Nepalese Bhrikuti, Zhangzhung Lithigmen, and Tu-yu-hun’s Ruyongza. Later, the Chinese White Paper[15] claimed that they inherited Tibet from the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty [1271-1368], and later from the Ming [1368-1644] and

13 White paper 1992: Tibet - its ownership and human rights situation- http://www.china-un.org/eng/gyzg/xizang/t418894.htm 14 TG Arya, https://tibet.net/2019/03/tibet-has-never-been-a-part-of- china-anywhere-in-its-pre-1949-history/ 15 White paper 1992: Tibet - its ownership and human rights situation- http://www.china-un.org/eng/gyzg/xizang/t418894.htm 34 Qing [1644-1912] Dynasties. But these fictitious and deceptive claims intended to distort history were refuted strongly even by the Chinese scholars[16].

Historically, the Mongolian in the 13th century, the Nepalese in the 18th century, the Manchu in 1908 and the British in 1904 did enter Tibet and exercised influence and suzerainty over Tibet for different lengths of a period in Tibetan history. Manchu army entered Tibet earlier on three occasions in the 18th century, once to help drive away the invading Gorkha forces in 1792[17], and twice to restore order in 1728 and 1751[18]. Here they came at the Tibetan’s request on the basis of Priest- Patron [Tib: Chos yon] relationship and not as an invader. But they all came as foreign entities, as invaders or at the request of the Tibetan government, and they left when their missions were accomplished or were driven away. China cannot claim Tibet because of these historical skirmish incidents. If they did, others could also do the same; for that matter, even Tibet can claim China as a part of Tibet[19]. These skirmish incidents

16 1) Prof Hon Shing Lau, The Political Status of Tibet during Ming Dynasty: An analysis of some historical evidence, City University of Hong Kong, 2)Chinese Voices for Tibet, DIIR, a) Cao Changqing, Independence - the right of Tibetan people, p-80; b) Chen Pokong, Has Tibet belong to China since ancient times?, p-164; c) Zhu Rui, Tibet has not been a part of China since ancient times, p-193 17 Shakabpa Tsepon W.D. Tibet - A Political History, Potala Publications, New York, 1984 18 Tibet - Proving Truth From Facts, p-20, DIIR Publications, India, Reprint 2006 19 Tsepon Shakabpa, Tibet - A political history, p-39, Potala, New York, 1984 [In 763 AD, the Tibetan army of King Trisrong Deutsan captured the Chinese capital Ch’ang-an, the Chinese Emperor fled with his family and a large following] 35 are natural and in conformity with the political history of almost all the nations around the world.

As far as the Yuan Dynasty is concerned, both Tibet and China were under Mongols influence. But China was directly ruled by the Mongols, whereas Tibet enjoyed a greater degree of autonomy under the Priest-patron relationship [Tib: Chos yon], between the grandson of Genghis Khan, Goden Khan, and Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen [1182-1251]. Later, this was further strengthened when Kublai Khan, who succeeded Goden Khan offered his Tibetan Lama Drogon Choegyal Phagpa political authority over all Tibet in 1254[20].

However, in 1350 Tibet gained independence from the Mongols under the Tibetan King Changchub Gyaltsen [reign: 1350- 1364], and China regained its independence from the Mongols and established the Ming dynasty only in 1368, eighteen years after Tibet[21]. Therefore, the Chinese claim on Tibet based on the inheritance from Yuan dynasty does not hold any ground.

Tibet: A Foreign Entity

Prof Hon Shing Lau of Hongkong University has, in his writing, stated that the study and analyses of two authoritative texts and a map from the Ming and Qing eras show that Tibet was not classified as being a part of the realm governed by the Ming Empire. This casts doubt on the claim advanced by the People’s Republic of China that Tibet has been a part of China

20 Tibet, Proving Truth From Facts, p-15, DIIR Publications, Dharamsala, India, Fourth edition 2006 21 idbi, p-16 36 since antiquity[22].

In fact, even Mao himself has viewed Tibet as a foreign entity. When he acknowledged the Tibetans’ help during his long march along the eastern Tibet’s border, he said, “This is our only foreign debt and someday we must pay the (Mantzu) and the Tibetans for the provisions we were obliged to take from them[23].”

It is also recorded that soon after the Communist victory over the Guomindang and the founding of the People’s Republic of China on 1 October 1949, Radio Beijing began to announce that “the People’s Liberation Army must liberate all Chinese territories, including Tibet, Xinjiang, Hainan, and Taiwan”[24].

But from the above territories and the 55 minorities in China, it was only with Tibet that Chinese communists needed the consent of the Tibetans to liberate the region. The fact is, China needed some kind of agreement with the Tibetans to buy the international community’s silence and to legitimize its occupation of Tibet. When the Tibetans adamantly refused to accede, the communist used threat and intimidation to get this 17-point Agreement signed in May 1951. China is now flaunting this document to exonerate itself from all the misdeeds it has

22 https://jo ur nals .sa g e pub.com/do i/ab s / 1 0 . 1 1 7 7 / 0009445519834701?journalCode=chra ProfHon Shing Lau, The Politi- cal Status of Tibet during Ming Dynasty: An analysis of some historical evidence, City University of Hong Kong 23 Edgar Snow, Red Star Over China, p-235, Penguin Books, Great Britain, Reprint 1972 24 1) Tibet: Proving Truth From Facts, p-30, DIIR, 2006. 2) Tsering Shakya, The Dragon in the Land of Snow, p-3, Pimlico, UK, 1999 37 committed in Tibet.

According to a China observer, “China’s unrelenting bid to establish itself as the dominant power in Asia-Pacific and claim its ‘territorial sovereignty’ has contributed to current tensions in the South China Sea and elsewhere[25].”

[26] The 17-point Agreement

The Agreement is a very important valid historical document that reveals the real nature of Sino-Tibetan relations at that crucial turning point of the Tibetan history of independence. The document remains an important testimony to the fact that Tibet was never a part of China before the Agreement. Let us review the document a little closely.

The Preamble of the 17-point Agreement itself is very weak, ambiguous, and misleading. It says, “But over the last 100 years or more, imperialist forces penetrated China, and in consequence also penetrated the Tibetan region and carried out all kind of deception and provocations.” The last 100 years mean from 1849 to 1949. We need to see what imperialist country has entered Tibet and deceived the Tibetans. Francis Younghusband of British India entered Tibet in 1904 and imposed the Anglo-Tibetan convention[27] and left within two months. After this Manchu army invaded Tibet in 1906, but

25 Jayadeva Ranade, China Unveiled, Insights into Chinese Strategic Think- ing, p-42, KW Publishers Pvt. ltd. Delhi, 2013 26 The English Translation is based on Tsering Shakya’s Dragon in the land of Snow, p-449 ff 27 Alex Mckay, Tibet and the British Raj; The Frontier Cadre 1904-1947, p-xxxiii, LTWA, India, 2009 38 the Tibetans later drove them out in 1912 when the Nationalist revolution took place in China.

So if any imperialist country has penetrated during those one hundred years in Tibet, it is the British and the Manchu. A point to be noted here is that when the British army invaded Tibet in 1904, should China not interfere if Tibet was a part of China then? On the contrary, the Manchu army, on finding the Tibetans weak, invaded Tibet two years later. So, who carried out all kinds of “deception and provocations”? These two incidents in the modern history of Tibet clearly confirm that Tibet was a sovereign nation at the time.

Many believe that the 17-point Agreement with China was the end of Tibetan independence. No, in fact, the 17-point Agreement is an important document to prove that Tibet has been an independent nation. The Agreement is also a testimony to the fact that China agreed to “one country, two systems” formula for Tibet. The nature and the outcome of the Agreement also reveal the real imperialistic color of Chinese communism. Although the Agreement was signed under duress, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government tried their best to accommodate the Chinese demand. When China got confident that the land was fully under the control of its People’s Liberation Army (PLA), they began to violate the Agreement. This is how China, under the communist regime works. Hong Kong and Taiwan should

39 learn from this Tibetan experience and be wary of Chinese overtures[28].

China first proposed and later imposed the contents of the 17-point Agreement on the Tibetans. Tibetans refuted the Agreement at first and later tried to accommodate it, but when China violated the Agreement,[29] which they themselves imposed, Tibetans revolted and refuted it again. But China is celebrating it; therein lies the irony of the Agreement!

Significance of the Agreement; the Tibetan and the Chinese Approach

If China sees this Agreement as a legitimate document to justify its occupation of Tibet, then we need to review what the Agreement really promised, what China delivered, and what China still needs to deliver.

Now, in order to resolve the Sino-Tibetan issue, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Administration in exile have proposed solutions in the form of a Five-point peace plan in 1987[30], Strasbourg proposal in 1988[31], and the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy in 2008[32]. These three proposals can be seen as the three-core Tibetan approach to resolve the

28 Tang Huiyun, “Why are people in Hong Kong are concerned about the Tibetan problem?”, p-61, Chinese Voices for Tibet, DIIR 29 Dalai Lama, My Land and My People, p-198, Timeless Books, Delhi, 2016 30 Tibet - Proving Truth From Fact, p-118, DIIR Publications, Reprint 2006 31 ibid, p-118 32 Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy of the Tibetans, DIIR Publica- tions, 2009, India 40 Tibet issue. The Chinese leadership and the think tanks need to study these three documents to understand the Tibetans’ aspirations and demands. From the Chinese side, what it has proposed and what is within their purview are: the 17-point Agreement[33], Premier Deng Xiaoping’s statement[34], and the Chinese constitution[35]. These three could be termed as the three-core Chinese approach.

The 17-point Agreement, although signed under duress, it gave China the much-needed excuse to get into Tibet. When His Holiness the Dalai Lama refuted it on April 1959 at Tezpur in India[36], the International community came to know the truth about the Agreement, and China lost the legitimacy to occupy Tibet. So, from the point of International law, China’s occupation of Tibet is illegal[37]. As a rising superpower and as an important member of the United Nations, China needs to redress this historical faux pas to gain moral and international legitimacy to its claim on Tibet. Through intimidation and brutal occupation, China has achieved entry into Tibet and consolidated its power in the land. But they never implemented those points which they promised to the Tibetans.

33 Especially the point 3rd, 4th, 7th 9th and 11th of the Agreement 34 “Everything is negotiable except the independence of Tibet” - Deng Xiaoping, 1979 35 Article-4, “Regional autonomy is practised in areas where people of minority nationalities live in compact communities…….” and Arti- cle-2,4 and 11 of Law of the PRC on Regional National Autonomy 36 1) Dalai Lama, My Land and My People, p-197; 2) Facts about the 17-point agreement between Tibet and China, p-137, DIIR, 2001 37 The Legal Status of Tibet - Three Studies by Leading Jurists, p-93, DIIR, 1989 41 The Unfulfilled Part of the Agreement

The Global Times, the Chinese government’s mouthpiece, on the 60th anniversary of the Agreement in 2011, wrote, “The document, known as the 17-point Agreement, said the Tibetan people should unite and drive out aggressive imperialist forces from Tibet and return to the big family of the People’s Republic of China. It said the Tibetan local government should assist the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to enter Tibet and consolidate the national defense. It also pledged regional autonomy and religious freedom in Tibet[38].”

What imperialist aggressive force it was referring to, this we have already discussed before. PLA has entered and consolidated its power in Tibet. But what has happened to this pledge for regional autonomy and religious freedom?

If China is serious about resolving the Tibet issue, it sincerely needs to brood over those pledges or the points[39] in the Agreement, which it agreed to the Tibetans but never delivered, they are:

The 3rd point of the Agreement: “The Tibetan people have the rights to exercise national regional autonomy under the unified leadership of the Central People’s Government.”

The 4th point: “The central authorities will not alter the existing political system in Tibet. The central authorities also will not alter the established status, functions, and powers of the Dalai

38 http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/658075.shtml 39 The nine points are: 3, 4, 5&6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 13 42 Lama. Officials of various ranks shall hold office as usual.”

The 5th & 6th: “The established status, functions and powers of the Panchen lama shall be maintained…..”

The 7th point: “The religious beliefs, customs and habits of the Tibetan people shall be respected, and lama monasteries shall be protected..”

The 9th point: “The spoken and written language and school education of the Tibetan nationality shall be developed…..”

The 10th point: “Tibetan agriculture, livestock raising, industry, and commerce shall be developed….. step by step in accordance with the actual conditions of Tibet.”

The 11th point: “The local government of Tibet should carry out reforms of its own accord, and demands for reforms raised by the people shall be settled by means of consultation with the leading personnel of Tibet.”

The 13th point: “The People’s Liberation Army entering Tibet shall abide by all the above-mentioned policies…… and shall not arbitrarily take a single needle or thread from the people.”

These 9 points which China has promised Tibet are still not fulfilled; rather, China has violated them. Of these relevant now is the 3rd, 4th, 7th, 9th, and 11th points. If China holds the 17-point Agreement as a valid document to claim sovereignty over Tibet, then China should equally take responsibility for the violation of these points.

43 The Way Ahead

The Five-point peace plan in 1987, Strasbourg proposal in 1988, and Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan people submitted to the Chinese leadership in 2008 should be studied in this context. To what extent the three- core Tibetan approach deviates from the three-core Chinese approach. More importantly, it should be studied whether the Tibetan Memorandum is within the purview of the Chinese constitution or not, if not to what extent it has digressed. We need to seek a common ground on which Tibet and China can discuss and negotiate to arrive at a mutually acceptable agreement. A careful study of the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetans will reveal that the Memorandum is the consummation of the 17-point Agreement, Deng Xiaoping’s statement, and the Chinese constitution. Then, what is holding back China?

A recent interview with a Chinese dissident[40] revealed that the general Chinese populace is not aware of this Tibetan memorandum seeking autonomy within the purview of the Chinese constitution. The government is keeping the people under the impression that Tibetans are separatists and demanding independence. So, who is the real separatist, CCP leadership, or the Tibetans?

The communist leadership should also understand that China 40 Dr Teng Biao interview May 2019, Dharamsala, Dr is a human rights activist and lawyer in China. Teng is a lecturer at the University of Politics and law in Beijing. He now lives in the US, a visiting scholar at New York University. 44 belongs to the Chinese people, not to the Communist Party. The Chinese people have the rights to know the contents of the Tibetan Memorandum. By denying the general populace the knowledge of the Tibetan Memorandum, the Communist Party is betraying the fact that it is not China but the communist party that has occupied Tibet illegally.

The Communist leadership should remember that the 17-point Agreement of 1951 still remains an important document to prove that Tibet was an independent nation before the Chinese invasion. However, as the Tibetans are not seeking separation from China now, the document can play a crucial role in finding common ground based on the Middle Way Approach of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Administration in exile. The three-core approaches of Tibet and China could be the Zone of Possible Agreement (ZOPA), where a solution to the Tibet issue could be found. A strong will and sincere effort from the Chinese leadership to brood over the ZOPA sphere would be more mutually beneficial rather than harping on the immoral victory it contrived through the 17-point Agreement.

China should accept the fact that even after the sixty years of occupation of Tibet, China has not been able to win or defeat the Tibetans fully. The way it used the 60th anniversary of the Agreement to accentuate divisions within the exiled community and isolate the Dalai Lama[41] shows how desperate the communist leadership has become.

41 Jayadeva Ranade, China Unveiled, Insight into Chinese Strategic Think- ing, p-267 ff, KW Publishers Pvt. ltd. Delhi, 2013 45 The day, 23rd May, should be a day for the Chinese leadership to look back and see what it promised to the Tibetans and what it really delivered, and how the Agreement still could help find a common ground to resolve the Tibet issue.

References:

• Alex McKay, Tibet and the British Raj, The Frontier Cadre 1904-1947, LTWA, India, 2009

• Dalai Lama, My Land and My People, Timeless Books, Delhi, 2016

• DIIR, Tibet Was Never a Part of China but The Middle Way Approach Remains a Viable Solution, Dharamsala, India ,2018

• DIIR, Tibet - Proving Truth from Facts, Dharamshala, India, Reprint 2006

• DIIR, Facts About the 17-Point Agreement Between Tibet and China, Dharamsala, India, Reprint 2007

• DIIR, Chinese Voices for Tibet, Dharamsala, India

• DIIR, A Compilation of the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Brussels Statement of 4 December 2008, and the Chinese State Council’s Press Briefing of 10 November 2008, Dharamsala, Reprint 2009

• DIIR, The Legal Status of Tibet - Three Studies by Leading Jurists, Dharamsala, India, 1989 46 • Edgar Snow, Red Star Over China, Penguin Books, Great Britain, 1972

• Jayadeva Ranade, China Unveiled, Insight into Chinese Strategic Thinking, KW Publishers Pvt. Ltd. Delhi, 2013

• Shakabpa Tsepon W.D. Tibet - A Political History, Potala, New York, 1984

• Zhu Rui, Tibet has not been a part of China since ancient times, (Chinese Voices for Tibet)

Websites:

• https://journals.sagepub.com

• http://globaltimes.cn

• www.tibet.net

• https://www.usconsitution.net/china.html (July 2019 The World Focus, Issue 475: http://www.worldfocus.in/ magazine/tibet-in-exile/)

(An abridged version of the article first appeared on 23/05/2019: https://tibet.net/the-17-point-agreement-what-china- promised-what-it-really-delivered-and-the-future-2/)

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~5~ Tibet has never been an internal affair of China

Tibetans and supporters leading a rally for Tibet/File photo

The Tibetan Policy and Support Act passed in the US House on January 28 with supermajority was a great victory for the Tibetans[42]. The bill has greatly shaken the Chinese communist leadership out of its condescending hegemonic reverie. Chinese communist party’s mouthpiece, China Global Television Network (CGTN)[43], Xinhua Net[44], Global Times[45], etc., went belligerent attacking the US lawmakers for interfering in China’s ‘internal affair’.

42 https://tibet.net/cta-president-thanks-the-us-house-for-passing-the- tibet-bill-with-overwhelming-bipartisan-support/ 43 https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-01-31/U-S-lawmakers-please-do- your-homework-on-Tibet–NHLbxmuHQI/index.html 44 http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-01/29/c_138741913.htm 45 https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1177961.shtml

48 The bill sends a strong message to the Chinese communist government that the US government and the public strongly support the just struggle of the Tibetan people for freedom and justice in their homeland Tibet. The bill lauded the efforts of the Central Tibetan Administration; it endorsed the Middle Way Approach and genuine autonomy for Tibetans; and environment protection of Tibetan plateau. It also raised religious freedom, including the freedom to select the next Dalai Lama according to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and warned Chinese authorities of sanctions if they interfere in the said matter.

One thing China must understand is that Tibet has never been an isolated internal affair of China. Tibet is an international issue. It is an issue of forceful illegal occupation of a peaceful, non-violent independent country. It is an issue of gross violation of human rights, religious freedom, and the environment. Tibet has become a symbol of resilience against the brutal force of communism and dictatorships. Repressive regime and genocide anywhere is an international issue and not an internal affair.

Liu Xin of the state-run CGTN, while commenting on the Tibetan Policy and Support Act, has provoked US lawmakers by saying, “Do your homework on Tibet”[46]. A researcher Lian Xiangmin says that the Tibetan local government has to seek approval from the central government to select the

46 https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-01-31/U-S-lawmakers-please-do- your-homework-on-Tibet–NHLbxmuHQI/index.html 49 reincarnation of the Dalai Lama[47].

For their information, Gedun Drupa (1391-1474 AD) was the first Dalai Lama. The third Dalai Lama Sonam Gyatso (1543- 1588 AD) received the title ‘Talai’, meaning wisdom as deep as ocean in the Mongolian language, from the Mongol King Altan Khan in 1578. Sonam Gyatso, in turn, conferred the Mongol King with the title of ‘Chogyal’, Dharma protector king. It was a formal exchange of titles between two sovereigns. The Ming emperor does not figure anywhere in this exchange.

Ms. Liu’s assertion that Sonam Gyatso appealed to the Ming dynasty court for the title ‘Dalai’ is wrong and unproven. In fact, on his way back to Tibet from Mongolia, the Chinese Ming emperor invited Sonam Gyatso to visit the Chinese capital, but the latter declined because of his preoccupation.

Seeking approval of some external government to select the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation is preposterous.

Now, regarding the assertion that the Central government has the authority to strip Dalai Lama of his title, claiming that it has happened three times in history is an absolute and blatant lie and fabrication. The only truth in Ms. Liu’s statement was when she said, “When there are too many fleas on someone, it stops feeling itchy.” Of course, distortion of history to this extent is too much to take things seriously. Having been born and raised under the communist regime, Liu could be forgiven for the indoctrinated naive idea about religious freedom and

47 https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1177961.shtml 50 the concept of reincarnation. Therefore, If anyone, it is Ms. Liu who should have done her homework better, not the US lawmakers.

Zhang Tengjun, a research scholar at the Chinese Institute of International Studies (CIIS), in his article “US anti-China legislation shows lack of courage to play fair”[48] has also lashed out at the US Congress for the Tibet Policy and Support Act. He criticized that the US Congress has “repeatedly meddled in China’s domestic affairs, proposing several acts targeting Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.” But the reality is for all of us to see: the incarceration of more than one million Uyghur in East Turkistan;[49] the repressive policy and cultural genocide in Tibet;[50] unrest in Hong Kong and the victory of Tsai Ing-wen in Taiwan, all these shows the failure of Chinese communist party’s policies in the regions. It has nothing to do with the US interference; it is all CCP made.

Chinese Ambassador to India, Sun Weidong, came up with yet another Chinese sugar-coated propaganda to mislead the Indian public. In his article “China’s choice of peaceful development is based on a commitment to world peace”[51] in Indian Express, he has very finely produced a lamb out of a fiery dragon.

48 https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1178365.shtml 49 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/30/world/asia/china-xinjiang- muslims-labor.html 50 https://www.economist.com/asia/2019/12/10/chinas-successful-repression-in-tibet-provides-a-model-for-xinjiang 51 https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/peaceful-development-is-chinas-strategic-choice-6240073/ 51 He says, “The pursuit of peace and harmony has been deeply rooted in the spiritual world of the Chinese nation.”

Since the foundation of the Communist government in 1949, the whole of China and the occupied regions, including Tibet, faced massive destruction of monasteries, churches, mosques, and other religious houses. More than 6000 monasteries and nunneries have been destroyed in Tibet alone. Religious persecution[52] is still going on, and organ harvesting of the Falungong practitioners is an open secret[53]. Monasteries in Tibet are heavily guarded and supervised by the communist party members, who do not believe in religion. Monks are forced to vow loyalty to the communist party and condemn His Holiness the Dalai Lama[54]. What peace, harmony, and spiritual world is the Ambassador talking about?

The article says, “China has never had a record of colonization and expansion” and “We will never seek hegemony, expansion or sphere of influence.”

Was Tibet not illegally occupied and colonized? What caused the death of 1.2 million Tibetans and the flight of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibetans into exile? What about the unprovoked Chinese aggression against India in 1962 and

52 https://nypost.com/2020/02/01/how-chinas-xi-jinping-destroyed-religion-and-made-himself-god/?utm_source=facebook_ sitebuttons&utm_medium=site+buttons&utm_cam- paign=site+buttons 53 https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/surgeon-who-harvested-or- gans-slaughtered-21040274 54 https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/loyalty-09262019160150. html 52 the recent military intimidations at the borde?[55] What about the ongoing aggression in the South China Sea[56], and through debt traps in the guise of BRI economic incentives in the South East Asian and African nations?[57] What are all those Confucius Institutes doing abroad, and why are they getting [58] closed?

What is China doing in Nepal right now?[59] “Anyone attempting to split China in any part of the country will end in crushed bodies and shattered bones.”[60] This is how Xi Jinping intimidated the Nepal government into signing the extradition law.

Is this the “principle of adhering to the path of peaceful development and the win-win strategy of opening up”?

The voice and message from Taiwan and Hong Kong people should be loud and clear; time for democracy and governance by the people has come.

Right now, the immediately pressing issue for the CCP leadership

55 https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2020/01/06/chnas -pla-begins-major-military-exercises-in-tibet.html 56 https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/08/19/chinas-south-china-sea-militarization-has-peaked/ 57 https://qz.com/1223768/china-debt-trap-these-eight-countries-are-in- danger-of-debt-overloads-from-chinas-belt-and-road-plans/ 58 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49511231 59 https://english.khabarhub.com/2020/21/70076/?fbclid=IwAR0nSL- SPtO_Ewm0KaIQwSrAxZQHOfdJ6Z0b60GKAsTHscmHVYIv1N- touBbQ 60 https://english.khabarhub.com/2020/21/70076/?fbclid=IwAR0nSL- SPtO_Ewm0KaIQwSrAxZQHOfdJ6Z0b60GKAsTHscmHVYIv1N- touBbQ 53 is to help its citizens from the pandemic Coronavirus. Rather than silencing the doctors and the victims,[61] China should cooperate with the World Health Organization (WHO) in containing the virus. It is no longer an internal affair of China!

(05/02/2020: https://tibet.net/tibet-has-never-been-an-internal-affair-of-china-information-secretary-tg-arya/)

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61 https://gnews.org/99872/ 54

~6~ A real Tibet behind the safest Chinese city Lhasa, a rebuttal

Jokhang, the holiest place for the Buddhist in Lhasa City, is under constant surveillance.

The Global Times, a mouthpiece of the Chinese government, has recently termed Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet, as the safest city through innovative social governance. It quoted Tibet Daily as saying that the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on the public services in Chinese cities has shown Lhasa as the safest city among thirty-eight major cities in China. In the year 2013 also Lhasa was ranked first in public safety. “The sense of security and satisfaction of local residents has reached more than 99 percent”, it claims. This is very welcoming news. But the people who are not aware of the Tibetan situation may

55 take this news at its face value. However, this fact, how much the Chinese may want to brag about, is not corroborated by what is actually happening in Tibet.

Tibet, at the moment, is closed to the outside world since the beginning of February. AP News and other sources have reported that foreign tourists will not be allowed into Tibet until April. It looks like the ban is not officially announced, but the authorities have made sure that travel agents are informed of this to keep the foreigners at bay. If Lhasa is the safest city as claimed by China, why this ban and why this restriction?

The truth lies in the fact that given the presence of a number of security personnel, spies, gun-toting PLA men in uniform, rampant surveillance cameras, and army tanks, it should not come as a surprise that Lhasa is the safest city. The city is virtually under siege! A recent traveler to Tibet has noted, “It was too dangerous to ask anyone about such issues: we discovered early on that our tourist vehicle had been fitted with a CCTV camera, a GPS tracker and a listening device, and that our movements and conversations were being monitored by the security services.”

“Amid heavy security on the ground, Tibet is almost entirely closed to foreign journalists and diplomats and information about actual conditions there is difficult to obtain.” How could anyone dare to do anything in such a suffocating martial law situation?

This year, Tibetans were not allowed to celebrate Losar, Tibetan

56 New year, properly. Reports have come out that the Losar celebrations were strictly monitored, and an atmosphere of “threat and intimidation” has been created. Tibetans working in government sectors were not allowed Losar holidays and were also instructed against visiting monasteries. This is against the International Human Rights norms and against Article 4 of the Chinese constitution also, where minorities’ rights to religion and culture are ensured.

Speculation is rife that the closure of Tibet to foreigners at this time is because of the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Tibetan people’s uprising against the Chinese occupation of Tibet. This has been the annual restriction imposed by the Chinese authorities to suppress any demonstration of Tibetan nationalism. 10th March was the day when Tibetans from all walks of life gathered in Lhasa to protest the Chinese invasion in 1959. It was brutally crushed by Chinese machine guns and many lives were lost. His Holiness the Dalai Lama was forced to seek asylum in India.

It has been six decades since China invaded Tibet. China has claimed all these years that it has liberated Tibet and that the Tibetan people are happy under the communist regime. But the reality is that China perpetrated genocide where more than 1.2 million Tibetans lost their lives, and some 6000 monasteries were destroyed and volumes of scriptures burnt.

Chinese atrocities and cultural genocide have come to a new height now, Tibetan monasteries are banned from teaching

57 the youngsters, and people are forced to prostrate and make offerings to the images of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The Chinese language has taken over the Tibetan language as a medium of instruction in schools.

More than 153 Tibetans have burned themselves alive to draw the attention of the Chinese leadership and the International community to the worsening plight of Tibet. But China has come down heavily on the relatives of these self-immolators. News has come up that China is building new gulags in Tibet; this is a harbinger of some harsher despotic measures in the offing. The message is clear: what has happened in Tibet once is now happening in Uighur, and it is going to happen again in Tibet.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has on numerous occasions made it clear that Tibet is not seeking separation but a genuine autonomy as enshrined in the Chinese constitution for the minorities. Despite the support from the International Community and the Chinese people, the Chinese leadership has failed to appreciate this Middle Way approach of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Now that the 60th anniversary of the Tibetan National uprising is closing in, Tibet is virtually under martial law state.

If China really wants to have Tibet as a part of China, it should give due respect to the land and the people. Tibetans should have genuine freedom to practice their language, religion, and culture. Instead of closing Tibet and putting restrictions, Chinese leadership should reflect and attend to the grievances 58 of the Tibetan people. This will bring the Tibetans and Tibet closer to Beijing, and save the leadership from fabricating all these stories about Tibet and its safety.

References:

• Global Times: h ttp ://ww w.glo ba l ti m es.cn / content/1138347.shtml

• https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/02/20/asia- pacific/china-closes-tibet-foreigners-60th-anniversary- uprising-day-marking-riots/#.XG53KKDhXIU

• https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/ tibet/articles/tour-of-tibet-china-cctv/

• https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/02/20/asia- pacific/china-closes-tibet-foreigners-60th-anniversary- uprising-day-marking-riots/#.XG53KKDhXIU

• ht t ps://ww w.rfa.org/e nglish/ne w s/tibe t / restrictions-02082019173856.html

• http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=41148

• http://www.phayul.com/news/articles

(07/03/2019: https://tibet.net/a-real-tibet-behind-the-safest-chinese-city-lhasa-a-rebuttal/)

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~7~ Tibet has never been a part of China anywhere in its pre-1949 history

Photo courtesy: Asia News The Chinese communist mouthpiece, the Global Times, recently carried an article, “Western media report on Tibet full of bias” by Xu Hailin. But the irony of the article is that, while it criticized western media for ignorance and misleading, the first paragraph of the article itself reflected gross ignorance and intention to mislead on the part of the author.

It says, “Tibet has been an inalienable part of China since ancient times. This is the precondition for anyone to talk about the Tibet question. Without it, any criticism is self-serving entertainment that can never have a correct and comprehensive [62] understanding of what has been happening in Tibet

62 http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1141702.shtml 60 Tibet has been an independent nation since ancient times, and it has never been a part of China anywhere in its history. It was only in 1949 that communist China forcefully occupied Tibet and unleashed its draconian rule in the region. If the statehood of Tibet is to be set as a precondition to talk about Tibet, then the communist regime should go hiding behind the bushes of the Great walls.

Since the time of the first King of Tibet, Nyatri Tsanpo [around 400 BCE][63], some 43 kings had ruled Tibet till the middle of the 9th century CE. It was followed by Sakya Lamas, Phagdrupas, Rinpungs, Tsangpas, and the Dalai Lamas till 1959, the year when China took full control over Tibet. In all these years, Tibet had maintained varied relationships of war, peace, and accommodation with its immediate neighbors: India, China, Mongolia, and Nepal. How much China may want to distort, the fact is as early as the 7th century, Tang Emperor Taitsung had to kowtow before the might of King Srongtsan Gampo and offer his daughter Princess Wencheng Kungchu’s hand to the Tibetan king.

In 763 CE, during the reign of King Trisrong Deutsan, Tibetan troops captured the Chinese capital Changan, present-day Xian, and installed the friendly prince Chengchung as the new Emperor. During King Trirelpachen’s period, a peace treaty was concluded between Tibet and China in 821 CE in which it was proclaimed, “Tibetans shall be happy in Tibet, and Chinese in China. Both shall not intrude into other’s territory”.

63 ‘Bri gung skyabs mgon, Bod brtsan po’i rgyal rabs, p-73 61 These events were inscribed on the stone pillars [Tib: rdo ring] erected in the Chinese city of Changan, Tibetan capital Lhasa and the border Gungu Meru. The pillars in Lhasa stand witness to these historical facts.

Later, in the 13th century, like some other countries, both Tibet and China also came under the influence of the Mongolian empire. But China was ruled directly by Mongol emperors under the Yuan dynasty [1279-1368]. Tibet enjoyed great autonomy under Priest-patron [Tib: chos yon] relationship between the Mongol Emperors and the Sakya Lamas. However, Tibet later shook off the Mongolian influence in 1350, while China became free only in 1368. Therefore, the Chinese assertion that China inherited Tibet from the Mongolian Yuan dynasty does not hold any ground.

During the reign of the Dalai Lamas starting from the mid 17th century, Mongol, China, and Nepal influenced Tibet occasionally, but nothing amounted to the loss of Tibetan independence. When Tibet realized the “Great Game” of the British and Russian Empire, His Holiness the 13th Dalai Lama declared Tibetan independence on 13th February 1913.

Chinese communist leadership and its scholars should note that no Chinese official documents prior to the founding of the People’s Republic of China show Tibet as a part of China[64]. Prof Han Shiang Lau, an expert on Chinese history, has in

64 https://www.icsin.org/activity/show/what-do-chinas-pre-1949-offi- cialauthoritative-documents-say-about-beijings-claim-of-sovereignty-over-tibet

62 his presentations, stated that old officials documents of Ming [1368 – 1644] and Qing [1644 – 1912] dynasties have recorded Tibet as a foreign entity along with other foreign countries. “Tibet was never a part of China before 1949”[65], he clarified to the large audience.

Therefore, Xu Hailin’s assertion that Tibet has been an inalienable part of China since ancient times is wrong and devoid of any historical facts.

Now, coming to the “liberation of 1 million serfs, promotion of democracy, human rights, Tibetan language,” etc., by the communist regime, if these were all true, why this restriction to visit Tibet? Why is Tibet still closed? Why the increased number of security personnel, army tanks, surveillance cameras, restrictions, and arrests in the Tibetan areas? Why the [66] construction of new gulags in Tibet?

China’s Deputy Foreign Minister Le Yucheng has recently said, “Tibet enjoys stability and development, and people in Tibet enjoy [a] free and happy life,” at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC)[67]. If this is true, why China rejected the United Nations HRC delegations’ request to visit Tibet to verify the claims? China must answer to these ‘whys’ and convince the Tibetans and the international community of its honesty. This should,

65 http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/features/education-and-society/6142-tibet-has-never-been-a-part-of-china-chinese-professor 66 https://theprint.in/defence/china-claims-it-has-no-gulags-but-satellite- imagery-shows-3-new-ones-coming-up-in-tibet/190940/ 67 https://tibet.net/2019/03/chinas-deputy-foreign-minister-to-the-un- human-rights-council-tibetans-enjoy-a-free-and-happy-life/

63 in fact, be the precondition for China before it claims of any achievement and happy life in Tibet!

(20/03/2019:https://tibet.net/tibet-has-never-been-a-part- of-china-anywhere-in-its-pre-1949-history/)

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~8~ Chinese communist leadership should stop its tirade against His Holiness the Dalai Lama

File Photo / Wu Yingjie, the Communist Party of China Chief of Tibet Autonomous Region

Chinese leadership often accuses His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a separatist. But if we study the conduct and speeches of the Chinese leadership and the local party leaders, it is actually the other way round.

In an article in the Global Times, “Beijing will continue to fight against Dalai Lama’s separatist goals”[68], a vicious tirade has been directed at His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The Communist Party of China chief of Tibet Autonomous Region, Wu Yingjie, was quoted as saying, “The Dalai Lama has not done a

68 http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1142114.shtml

65 single good thing for Tibet” during the 13th National People’s Congress, and accused His Holiness as a separatist and risk to security in the region.

This kind of calumny and disrespect to His Holiness Dalai Lama by a senior Chinese leader in an official meeting will not sink well in the heart of Tibetans in and outside Tibet. Given the Tibetans’ faith and the international recognition that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has gained as a prophet of peace and non-violence, Wu Yinglie’s diatribe against His Holiness the Dalai Lama is offensive, and it is in very poor taste. It can be seen as a deliberate attempt by the leadership to jeopardize any hope of negotiation and dialogue. It is designed to create dissension between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has since 1974 pursued a policy of middle way approach in resolving the Tibetan issue with the Chinese government. This policy, later, became popular as the Middle-Way Policy across the globe. It was endorsed by Tibetan Parliament-in-exile and adopted by Kashag (the Tibetan cabinet in exile) as its principle policy to resolve the Sino-Tibetan issue.

The Memorandum on genuine autonomy for the Tibetan People was submitted to the Chinese leadership during the 8th round of Sino-Tibetan Dialog in 2008. The gist of the Middle- Way Policy is that Tibetans will not seek separation from China; it will remain in association with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). But China should stop its repressive policy in Tibet and give Tibetans freedom to practice their religion, 66 language, and culture as enshrined in the Chinese constitution on regional autonomy[69].

To quote the translated original text of the Memorandum, “The essence of the Middle Way Approach is to secure genuine autonomy for the Tibetan people within the scope of the Constitution of the PRC. This is of mutual benefit and based on the long-term interest of both the Tibetan and Chinese peoples. We remain firmly committed not to seek separation or independence. We are seeking a solution to the Tibetan problem through autonomy, which is compatible with the principles of autonomy in the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China[70].”

The Memorandum explained the aspirations and basic needs of Tibetans, and all these demands are found in compliance with the Law on Regional National Autonomy (LRNA)[71]. So, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Administration in exile are not seeking separation. The Memorandum has adjusted the Tibetan aspirations and basic needs along the LRNA, and it is within the purview of the Chinese Constitution.

Chinese scholars, writers, media personalities and the general public who have come across this Memorandum welcomed and appreciated this genuine conciliatory gesture from the Tibetan side. Many visited His Holiness the Dalai Lama and

69 Constitution of PRC, Article 4: https://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/ laws/en/cn/cn147en.pdf 70 Middle Way Policy and All Related Documents, p-20, DIIR, India 71 Law on Regional National Autonomy: http://www.china.org.cn/english/government/207138.htm

67 affirmed their support to this Middle Way Policy. Despite the Chinese government censorship, more than 900 articles appeared from Chinese scholars in support of this Policy[72]. Leaders and International communities have also supported this Policy of mutual understanding and benefit.

Unfortunately, the Chinese leadership spurned this sincere gesture from the Tibetan side, and continue its diatribe against His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a separatist. By misreading the Tibetan Memorandum and criticizing His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Chinese leadership is deliberately trying to create a rift between the Chinese and Tibetan masses.

While the Tibetan Administration-in-exile has been doing its best to create a harmonious atmosphere to resolve the issue, the Chinese leadership is dismantling all avenues of peace and dialogue. So, who is the separatist?

As to Wu Yingjie’s assertion, “The Dalai Lama has not done a single good thing for Tibet,” since the signing of a 17-point agreement under duress, His Holiness did his best to accommodate the Chinese dictates. Wu should note that the Tibetan religion, culture, language, and identity, which the communist regime tried to erase in all these 60 years of their rule in Tibet, is living and flourishing in exile because of the effort by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Despite the Chinese despotic and brutal rule, Tibetans in Tibet stood by the principle of non-violence struggle advocated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

72 Middle Way Policy and All Related Documents, p-12, DIIR, India 68 What China destroyed in Tibet, Tibetans have rebuilt in exile. China has denied its citizens of democracy and human rights. Tibetans have created a healthy democratic setup where everyone enjoys equal rights. If the communist leadership is serious about resolving the Tibetan issue, it should first stop its local leaders from making such baseless criticism against His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Under the PLA’s guns and threat, Tibetans may keep quiet, but deep in their heart, it will only fortify their belief that China is, after all, a Tendra [Tib: bsTan- dgra], an enemy of the faith.

(25/03/2019: https://tibet.net/chinese-communist-leadership-should-stop-its-tirade-against-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama/)

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~9~ Why Chinese leadership is avoiding talks with the Tibetan representatives

Zhu Weiqun. Credit: Xinhua News Agency/Rex Features

Zhu Weiqun, the former Executive Deputy Head of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the former Chair of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee, in his recent article in Global times and tirade against His Holiness the Dalai Lama, has said, “It is impossible to hold negotiations with Dalai Lama without conditions.” He criticized Ambassador Terry Branstad for interfering in China’s internal affairs in the same article.

The US Ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, during his visit to Tibet in May, has rightly pointed out to the Chinese authorities the need for substantive dialogue with the Representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama without any precondition to 70 resolve the Tibet issue.

Zhu was one of the leading members of the Sino-Tibetan dialogue 2002-2010, which ended without any concrete result. Now, let us examine what prompted Zhu and the Chinese leadership to insist on preconditions to any further Sino- Tibetan dialogue. Although Tibet did not achieve any positive result from the nine rounds of talks, it greatly helped China. Firstly, to silence the international uproar over Tibet for some time; secondly, to gain the 2008 Olympics right for Beijing and thirdly, and most importantly, to understand what exactly the Tibetans are looking for.

The first and second points proved advantageous to China. But the third “Genuine autonomy for Tibet,” has sent an adrenaline rush among the leadership. As this was within the Chinese constitution, it greatly alarmed them. Refusing it would mean violating the constitution; this would invite the Chinese public and international outcry. So, they insidiously misinterpreted the Tibetans’ Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy as ‘independence in disguise,’ ‘demanding greater Tibet,’ ‘expulsion of Chinese from Tibet,’ etc., and rejected the proposal to negotiate on the same. The Chinese public and many among the leadership in China are also not aware of the contents of the Memorandum.

From the nine rounds of dialogue that have taken place since 2002, China realized that it has no strong legitimate ground to enter into negotiation. They saw that Tibet was a military occupation, and the 17-point Agreement was a forced one and 71 an excuse to invade Tibet. Now, the Tibetans are demanding what is already provided in the constitution of the land and the 17-point Agreement. So, the truth and justice are in favor of Tibet. A talk without some purported precondition would mean putting itself in a difficult corner, therefore, the concoction of preconditions.

Zhu mentions two preconditions: first, “the talks are not between China’s central government and the Tibetan government-in-exile or ‘Central Tibetan Administration,’ nor are ‘Tibetan-Han Talks’ or ‘Tibetan-China Talks’.” Second, the Dalai Lama must accept Tibet and Taiwan as an integral part of China and stop all separatist and destructive activities.

If we study the contents of these two preconditions, it is obvious that the intention is only to jeopardize and evade any further talks. It demonstrates no serious intention on the part of communist leadership to resolve the issue. Therefore, Zhu Weiqun’s statement “It is impossible to hold negotiations with Dalai Lama without conditions” only betrays the Chinese leadership’s deliberate intention to strangle the talks because a free and fair talk or negotiation is bound to be in favor of Tibet.

It also shows that the Chinese leadership is just wishing that the Tibet issue fade away with the Dalai Lama. Their wishing away that “there is no so-called Tibet issue” will not make the Tibet issue go away. The recent visa issue of a New Zealand- born half Tibetan 14-year-old boy’s episode is indicative of this fact and Chinese vulnerability. 72 China considers itself as very strong and invincible because of its military and economic power. His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans have nothing but the power of truth with them. This reminds us of David and Goliath’s story from the Bible, where the Giant, despite his strength, was defeated by the young boy David. This analogy is succinctly demonstrated from the recent Chinese consulate in New Zealand’s refusal to grant a visa to a New Zealand-born half Tibetan 14-year-old boy to play football in China.

It shows how scared and vulnerable China feels about Tibet and the Tibetans. No doubt, guilty conscience pricks the mind. The message is clear; despite its all military and economic power, a half Tibetan 14-year-old boy is enough to put the totalitarian regime on its toe. Then what about a full-grown Tibetan, for that matter, the whole Tibetans!

Therefore, Zhu Weiqun is wrong in saying that there is no Tibet issue. There is a Tibet issue, and it will live till the last Tibetan, even to the last half or quarter Tibetan.

Instead of trying to distort history and vilify His Holiness the Dalai Lama, China should accept the reality and give Tibet its rightful autonomy as enshrined in the country’s constitution.

Reference:

• http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1153589.shtml

• https://tibet.net/2019/05/tibet-us-ambassador- concerned-about-chinese-governments-interference-in-

73 freedom-of-religion/

• https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_ id=1&objectid=12244492

(05/07/2019: https://tibet.net/why-chinese-leadership-is- avoiding talks-with-the-tibetan-representatives/)

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~10~ China’s white paper on defense: a sugar coated sabre

Photo file: Global Times

Amidst the growing turmoil in Hong Kong Island and the surging voice for independence in Taiwan; the repression and cultural genocide in Tibet and Uighur, and the escalating US trade war, China has on 24th July, issued a white paper titled “China’s National Defense in the New Era”. Faithful commentaries and justifications followed immediately in their official mouthpiece, Xinhua News and the Global Times.

The fifty-one paged English translation of the white paper has some six chapters justifying the need for China to build a fortified national defense and a strong military. The purpose of the white paper, it says, “To expound on China’s defensive

75 national defense policy and explain the practice, purposes, and significance of China’s efforts to build a fortified national defense and a strong military, with a view to helping the international community better understand China’s national defense.”

It says, “Peace is a common aspiration of people around the world”. The white paper has many things about peace, cooperation, and development to justify the activity of the Chinese military and the role of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Along with this, it has issued a stern warning to Taiwan and noted Tibet and Uighur as a national security risk. Hong Kong has been left out deliberately, the immediate tacit target.

It is a piece of welcome news that China has said that “it will never seek hegemony, expansion, and sphere of influence” in the white paper, how we all wish if this could be true. Unfortunately, given the factual and historical distortion that China has deliberately made in the white papers issued on Tibet in the past, China observers and the International community will not take this statement at its face value.

It talks about China not seeking hegemony, but what about the regions already under its illegal occupation, like Tibet. What about those 12 developing nations whose ports, media, economy, and civil authority that China has taken over through its Belt and Road Initiative’s (BRI) debt trap. [“Chinese Malign Influence and the Corrosion of Democracy” International Republican Institute (IRI) 2019 Report]

76 The paper says, “No matter how it might develop, China will never threaten any other country or seek any sphere of influence.”

Chinese interference in Nepal to keep the Tibetans leashed, dumb, immobile, and out of the country has crossed the limit of the sphere of influence. The recent deportation of a Tibetan- American with a similar name to the former Speaker [Penpa Tsering] of Tibetan Parliament in exile by Nepal immigration has demonstrated the extent of Chinese dictatorial authority in the civil administration of the land.

China will never threaten – Just recently, China threatened India by warning that it should stand by the dictates of communist China about the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama.

The white paper says, “Since its founding 70 years ago, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has never started any war or conflict.”

Was Tibet not illegally occupied in the 1950s, and what caused the death of 1.2 million Tibetans and the flight of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibetans into exile? What about the unprovoked Chinese aggression against India in 1962, the so-called Sino-Indian war, and the numerous border intrusions that India has experienced, the most recent being the Doklam standoff in 2017.

Now, the important question is: what prompted the communist regime to issue a white paper on national defense at this time? If we analyze the fact surrounding the current situation, it 77 betrays China’s plan to use the military and its PLA army in containing civil unrest, Hong Kong people should be wary of it. While it warns Taiwan on its independence drive in a belligerent tone, Tibet and Uighur are just shown as a threat to China’s national security and social stability.

It has openly challenged and attacked the US for its unilateral policies. It criticized the Trump administration for its increased activity based on the so-called freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea. But China should reflect what has caused this increased activity? Who initially disturbed the peace in this otherwise peaceful South and the East China Sea? What country in the regions is not at loggerheads with China?

What is dreadful about the white paper is how explicitly its purpose is explained in the Global Times, it said, “The white paper also for the first time defined that PLA’s missions and tasks are to provide strategic support to consolidate the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the socialist system, safeguard national sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, protect China’s overseas interests, and promote world peace and development.”

The above statement forebodes bad times ahead for those in odd with the communist regime. Tibet and Uighur, although totally under military control, it warns further repression involving the PLA army is in the offing. There is already news of Uighur type of detention centers or gulags coming up in Tibet. The immediate target of the white paper in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and China is indirectly seeking international 78 approbation to the military action about to happen in the regions. It is a clear message from China to notify the international community that very soon, its military and People Liberation Army (PLA) would be in Hong Kong streets and later in Taiwan.

(26/07/2019: https://tibet.net/chinas-white-paper-on-national-defense-a-sugar-coated-sabre/) and (https://timesofindia.indiatimes. com/readersblog/khawaripa-speaks/chinas-white-paper-on-national-defense-a-sugar-coated-sabre-4784/)

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~11~ China’s white paper on human rights a blatant farce

The Chinese State Council Information Office publishes a white paper titled “Seeking Happiness for People: 70 Years of Progress on Human Rights in China,” September 22, 2019. Photo/CCTV

The State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China has, on 22 September, issued a white paper on the progress China had made on human rights issues in the last 70 years. The white paper is titled “Seeking Happiness for People: 70 Years of Progress on Human Rights in China”[73]. The paper can be seen as a prelude to the grand celebration China is preparing on 1 October, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It has eight

73 Seeking Happiness for People: 70 Years of Progress on Human Rights in China, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/22/c_138412720. htm

80 chapters, the first four devoted to the historical development in three phases, from Mao to Deng to Xi, all in rosy pictures.

The 5th chapter deals mostly with the human rights situation in the minority areas, including Tibet, all tall claims. The remaining three chapters are about how China has ‘responsibly’ contributed to the promotion of human rights globally.

If what China has claimed in the paper is true, the Nobel Peace Prize should go to the Chinese leadership. Unfortunately, the white paper is a total farce. One could only wish if it were all true. It describes a rosy and humanly evolution of human rights in China since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The tragedies and miseries that the Chinese people and other minority nationals suffered under the Great Leap Forward movement and the famine, atrocities of the Cultural Revolution, and the Tiananmen Square massacres are all missing and tucked away in a secluded corner of some ancient monuments.

In minority areas, it has boasted of full autonomy in the regions and claimed that the leaders and administrators in these autonomous regions are from the local ethnic populace only. It talks of development in education and protection of minority languages.

From the Tibetan experience, in all these past 60 years of occupation, all the 14 Party secretaries were Han Chinese, and the few appointed Tibetan deputies were in names only. Most of the administrative-decision making power rested

81 in the hand of Chinese cadres. It talks of the protection of minority languages, but in reality, China has made Tibetan a second language in Tibet. Priority and preference are given to the Chinese language in job and business avenues. Monasteries were banned from teaching the Tibetan language to the children.

It says, “Religious freedoms of ethnic minority groups are protected. The living Buddha reincarnation is a succession system unique to Tibetan Buddhism, and is respected by the state and governments at different levels of the autonomous regions.”

This is, in fact, a gross violation of the religious and cultural rights of the Tibetan people. The reincarnation of high Tibetan Lamas is a highly sacred and spiritual matter. Communist China, who does not believe in religion and spiritualism, has no rights to interfere in this matter. The so-called State Religious Affairs Bureau Order No. 5 on the measures on the management of the living Buddhas is a gross insult to the Tibetan religious sentiments. Chinese leadership should also refrain from interfering in the selection of the 14th Dalai Lama’s reincarnation. Last month, China organized an indoctrination workshop to some 100 Tibetan monks in the regions on the reincarnation issue, which in fact, intimidated the monks to follow the dictates of the party on the issue. Such interference in the Tibetan religious matter will only earn distrust and distance the Tibetans from the regime.

The last three chapters are about how China has strengthened 82 the rule of law, how it participated in the global governance of human rights, and how it advanced the international cause of human rights. Human rights watchdogs are sure to have a hearty laugh here.

Whatever the Chinese claims, the truth is there for all to see: what is happening in Hong Kong right now. People are revolting because of the regime’s repressive policy and that China did not keep the promises it made during the 1997 takeover. It did the same thing with the Tibetans in 1951’s forced 17-point Agreement.

While it talks of advancing the international cause of human rights, China has consistently tried to block Tibetan human rights appeal heard at the United Nations forum. In February this year, the Chinese mission in Geneva wrote to the U.N. not to allow 15 human rights activists, including the Dalai Lama, to attend the U.N. Human Rights Council’s annual session[74]. It has lobbied hard with other dictators to suppress the voice of the Uyghur minority.

According to Human Rights Watchdog, “China has also pressured other members, especially those economically dependent on its Belt and Road Initiatives. During its Universal Periodic Review – a process in which the Human Rights Council examines countries’ human rights records every five years – last year, China warned countries to submit

74 China, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela in hot seat at U.N. rights forum, https:// www.reuters.com/article/us-un-rights/china-saudi-arabia-venezuela- in-hot-seat-at-un-rights-forum-idUSKCN1QB1S8

83 positive reviews and threatened consequences for any that criticized Beijing. It has also blocked critical nongovernmental organizations and activists from attending U.N. forums while letting representatives of government-sponsored groups participate in them and speak widely.[75]”

In a nutshell, the Chinese communist party’s white paper on human rights progress in the last 70 years is just another disgraceful attempt to whitewash all the human rights violation it has perpetrated in China and in the occupied lands, most prominently, Tibet.

If China is really serious about its claim of “Splendid History of China’s Human Rights Protection” and “Socialist Paradise in Tibet”, then it should let the U.N. Human Rights Commission, diplomats, media and representatives of Tibetan Administration to visit Tibet and assess the situation. It is unbecoming of an aspiring superpower to issue false claims in the guise of white paper on such an important occasion as the 70th anniversary of the national founding day.

(24/09/2019: https://tibet.net/chinas-white-paper-on-human-rights-a-blatant-farce/)

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75 Council on Foreign Relations, Is China Undermining Human Rights at the UN? https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/china-undermining-human-rights-united-nations 84

~12~ Chinese ambassador’s statement on Tibet misleading and not true

The Chinese national flag is raised during a ceremony marking the 96th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, July 1, 2017. CNS/He Penglei via REUTERS/File Photo

Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong’s article, “China’s Tibet: A story of progress” in Hindustan Times [Nov 6, 2019], is misleading and not true. It is only a reflection of what the Chinese communist leadership would like the world to believe. Xinhua News, the CCP’s mouthpiece, was quick to share the same for global consumption the next day. For the Tibetans, the sixty years of Chinese rule has not been a story of progress, development, and religious freedom. On the contrary, it has been sixty long years of repression and occupation. The Ambassador has said, “Tibet has been part of China since

85 ancient times. It enjoys development and progress”! I am surprised at the audacity of China making such statements in India; who knows the best what Tibetans have gone through all these years. Let me clarify and apprise the Ambassador and the Chinese leadership of the following facts:

The 7th century Tibetan Emperor Srongtsan Gampo won the hand of Chinese Tang Princess Wenchen Konjo because of his conquest and velour, and the princess was the fifth queen, not the main queen. Tibetan Buddhism has its source in India, not China. Indian saint Padma Sambhava, who brought Buddhism to Tibet, is still revered as the second Buddha in Tibet. Many Indian masters have visited Tibet to teach, and many Tibetan masters have traveled to India to receive the teachings. Tibetans Lamas have visited China to teach Buddhism, but there is no record of Chinese Buddhist masters visiting Tibet to teach. Ambassador’s assertion that Buddhism came to Tibet from China is wrong.

The Yuan dynasty was one of the Mongol dynasties or khanates to rule the eastern part of its territory, Kublai Khan [r. 1260-94 CE] founded it in 1271. Tibet enjoyed a special relationship of Priest-patron [Tib: Chos-yon] with the Mongol under Godan and Kublai Khan well before the establishment of the Yuan dynasty. China came under the Yuan dynasty when Kublai Khan invaded the southern Sung Empire in 1279. China was only a part of the conquered territories and not the founder of the Dynasty. Therefore, it is preposterous on the part of China to claim Tibet because of the Mongol conquest. On

86 that ground, Mongolia has a far better reason to claim Tibet and China.

China gained independence from the Mongols in 1368, eighteen years after Tibet, and formed the Ming dynasty [1368- 1644]. Historical records and maps drawn during the Yuan and the Ming show Tibet as a foreign state. The Yuan empire has twelve major provinces, and Tibet was not included as one. This was because Tibet, although under Mongol influence, was ruled by Sakya Lamas since 1253 and not by the Mongols. Chinese territorial map drawn by Chinese legal officer Wang Fen in 1594 during the Ming Dynasty has also excluded Tibet. This goes on to say that Tibet was never considered a part of the Yuan and the Ming Empires.

Regarding the Qing dynasty and the reincarnation issues, the first thing that we must understand is that Qing was a Manchu dynasty, not a Chinese. This Manchu Qing dynasty too came into existence only in 1644, whereas the first Dalai Lama Gedun Drupa was born in 1391. His reincarnation, the second Dalai Lama Gedun Gyatso, came in 1475, and his reincarnation Sonam Gyatso in 1543. The Dalai Lamas’ reincarnation system far precedes the Qing dynasty by 253 years.

In 1792, when Manchu emperor Qianglong [r.1736-1795] helped Tibet drive away the invading Gurkha force, his officials suggested 29-point regulations for effective administration. One of these was the use of golden urn to select the Dalai Lamas and other high Lamas. But except for the 11th Dalai Lama [1838-1856], Tibetans never adopted it because it lacked

87 the religious sanctity. All the Dalai Lamas were selected as per age-old Tibetan religious tradition, and the Chinese claim of authority on the reincarnation of the Dalai Lamas is a blatant lie and distortion of historical and religious facts.

In August 2007, China promulgated the so-called ‘Order number 5’ to control and undermine the Tibetan religious activities. Under this decree, all the incarnate Buddhist Lamas should seek approval of the state before being recognized as reincarnate Lamas. China’s communist party does not believe in religion; they consider religion as poison. So, it is unethical and ridiculous on the part of CCP to interfere in Tibetan religious matters. Tibetans have rejected this decree as a gross violation of their religious freedom. The party members and Tibetans working in the government offices are not allowed to visit Monasteries and Temples, nor are the children. Ironically, most of the monasteries are administered by the CCP members under heavy surveillance, and considering the ongoing destruction and repression in Larung-gar and Yachen- gar monasteries, what religious freedom is the ambassador talking about?

Now, as far as the GDP growth in Tibet is concerned, the development has not benefitted the Tibetans. The growth figure is a reflection of the massive militarization of the Tibetan plateau, investment in mining activities, construction of dams and tunnels, and increased employment and migration of Chinese workers and settlers in Tibet. It has marginalized the Tibetans and plunged Tibet into a climate crisis, threatening

88 the ecology of the neighboring south-east Asian countries.

We are all well aware of China’s provocation at the borders from time to time at its convenient time, but the concluding statement on India in the article, “It hopes and believes that India, as a major responsible country, will stick to its position, honor its commitments, resist interference on Tibet-related issues…” is no less a deliberate provocation. China should respect India’s sovereignty and patience. We all need to work together to create a healthy atmosphere to resolve the Tibet issue and ensure the stable development of Sino-Indian relations.

(14/11/2019: https://tibet.net/chinese-ambassadors-statement-on-tibet-misleading-and-not-true/)

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~13~ China buying Indian media for propaganda gimmick

Courtesy: Getty image

Hindustan Times, one of the leading Indian dailies, has, on its Friday issue [13/12/2019] carried a full-page supplement with two ostensible articles by some Yuan Shenggao under the sponsorship of China Watch Daily, a mouthpiece of the Chinese communist regime. The articles are titled “Decades of progress highlighted”[76] and “Unparalleled change experienced within a space of generation”[77].

The articles claimed great development, economic prosperity, social stability, good ecology, ethnic unity, and religious freedom 76 https://www.pressreader.com/india/hindustan-times-delhi/20191213/281762746141711 77 https://www.pressreader.com/india/hindustan-times-delhi/20191213/281779926010895

90 that Tibet and Tibetans have achieved since the 1950s under the Communist regime. It talked big of double-digit growth in gross domestic product, increased tourism, and elimination of poverty.

The statements in the articles are totally misleading and erroneous. It is a deliberate attempt by the Chinese communist leadership to misinform the Indians and international community to justify its occupation of Tibet. It quotes Wu Yingjie and Qizhala, the two top officials of the TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region), the Party secretary, and Chairman of Tibet Autonomous Region, respectively. The first article is based on the statements by the two leaders on September 12 in Beijing during a news conference organized by the State Council Information Office.

The fact is, for Tibetans, the seventy years of the Chinese invasion and the rule have been a long-dreaded seventy years of brutal occupation and repression. More than 1.2 million Tibetans died, more than 6000 monasteries and nunneries faced destruction, and millions of scriptures and cultural artifacts have been burnt under the communist regime.

All those talks on double-digit growth in GDP can be ascribed more to the massive militarization of the Tibetan plateau, mining and exploitation of mineral resources, road building and tunneling of the hills, damming and changing the course of the river flows, and large scale migration of Han Chinese into Tibet. There may be an increase in the harvest and food production, but this is a natural economic course. The external

91 infrastructural developments that the Chinese communist party (CCP) leaders boast of have benefited the Chinese people more than the Tibetans. In any case, economic development cannot legitimize the brutal occupation of the land.

The articles talk of religious freedom in Tibet. But the reality is that most of the monasteries in Tibet are closely monitored by the Communist party members. Staff and children are banned from visiting monasteries. The ongoing destruction of and restriction at Larung Gar and Yachen Gar monasteries are clear evidence that there is no religious freedom in Tibet.

CCP does not believe in religion, but they claim authority in selecting the reincarnation of high Lamas, including the Dalai Lama. The special meetings of all Tibetans and International Support Groups in the month of October this year and Tibetan High Lamas’ meeting in November have passed unanimous resolutions that the Tibetans and the international communities will not tolerate any Chinese interference in the selection of the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation.

The second article, titled “Unparalleled change experienced within space of a generation,” describes personal stories of three Tibetans, their achievements, and happy life. It is commendable that Kelzang Drolkar is a Party secretary of a community in Nachen sub-district of Lhasa and a three-time delegate to the National People’s Congress; Lhakpa Phantog, a successful entrepreneur; and Nyima Tashi, a professor and head of modern educational technologies center at Tibet University. But the important thing to consider here is, do they

92 really have the freedom in what they are doing, are they really happy?

Can Kelzang Drolkar, as a Tibetan, freely visit a local monastery for prayer and blessing? Can Lhakpa Phantog take his children to a monastery or travel around (in and outside the country) freely to conduct his business? Can Prof Nyima Tashi teach the Tibetan language and Tibetan history freely to his students?

It talks about five airports with 92 air routes linking domestic and overseas destinations, highways, and railways. But are the Tibetans allowed to travel? Are they allowed to hold passports? These are some basic questions that CCP leadership needs to answer to the Tibetans and the international communities.

On November 26, a young Tibetan by the name of Yonten self- immolated to protest the repressive policy of the communist regime. Tashi Wangchuk, a language activist, is still languishing in prison. A monk Sonam Palden from Kirti monastery was arrested recently for advocating Tibetan language rights. Highly respected Tibetan spiritual masters like Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok and Tulku Tenzin Delek suffered arrest, torture, and died under the regime. Since 2009, 154 Tibetans have self-immolated to protest the repressive Chinese policy. How do Yuan Shenggao, for that matter, Wu Yingjie and Qizhala explain this side of the Tibetan story?

If the Chinese leadership is really serious about their claims of a happy life and democratic freedom in Tibet, let the UN rapporteurs, international diplomats, and media visit Tibet

93 and freely assess the situation. Freedom House has listed Tibet as one of the most inaccessible regions in the world. So, what freedom and development are Wu Yingjie and Qizhala speaking about?

Lastly, paid advertisement or otherwise, Indian newspapers should be careful not to become a mouthpiece of one of the most repressive and aggressive regimes that kept India on its toes through its intermittent border incursions all these years.

(16/12/2019: https://tibet.net/china-buying-indian-media-for-propaganda-gimmick/)

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~14~ Serfs emancipation day, a Chinese drama to mislead the international community

Che Dalha [Pinyin: Qi Zhala], Chairman of Tibetan Autonomous Region delivers a speech on Serfs’ Emancipation Day on 28 March 2020. Photo source here

In its attempt to legitimize the occupation of Tibet, China has invented myriads of days and events to congratulate itself and to create a platform to dole out its propaganda. “Serfs’ Emancipation Day” on March 28 is one of those days. It was invented in January 2009, more specifically to counter the March 10 Tibetan uprising day. Despite the chaos and pandemic, it has created around the world with the Wuhan- Coronavirus, China observed the day in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet.

95 Che Dalha [Pinyin: Qi Zhala], Chairman of Tibetan Autonomous Region, in his speech telecasted on the day, elaborated on how the Chinese communist party liberated Tibet from the serfdoms and how democratic reform and economic prosperity came to Tibet. He also spoke on religious freedom that Tibet had enjoyed all these 61 years under the communist party. All these are old Chinese fabricated claims to misinform and mislead the international community.

For the Tibetans, these 61 years under the Chinese Communist regime have been six long decades of brutal occupation, repression, and hardship. China speaks of democratic reform, but the world knows that there is no democracy in China itself. So, what democracy is Che Dalha talking about in Tibet?

Usual Chinese propaganda on economic development and the rise in GDP are all repeated. The fact is that Tibet was never a poor country; people had enough to eat and good wisdom to explore spiritualism. As far as poverty alleviation is concerned, Tibet has never suffered famine, but with Chinese occupation, it suffered famine where many people died of starvation.

GDP of 160 billion yuan that China is talking about may look impressive. But where has all these money gone? Close scrutiny of Tibet’s economic data will show that it has all gone to five sectors: 1) Militarization of Tibetan plateau, 2) Maintenance of huge Chinese army, security personnel, and staff in Tibet, 3) Construction of roads, railways, and airports to exploit Tibetan mineral resources and transport the same to China, 4) Construction of dams to exploit Tibet’s water resources, and

96 5) Large-scale migration of Chinese into Tibetan areas.

Coming to religious freedom, more than 6000 monasteries saw destruction under the CCP regime. Even now, Tibetan monasteries like Larung Gar and Yachen Gar are facing severe restrictions. CCP is interfering in the administration of the monasteries and the selection of reincarnation of high Tibetan Lamas, including H.H. the Dalai Lama.

Information has just come out that last year in December, a father [Jampa Dorjee], 75, and his son in Chamdo have been detained just for listening to religious teaching of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. People are arrested and imprisoned for having a photo of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Just recently, on March 16, a close aide of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, Ven Tashi Phuntsok, died of torture. So, where is religious freedom?

China says, “Serfs’ emancipation and liberation,” this is wrong. There was no emancipation and no liberation. You don’t emancipate anyone with army and guns[78]. You don’t liberate anyone with a forced agreement[79]. The fact is, China invaded Tibet, and it was a brutal and illegal occupation. China also did not keep the promises it made in the agreement it forced upon Tibet. All these talks of liberation, democratic reform, and economic development are farce and pure propaganda to mislead the international community and to justify its illegal occupation of Tibet.

78 On October 1, 1950, 40,000 PLA army stormed Chamdo and started the occupation 79 On May 23, 1951, 17-point agreement was forced upon the Tibetan delegation on the threat of violence

97 (31/03/2020: https://tibet.net/serfs-emancipation-day-a-chinese-drama-to-mislead-the-international-community/)

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~15~ Coronavirus pandemic: a Chinese Trojan horse to global hegemony

Chinese President Xi Jinping/ Xie Huanchi Xinhua / eyevine / Redux The Coronavirus pandemic, which originated from the Wuhan city of China last year, has affected and disturbed the world greatly. It has created a war-like situation in public health, economy, and politics and in international relations around the world. Many theories came up as to the cause of the Coronavirus, a spurt from the Wuhan wet market to an accident in a bio-warfare laboratory to Chinese conspiracy to disrupt the world order. Whatever the theories, one undeniable fact is that the virus originated from Wuhan, and China deliberately suppressed the information at the cost of the global pandemic.

The international community is unanimous in the deduction that the Chinese leadership mishandled the outbreak and is

99 accountable to the devastation it wrecked around the world[80]. The pandemic has exposed the ruthless nature of Xi Jinping’s leadership and the insidious conspiracy of China to take the helm of world power at whatever cost. The world leaders are not happy with what China has done and how it is still bullying around with impunity[81].

Had China taken action and attended to the warning the Chinese doctor Li Wenliang[82] and others[83] gave at the early stages of the virus outbreak, this pandemic could have been contained, and so many lives in China and around the world could have been saved. Unfortunately, the leadership silenced the voice of these sincere doctors and citizens who tried to warn the people of the incubating epidemic in the region[84].

This makes us ponder on the theory that the virus spread from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, one of the topmost Chinese centers to study bio-warfare pathogens[85]. The visit of the top Chinese expert in biological warfare, Major General Chen Wei, to the institute at the end of January with a team of scientists, and the proximity of the wet-market, the scapegoat as the origin of the virus, are all explicable. Outspoken intellectuals 80 http://www.westphsea.com/articles/world-leaders-in-unity-to-investigate-china-we-demand-answers/ 81 http://www.westphsea.com/articles/world-leaders-in-unity-to-investigate-china-we-demand-answers/ 82 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51403795 83 https://theconversation.com/chinas-coronavirus-cover-up-how -censorship-and-propaganda-obstructed-the-truth-133095 84 https://www.jpost.com/international/chinese-dissident-journalist-dis- appears-after-reporting-on-coronavirus-617014 85 https://nypost.com/2020/02/22/dont-buy-chinas-story-the-coronavirus-may-have-leaked-from-a-lab/

100 like Prof Xu Zhangrun were arrested, and their whereabouts are still unknown[86]. Ms. Fang Fang, the author of the book ‘Wuhan Diary ’, is facing death threats[87].

As of now, more than two hundred thousand people have died, and more than three million positive cases are reported, and the figures are still moving uphill. But what has China done, instead of apologizing and taking moral responsibility for the chaos it has created around the world, China tried to put the blame first on the US army,[88] then on Italy[89] and Kazakhstan, lately on the black people[90]. Both the US and Italy are undergoing great difficulty and sufferings due to this Chinese virus, casualty and unemployment rate is the highest in these two countries. Yet, China has the guts to say that the virus originated from the US and Italy. Taking the opportunity of this pandemic state, China claimed Kazakhstan as historically part of China, and to further confuse the situation, it said the Coronavirus originated from the land[91].

The black people from the African countries, who helped sustain Chinese economy in various sectors, and whose 86 https://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/viewpoint/viral-alarm- when-fury-overcomes-fear 87 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/10/chinese-writ- er- fang-fang-faces-online-backlash-wuhan-lockdown-diary 88 https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/chinese-officials-blame-us-army-for-coronavirus-67267 89 https://www.foxnews.com/world/china-coronavirus-propaganda-campaign-italy 90 https://www.okayafrica.com/africans-in-china-guangzhou-evict- ed-left-homeless-blamed-for-coronavirus/ 91 https://bitterwinter.org/coronavir us-the-ccps-accusa- tion-that-it-was-created-in-kazakhstan/

101 countries welcomed Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Chinese people to Africa, are now made a scapegoat to fit China’s narrative that the virus was of foreign origin. How black people are discriminated against and treated in Guangzhou city is something that will make humanity cry[92]. Here in this internet world, we are able to see these atrocities, but Tibetans, Uighurs, and Mongolians have gone through this kind of discrimination and torture for decades and are still suffering under the repressive communist regime[93].

When the Olympic Committee conferred China the honor to host the 2008 Olympics, China promised to relax and amend its notorious human rights, press, and religious freedom records. The international community expected China to open up and subscribe to the international norms and democratic values after the Olympics. But China took the 2008 Olympics more as an acknowledgement by the world of its growing military and economic power, and endorsement of its human rights policies. In Tibet, human rights and religious freedom deteriorated greatly after the Olympics; restrictions and surveillances became so severe that Tibetan refugees crossing the border came to nil since then. Today, the Tibetan plateau, which His Holiness the Dalai Lama has once dreamt of making it as a Zone of Peace,[94] has become one of the highly militarized

92 https://hongkongfp.com/2020/04/12/coronavirus-africans-in-china-subjected-to-forced-evictions-arbitrary-quarantines-and-mass-testing/ 93 “Chinese brutality in Tibet exposed” https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=cdTlIP5qsCw&has_verified=1 94 https://www.dalailama.com/messages/tibet/five-point-peace-plan

102 zones in the world today.

Even after all the chaos and pandemic it has created, China is trying to come out as a winner and take advantage of the devastation it has engineered. China continues to suppress information, and its total Covid-19 cases remained stagnant at 82,000+ and the death at 4000+ since March, whereas actual casualty and death are said to be much higher[95]. What is shocking here is, China supplied medical kits worth millions of dollars to combat Coronavirus disease in the US, Canada, Italy, India, Nepal, and some other countries. But these kits were found faulty and were returned[96]. They first send diseases and then sell medical kits which are faulty, and there is no sense of remorse and not a word of apology! Trade and economy and stock markets have plummeted, but China is on a buying spree![97] What do all these say about China?

Now, when the world is limping and struggling hard to recover from the pandemic, China has the audacity to send naval warships to Japan, South China seas,[98] and the Indian Ocean[99]. It arrested Martin Lee along with some 14 prominent

95 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/17/china-denies-cover-up-as-wuhan-coronavirus-deaths-revised-up-50 96 https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/chinese-testing-kits-now-ham- per-india-fight-against-covid-19-1669786-2020-04-22 97 https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2020/04/18/watch-out- for-china-buying-spree-nato-warns/#33ba87311758 98 https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3079546/taiwan-scrambles-warships-pla-navy-aircraft-carrier-strike 99 https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1268940/india-china- war-conflict-navy-indian-ocean

103 democratic advocates[100] in Hong Kong and has threatened to bomb Taiwan into submission[101]. Yet, its White Paper on Defense says, “China will never seek hegemony and sphere of influence”,[102] and the Chinese Ambassador to India is seen harping on the same[103] while Chinese cartographers are busy altering the map of Indian frontiers[104].

China is known for its violation of human rights, press, and religious freedom, yet it has found its way to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) through dubious means[105]. China has, through its Belt and Road Initiative, trapped many developing countries in the debt trap. The lands and assets of these countries are held for ransom[106]. The World Health Organization (WHO)’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has become a Chinese propaganda flute[107]. Just recently, China pressured the European Union (EU) to soften

100 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/21/i-was-arrested-hong-kong-its-part-chinas-larger-plan/ 101 https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/china-threatening-bomb-taiwan-submission-132432 102 https://tibet.net/chinas-white-paper-on-national-defense-a-sugar-coated-sabre/ 103 https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/peaceful-development-is-chinas-strategic-choice-6240073/ 104 https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/china-includes-parts-of- arunachal-pradesh-in-its-updated-map/articleshow/75268415.cms 105 https://thefederalist.com/2020/04/07/united-nations-discredits-itself- by-awarding-china-a-seat-on-its-human-rights-council/ 106 https://qz.com/1223768/china-debt-trap-these-eight-countries-are- in-danger-of-debt-overloads-from-chinas-belt-and-road-plans/ 107 https://qz.com/1223768/china-debt-trap-these-eight-countries-are- in-danger-of-debt-overloads-from-chinas-belt-and-road-plans/

104 its report on Covid-19 disinformation[108]. These aggressive and heavy-handed tactics used by China are indicative of a dangerous and corrosive trend gnawing the future world order.

The international community should wake up to this Coronavirus alarm and bring the Chinese communist party to the International Court of Justice. More than 154 Tibetans have committed self-immolation since 2009 to protest the Chinese atrocities and to draw the attention of the international community to the injustice and human rights abuses that Tibetans are subjected to. This Coronavirus pandemic has revealed how dangerous the Chinese dictatorial regime could be if left unchallenged. It exposed the true nature of the Chinese communist party and how it is a threat to global peace, stability and democracy.

The world leaders have decided to investigate and make China accountable for the chaos and the pandemic caused by the Coronavirus[109]. The international lawsuits[110] for more than twenty trillion US dollars against China for the economic loss is one thing; more importantly, the international community must take this opportunity and rise up together to free the world from the tyranny and the shackles of the communist dictatorship, and usher in a new global order of peace, justice, and democracy. Whatever the cause of the virus, China used

108 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/24/world/europe/disinformation-china-eu-coronavirus.html?smid=fb-share 109 http://www.westphsea.com/articles/world-leaders-in-unity-to-investigate-china-we-demand-answers/ 110 https://www.indiatoday.in/programme/newstrack-with-rahul-kanwal/ video/should-china-pay-for-coronavirus-crisis-1670784-2020-04-24

105 it as its Trojan horse to global hegemony. We all must work in unity to make China accountable for this grave conspiracy and crime against humanity.

(27/04/2020: https://tibet.net/coronavirus-pandemic-a-chinese-trojan-horse-to-global-hegemony/) and (https://timesofindia.indiatimes. com/readersblog/khawaripa-speaks/coronavirus-a-chinese-trojan-horse-14691/)

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106

~16~ China’s Global Times article false, incorrect and misleading - a rebuttal

Photo: Global Times

On April 27, 2020, Global Times published an article “Exiled Tibetans eye return to China for fear of virus” by Shan Jie and Hu Yuwei[111]. The article has shown the situation of Tibetans living in India, especially those in Dharamshala, in a very poor light. It said because of the Covid-19 pandemic and poor medical facilities in India, Tibetans are longing to return to Tibet.

It said that Dharamshala lacks proper medical facilities and that there is a limited hospital with small clinics only. It quoted some medical scholar Liu Yinghua saying that the Tibetans living across north and south India are in unstable regions and 111 https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1186932.shtml

107 the local government often neglects their welfare.

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) would like to clarify and state that the contents of the above article by the two reporters and the statement by Liu Yinghua are false, incorrect, and misleading.

The Coronavirus pandemic, which originated in China, has caused a global disaster, and it has affected India also. The international community holds China responsible for the spread of the virus and for its deliberate suppression of information,[112] and for sending faulty medical kits around the world[113].

India is working hard to fight and contain this pandemic. As far as the situation in Dharamshala is concerned, till date, there have been 40 positive cases and one death in the whole of Himachal Pradesh. Lockdowns are observed strictly as a precautionary measure, and the situation is fully under control.

The Central Tibetan Administration has been working closely with the local authorities to control the spread of the virus and observe lockdown in the region. CTA has thanked and appreciated the efforts made by the local authorities: DC, SDM, and SP offices for all the help and guidance during this difficult time[114].

The local authorities: DC, SDM, and SP offices, have 112 http://www.westphsea.com/articles/world-leaders-in-unity-to-investigate-china-we-demand-answers/ 113 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52092395 114 https://tibet.net/cta-contributes-rs-3-lakh-to-district-covid-19-fund/

108 also appreciated the contribution and efforts made by the Administration and the Tibetan community in fighting this Chinese Coronavirus.

Dharamshala is located in the Kangra district. The region has good medical facilities with major hospitals like Delek hospital, Civil hospital, Zonal hospital, Tanda hospital, Fortis, etc., and traditional Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute. The allegation that the region lacks proper medical facilities is not true.

There is no question of Tibetans wanting to return to Tibet or to China because of the virus fear. Tibetans are well looked after by the Central and State government here in India. The statement that “the local government often neglects the exiles” is wrong and misleading.

The Department of Home, Education and Health of the Central Tibetan Administration too have well defined welfare and poverty alleviation programs to look after the livelihood, education and health of the needy Tibetans. The Settlement officers coordinate with the respective local authorities and the Administration to monitor and answer the needs of the Tibetans in the settlements. Therefore, the inference that the Tibetans are in a poor situation in India is false and a deliberate fabrication on the part of Chinese official media.

The report says Tibetans want to go back to Tibet, but this report is based on a statement of one lady Yangzom in Nepal. We don’t know how much of this is true. Even if it is true, it

109 has nothing to do with India. Also, we cannot generalize the issue because of one person’s statement.

The report quotes medical scholar Liu Yinghua, who is said to have studied Tibetan medicine in India. But the records in Tibetan Medical Astrology Institute in Dharamshala do not show the attendance of any Liu Yinghua having studied in the Institute.

We request the Chinese government to stop spreading false information and fake news and strongly refute the article and the statement in the Global Times. The world is passing through a difficult time because of this Coronavirus. The Chinese leadership should actually be taking moral responsibility to contain this global pandemic and apologize to India and the international community for the devastation it has created around the world.

(29/04/2020: https://tibet.net/chinas-global-times-article-false-incorrect-and-misleading-a-rebuttal/)

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110

~17~ Phunchok Stobdan’s televised attack is misleading, divisive and dangerous

Screengrab image of P Stobdan, a former Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic’s interview on Aaj Tak on 29 May 2020.

On 29 May 2020, during a nationally televised debate on the Indo-China border face-off, Phunchok Stobdan, a former Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic, made an unnecessary and crudely-worded assault on His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The nature of the attack and the manner in which it was made has shocked diplomats and scholars and has hurt the sentiments not just of Tibetans inside and outside Tibet but also Ladakhis and Buddhists around the world.

Dr. Lobsang Sangay, the President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), issued a statement saying that P. Stobdan’s comment on His Holiness the Dalai Lama was

111 deplorable and out of context. “President Dr. Sangay further added that those sharing the views of P Stobdan are marginal and the majority of the people in Ladakh deeply revere His Holiness as their most beloved spiritual and moral leader[115].”

Many Ladakhis came out in a strong protest against P. Stobdan for his disrespectful remarks and blasphemy against Tsawai Lama, the spiritual guru. “Major associations in Ladakh such as Ladakh Buddhist Association, All Ladakh Gompa Association, LBA Youth Wing and Women Wing, The Thiksey and Diskit monasteries, Muslim association in Leh as well as the Anjuman Jamiat-ul-Ulama Isna Ashriya Muslim association in Kargil, Likir Monastery Gaden Dhargyas Ling, the Merchant Association of Leh, Office of the Nambardar Spituk, President Kunfan Deytsogs Tsgospa Spituk and ‘Leh Phung Do’ Nambardars and Lower Leh Nambardars (village leaders) in Leh, D.L. Pethub Khangtsen Education Society in Leh, Galdan Targaisling Cultural & Welfare Society Pethup Gonpa in Leh, Dre-Lukhil Khangtsen Education Society and Ngari Institute of Buddhist Dialectics have issued statements in contempt of the remarks[116].”

The associations and the monasteries had also demanded an “unconditional apology” from Stobdan[117]. Feeling great pressure from all corners, P. Stobdan gave an apology through a video message and a short note as follows: “In the wake of

115 https://tibet.net/152359-2/ 116 https://tibet.net/152359-2/ 117 https://theprint.in/diplomacy/stobdan-sorry-for-remarks-on-dalai-lama-but-says-spiritual-leader-also-a-geopolitical-entity/433499/

112 Chinese intrusion in Eastern Ladakh from early this month, I have been requested by several national and international media channels to give my expert comments. As an authority on national security issues, I have been making several geopolitical comments on the defense of Ladakh land and the nation. These are my personal views on the issue and do not reflect the opinion of any organization or society. H.H the Dalai Lama is our supreme religious head who I deeply revere. I have attended several teachings, including Kalachakra initiations by him. Therefore, there is no question of profaning him from a spiritual angle. These are purely expert geopolitical comments pertaining to the border-standoff with China. However, if the sentiments of some people are hurt by my comments, I deeply extend an apology[118].”

Although the manner of the speech on national television, the anger, and the facial contortion all scarcely befit any scholar or security expert’s demeanor, Buddhism has taught us to forgive and forget. After all, the point of contention is Chinese border incursion, and India and Tibetans have a common interest in this fight against Chinese aggression.

However, P. Stobdan has later given an interview to The Print, an Indian online newspaper. This interview betrays the reason behind the hateful speech against His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The reason cited reveals P. Stobdan’s anti-Dalai Lama and anti- Tibetan refugee stance, which he has elaborated in detail in his book, The Great Game in the Buddhist Himalayas. He said, 118 https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/j-k/leh-shuts-over-p-stobdans- statement-on-the-dalai-lama-92920

113 “Ladakh is not Tibetan or Chinese land; this is India’s land. If the Tibetan government is in exile, then what are they doing in Ladakh? Ladakh belongs to the Ladakhis and India, and there can be no compromise[119].”

Such statements are deplorable, divisive and dangerous. It is like playing into the hands of the Chinese Communist regime, i.e., creating misinformation, confusion, and division, and finally attacking when the internal discord is at the peak. It is the Chinese who invaded Tibet; now they are after Ladakh and other border areas of India. It is preposterous to think that Tibetans are claiming Ladakh. It is the Chinese Communist regime that we should be wary of, not the Tibetan Administration in exile! What genuine security expert could think of such a false notion!

At this difficult time of the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic and the aggressive border intrusions, we all need to unite and fight together for our common cause. Instead of attacking the big bully China, P. Stobdan blames His Holiness the Dalai Lama for bringing the Chinese at the border, that too in very coarse and defamatory language. Such unfounded views and accusations from a former diplomat and a scholar are bound to create misunderstanding and division, and it will adversely affect our joint capacity to ward off Chinese aggression. This is against the national interest of India and the Tibetans. Should there be any infighting, it will only make China happy and render India’s border more vulnerable. 119 https://theprint.in/diplomacy/stobdan-sorry-for-remarks-on-dalai-lama-but-says-spiritual-leader-also-a-geopolitical-entity/433499/

114 His article, “Ladakh concern overrides LAC dispute” in The Tribune, drags the Fifth Dalai Lama [1617-1682 CE] into the dispute and smears him[120]. In his book, he writes, “The Tibetan presence in the Himalayan region cannot be dismissed as a mere political incident. It is the result of a brilliant strategy and flawless execution of China’s strategy[121].”

Rather than challenge the enemy at the border, P. Stobdan wants to divert India’s attention to a falsified history and prove who has brought the Chinese to the borders! Let me briefly dwell on history and see if it is anyone’s brilliant strategy.

Tibet has been an independent nation since ancient times. India and Tibet shared a long historical, religious and cultural relationship. The long borders between the two nations have been among the most peaceful borders in the world. According to the ancient Indian Rigveda and Atharvaveda, Tibet is Trivistapa[122] [the heavenly abode], with Mount Kailash as the center or navel of the earth, the abode of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Tibetans look at India as Aryabhumi, a holy land blessed by Lord Buddha and many renowned masters. This sacred bond is the background of Indo-Tibet’s relationship since ancient times.

In 1949, the Chinese Communist Party took over China, established the People’s Republic of China, and it began

120 https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/ladakh-concern-overrides-lac-dispute-90880 121 Phunchok Stodan, The Great Game in the Buddhist Himalayas, p-xii 122 Mathan, Journal of Social & Academic Activism, Jan-Mar 2020 issue, p-20

115 to assert its claim on Tibet. When Tibet refused to join the Republic, China sent 40,000 armed troops to Eastern Tibet, invaded the region, and threatened to enter Lhasa forcefully. Being a Buddhist and peaceful nation, Tibet had no arms and ammunitions to confront the Chinese machine guns and artillery. The young Dalai Lama and his cabinet members fervently sought help from India and the international community to intervene and stop the Chinese occupation.

But no help came. China forced Tibet to sign the 17-point agreement and took over Tibet. Continued silence from the international community further emboldened China to violate the agreement and commit genocide in Tibet. This culminated in the 10 March 1959 Tibetans’ national uprising, which was brutally crushed and resulted in the loss of many lives. His Holiness the Dalai Lama escaped Tibet to India, followed by some 80,000 Tibetans. This is Tibetan’s refugee story. Does anyone see any conspiracy in this by His Holiness the Dalai Lama with China against India?

Mao had said the occupation of Tibet is a must; Tibet is like a palm of a hand, a very strategic place. From there, through the five fingers of Nepal, Ladakh, Arunachal, Bhutan, and Sikkim, China can control other regions. An attempt to realize this is what we are seeing now.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama always says, “India is our guru and Tibetans are the chela, that too a very reliable chela.” On countless occasions, on numerous domestic and global platforms, he has appreciated and thanked India for all the

116 help extended to the Tibetan community and said he considers himself “a son of India”. One of his four major commitments is to promote and preserve the teachings of the ancient Indian Nalanda masters. To question His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s integrity and loyalty, in such a twisted fashion, is like profaning the sacred bond that Indians and Tibetans have shared since ancient times.

If any doubt still persists, please refer to the CTA’s President Dr. Lobsang Sangay’s statement where he has made clear that Ladakh, Arunachal, and Sikkim are part of India[123].

With due respect to P. Stobdan for his geopolitics and national security expertise, I request him not to attempt to sever this ancient sacred bond between India and Tibet, for reasons known best only to him. We should instead unite and fight the aggressor at the borders. If he still wants to go back to history, let me conclude with what Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution, has said: “Instead of according recognition to China in 1949, had India accorded this recognition to Tibet, there would have been no Sino-Indian border conflict. By letting China take control over Lhasa, we have in a way helped the Chinese to bring their armies on the Indian borders.”10

(05/06/2020: https://tibet.net/phunchok-stobdans-televised-attack-is-misleading-divisive-and-dangerous/) *******

123 https://www.ibtimes.co.in/ladakh-belongs-india-tibet-sides-india-exposes-chinas-expansionist-tactics-821586

117

~18~ China’s ostentatious seminar on Tibet, an attempt to save its face at UNHRC

Online seminar on “Tibetan cultural heritage and religious belief ” held on 15 July. 2020/CGTN

The CGTN, one of China’s official mouthpieces, has reported that China recently organized seminars on Tibet in Chongqing and Beijing on 14 and 15 July, respectively. The themes of the seminar at Chongqing were: “Tibet’s Social Development and Human Rights Progress” and “Achievements and Prospects for Tibet’s Eradication of Poverty.”

These ostentatious seminars on Tibet are nothing more than an attempt to save its face at the ongoing 44th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva.

118 The Chongqing seminar was more of a discourse on how Tibet and Tibetans have achieved social development, human rights protection, and poverty eradication under the 60 years of communist rule. Chinese speakers Sun Hongnian of China Border Research Institute, and Zhang Yongle, executive dean of the Institute of Human Rights of Southwest University of Political Science and Law, have hailed the communist regime of the ‘remarkable achievement’ made in Tibet.

As usual, China has tried to justify its presence in Tibet with the development it has made and the money [Yuan] it has spent on Tibet, and the poverty alleviation in the region. It said, “From 1980 to 2018, financial assistance from the central budget totaled 1.24 trillion yuan, accounting for 91 percent of Tibet’s financial expenditure.”

But these financial assistances have only helped China in consolidating its power and grip on the region through militarization and sinicization of the Tibetan plateau. The funds are spent on maintaining the large military contingents, security personnel, and the Chinese staff in the region. No wonder India is constantly facing Chinese border aggressions. The money is also used to fund the exploitation of water and mineral resources of Tibet and its transportation to China.

As far as poverty alleviation is concerned, Tibet has never been a poor country. People had enough to eat and were far ahead to explore spiritual domains of the human mind. It was only after the Chinese occupation that Tibet faced famine, not once but twice, in 1961-1964 and again in 1968-1973, resulting in many

119 deaths. Therefore, the poverty alleviation that China is talking about is only a facade to mislead the international community.

The report says, “Since the 1980s, the central government has invested more than 1.4 billion yuan in large-scale repairs of Tibetan cultural relics and key temples.”

Tibetans and the International community would appreciate it if the communist regime could be explicit with empirical data on how, when, and where these funds have been disbursed and what key temples have become functional?

It brags about the existence of “1787 sites for the practices of Tibetan Buddhism, over 46,000 resident monks and nuns, and 358 Living Buddhas.”

But Tibet had at least 6259 proper monasteries, not sites, with about 592,558 monks and nuns before the Chinese invasion! China must first disclose where all the rest has gone?

“The seminar stressed that the freedom of religious belief is recognized and protected by relevant laws”.

What law is China talking about? For the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), religion is poison, and its members are not allowed to practice any form of religion. However, the party has enacted laws to interfere in the religious affairs of the people. The laws, especially the 2007’s Order number-5, greatly violate the Tibetan people’s religious freedom. It is ridiculous and unacceptable that a communist regime should impose religious leaders and teachings on the masses.

120 The seminar in Beijing on 15 July was an online seminar on “Tibetan cultural heritage and religious belief ”, and CGTN reports, “The discussions of scholars from all over the world fully demonstrated China’s major achievements in ethnic and religious policies, and opened a window for the world to understand China in a more comprehensive way.”

If China is really concerned about Tibetan cultural heritage and religious belief, it should restore Tibetan as primary language in the region, allow monastic education, and stop interfering in the selection of reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other high Lamas.

Both the seminars were part of the Chinese propaganda gimmicks to contest and to downplay the criticism it is facing right now at the ongoing 44th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva. Some 50 UN independent experts and 30 UN Special Procedure Mandate Holders have called on the UNHRC on the gross violation of human rights and religious freedom in China and Hong Kong and in the occupied regions like Tibet and East Turkistan.

In the seminars, China claimed cultural and religious freedom in Tibet. But just recently, it has issued an order to tear down all the prayer flags in Tibet. Huge monastic centers like Larung- gar and Yachen-gar have faced demolitions, monks and nuns driven away and displaced. The Communist Party members now control the monastic complexes. Children are barred from joining and visiting monasteries. People are arrested and

121 tortured for just having a photograph of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

At this difficult time of coronavirus pandemic, instead of tending to the worsening domestic issues and cooperating with the international community in containing the pandemic, China has become more aggressive and hegemonic. China’s provocation at Southeast China seas and Indian borders has been condemned by the international community. Chinese atrocities and repression in Tibet and East Turkestan [Uighur] have increased.

The CGTN has reported the events as international seminars. But it was obvious that it was a closed one. At the Chongqing seminar, the only foreign representatives reported are Pakistan and Nepal, the two old and new all-weather friends in BRI debt traps.

It says, “60 years of social development, and human rights in Tibet”. But for the Tibetans, it has been 60 years of brutal occupation and repression. Tibetans are deprived of genuine autonomy; there are no human rights and religious freedom. Not to speak of traveling abroad, Tibetans are not allowed to travel within Tibet itself. This is the reality.

We request the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to act on the report submitted by the 50 UN independent rapporteurs and urge China to respect human rights and abide by the international norms and stop misleading the international community through fictitious seminars.

122 (17/07/2020: https://tibet.net/chinas-ostentatious-seminars- on-tibet-an-attempt-to-save-its-face-at-unhrc/)

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123

~19~ Xi Jinping’s speech at Tibet Forum betrays CCP’s policy failure

President Xi Jinping who is also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission during a high-level meeting on Tibet work in Beijing. Photo/Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping has recently delivered a long fiery speech calling China to build an “impregnable fortress” to maintain stability in Tibet, protect national unity and educate the masses in the struggle against “separatists”, at the two- day [28th and 29th Aug] 7th Tibet Work Forum attended by the senior Communist Party leaders in Beijing on Saturday, 29 August.

Unlike the past Work Forums, the event and Xi’s speech was widely covered and circulated in the local and international

124 media circles. It was hailed in the official Chinese media as “setting policy direction for Tibet”.

Xinhua News, one of the Chinese Community Party’s (CCP) official mouthpieces, quoted Xi as saying, “Efforts must be made to build a new modern socialist Tibet that is united, prosperous, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful. Work related to Tibet must focus on safeguarding national unity and strengthening ethnic solidarity. More education and guidance should be provided for the public to mobilize their participation in combating separatist activities, thus forging an ironclad shield to safeguard stability.”

The language and the contents of Xi’s speech clearly reveal Xi’s acknowledgment of instability in Tibet and betrays the CCP’s complete policy failure in the region. The top Chinese leadership’s speech stands out as a clear testimony to the fact that China has nothing worth to boast of achievements benefitting Tibet and Tibetans in all these seventy years of occupation. No wonder it has not been able to win the natives’ trust and loyalty. China has only tried to exploit Tibet of its mineral resources and militarize the land to further its expansionist policy in and around the region.

China has always claimed that it has “liberated” Tibet and Tibetans from “feudal slavery” and transformed the region into a “socialist paradise”. It claimed development, democratic reform, human rights, and religious freedom. Then, why this sudden urge and rhetoric to build “a new modern socialist Tibet”? What happened to the “socialist paradise” it boasted

125 of all these years?

Why the efforts to focus on safeguarding national unity and strengthening ethnic solidarity? Why the need to build impregnable fortresses and the need to fight separatists in Tibet?

This tantamount to say that even after seventy years of occupation and indoctrination, Tibetans have not accepted the Chinese rule; they are still resisting the Chinese communist regime and its repressive policies. The Chinese leadership has now realized that the Tibet issue has become an international issue, and it has turned into the Achilles heel of the CCP.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama way back in 1988 said, “The Chinese leadership needs to realize that colonial rule over occupied territories is today anachronistic. A large genuine union of association can only come about voluntarily when there is a satisfactory benefit to all the parties concerned. The European Community is a clear example of this. On the other hand, even one country or community can break into two or more entities where there is lack of trust or benefit, and when force is used as the principal means of rule.”

Had Chinese leadership really taken care of Tibet and Tibetans, the situation would have been different today. The fact is Tibetans have greatly suffered and are still suffering under the brutal communist regime. More than 154 Tibetans have self-immolated since 2009 to protest the Chinese repressive policies. The seventy years of Chinese occupation has been a

126 long nightmare of repression and discrimination.

China replaced the Tibetan language with Chinese mandarin as a medium of instruction in schools. It forced the Tibetans to replace the photo of His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Xi Jinping’s photo in their homes and banned hoisting Tibetan prayer flags and children from visiting and studying at Tibetan monasteries. The 11th Panchen Lama, one of the highest Tibetan reincarnate Lamas, has been kidnapped along with the family members since 1995, and his whereabouts are still not known. To add insult to injury, China appointed its own puppet Panchen Lama and is now forcing the Tibetans in Tibet to venerate him.

In such a scenario, how could the Chinese leadership expect Tibetans to show respect and loyalty to the regime? Stability and unity cannot be achieved through guns and repression; China needs to respect Tibetan culture, religion, and the people’s sentiments. Xi’s policy to get the “Tibetan Buddhism adapted to socialism in the Chinese context” will not only hurt the Tibetans, but it will also earn the wrath of all people along the Himalayan belts and condemnation from the international community. This is a gross violation of religious freedom and the Chinese constitution itself.

China Daily quoted Xi as saying, “More work, measures and support are needed to consolidate the achievement made in poverty alleviation.”

Tibet has never been a poor country. External material

127 achievements only do not measure poverty; it is the welfare and happiness of the people that is important. Tibetans lived self sufficiently and contentedly with high spiritual achievement. Famine and starvation are unheard of in Tibet, but with the Chinese occupation, Tibet experienced famine twice in 1961-1964 and 1968-1973, and many lives were lost. So what “poverty alleviation” is Xi talking about?

There may not be proper cemented roads, highways, railways, and airways before, but Tibetans traveled freely with their animals. Today, there is constant monitoring and surveillance, leave aside traveling abroad, Tibetans are not even allowed to travel within Tibet. What development is this?

To sum up, while betraying CCP’s policy failure, Xi’s speech clearly forebodes bad and harsh times for the Tibetans in Tibet. It ordered stricter measures of surveillance in Tibet and asked for adaptation of Tibetan Buddhism to the communist ideology. The message is not good for India and the neighboring countries too. China has now gone to the extent of militarizing the holy site of Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarover by establishing military bases and missile stations there.

It is using the Buddhist land and the sacred abode of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati to attack the land and people of Buddha and Shiva Mahadev. What is happening at the Indian borders and its covert activities in Nepal, and the shady Belt and Road Initiative projects are all clear indications of CCP’s expansionist policy. In order to realize this hegemonic ambition, China is hardening its stand on Tibet, building an

128 “impregnable fortress”.

India and the international community need to look at Tibet not as a problem but as a solution. China is using Tibet to achieve its expansionist plans. Restoration of Tibet’s century-old role as a buffer state between India and China and declaring it as a “Zone of Peace” as proposed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the ultimate solution to peace and stability at the borders and to harness the fiery dragon.

Lastly, another school of thought has it that there are little teeth in Xi’s word; he is putting on this strong, aggressive garb only to divert the increased internal criticism he has been facing since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

(01/09/2020: https://www.tibet.net/xi-jinpings-speech-at-tibet-work-forum-betrays-ccps-policy-failure/)

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129

~20~ A brief introduction to Losar, Tibetan New Year

Lo-sar means New Year in Tibetan. It is the first day of the first month of the Tibetan lunar calendar. This year’s Tibetan Losar, Iron-mouse year, falls on 24 February. Losar celebration is one the most festive periods of the year observed with a lot of religious, cultural, and merrymaking events for a week or two. Losar celebration is the time when one could witness and taste the best of the Tibetan culture and delicacies. Men, women, and children are in the best of their traditional attires. Colorful prayer flags flutter from the top of the houses, monasteries, and the hills around. Unfortunately, Tibetans in Tibet are not allowed to observe it fully because China sees a large gathering of Tibetans and celebration of Tibetan identity and its rich culture as a threat to the communist regime.

130 Two days prior to the Losar, i.e., the 29th and 30th day of the last month of the year, also form an important prelude to the Losar celebration. 29th day is said to be Nyishu-gu, where the family members take Gu-thug, a porridge or noodle with nine different ingredients, together in the evening. A Glud [a proxy in effigy form made from dough] is sent away with all the obstacles, and bad lucks of the family. 30th is Nam-gang; preparation and decoration of the altar and the house should be complete by Nam-gang night. Men wash clean on 29th and women on 30th, signifying entry into the New Year fresh and clean.

Monastery monk playing longhorn on the first day of Losar during Tsedor at Tsuglagkhang. Photo/Tenzin Phende/CTA

Losar is celebrated for different lengths of time in tandem with the local tradition, but the first three days of Losar are considered very important. The first day is said to be Lama- Losar; people visit monasteries, pay respect to the Lamas and receive their blessings. The first day is usually spent with family members only. The second day is said to be Gyalpo-Losar.

131

Gyalpo means king representing authority; official public celebrations are done on this day. The third day is known as Chokyong-Losar. Chokyong means the guardian deities; on this day prayer flags, are hoisted on the hills and around the houses. Guardian deities are propitiated, and supplication prayers are read.

During Losar, Chod-shom, the holy altars in every Tibetan home are bountifully decorated with offerings and auspicious items. It is a Tibetan way of saying thanks to nature, local gods [Tib: Yul lha], and protectors [Tib: gShi bdag] for the good and positive things they had in the passing year and to seek blessing for the New Year. Here we shall discuss what is commonly found on the sacred altar [Tib: mChod gShom] during the Losar celebration. They are Derkha, Yon-chab, Lo- puth, Chang-phuth, Lug-go, Bo, and Chemar.

132 Derkha is a pile of Khases, Tibetan fried cookies, presented at the altar with Bongbu-achok as the main item along with other khases and eatables. Der means plate, and Kha means mouth. So, it means a big plate in which a lot of eatables are presented. Bongbu-achok literally means donkey’s ear. Why it is called donkey’s ear, nothing specific could be found; it may be because of its physical shape. Usually, it is about one foot in length and 5 inches wide; it comes with an average height of 3 to 4 inches. As it is soaked and prepared in hot boiling oil, it is sturdy and hard.

This Bongbu-achoks are the main pillars and structures of the Derkha. Number of Bongbu-achok stacked up for Derkha could be eight, ten, twelve, and so on in even number. It can also assume odd numbers when the base is made of three Bongbu-achoks. Derkha is composed of six different khases: Achok, Nyashag, Tashi-mugdhung, Kongche, Bolug-khorlo,

Bongbu-achoks. Photo/Tenzin Phende/CTA

133

Bulug. Photo/Tenzin Phende/CTA

Nyapsha. Photo/Tenzin Phende/CTA and Pinpin-dhogdhog. All these are khase of different physical forms. Construction of Derkha is done to assume the shape of Tashi-Tagye (the eight auspicious sign) in a union. On the piles of Bongbu-achok are placed the following Khases in sequences: first, a pair of Nyashag khase, a pair of Tashi-

134 mugdhung, a pair of Kongche khase, a Bolug-khorlo and Pinpin-dhogdhog at the top.

While the Bongbu-achok of official and monastic Derkhas are mostly stacked up with its mouth facing downward, private homes have the Derkhas with its mouth facing up. It is said that the private Derkhas are faced up so that various delicacies and sweets could be put inside the mouth of Bongbu- achoks, while this is not done in official or formal Derkhas.

It is also said that in order to have harmony in society, authorities and the public should have good communication. To indicate good communication and proper listening, official Derkhas have the face down; and public Derkhas have the face-up, forming proper union facing each other.

There is another theory as to why Bongbu-achoks at Derkha are facing down. In Tibetan society, usually, all the utensils, bowls, cups, and containers are kept face down. If you keep an empty container facing up after washing it, you will be admonished to keep it facing down. This is because Tibet is a land of deities, spirits, and ghosts. Deities are propitiated often to subdue the malignant ghostly spirits harming human beings. When the deities pursue a malignant ghost, the latter often try to hide inside the utensils and containers. As the deities are sacred and clean, they can’t go inside the utensils and containers used by human beings. So, the ghost escapes from being caught by the deities. Therefore, all empty utensils and containers in Tibet are kept facing down.

135 Yon-chab means offerings made in the form of water; it has seven bowls signifying the seven offerings to the Buddhas. They are Chod-yon, offerings for the teaching; Zhab-sil, water to wash the feet; Metok, flowers for beautification; Dugpo, incense to purify the atmosphere; Dri-chab, scented water; and Zhal-se, food offerings. Lo-puth is the young green shoots of wheat, signifying a good harvest for the year. Chang-puth: Chang means Tibetan barley beer, puth means the first. So, the first bowl of the Chang made for the New Year is offered at the altar to thank the deities. Lug-go is a sheep’s head made of dough. Sheep are considered fortune keepers of the family, and it is placed at the altar to woo fortune and health. Bo is a wooden container for Chemar, it has two pockets. The right-hand side will have Dro, wheat grains, and the left-hand side shall have Tsampa, roasted barley flour. Both are put in a cone shape with a Tsedro, a decorative wood, each. Chemar is offered to the visitors, and auspicious greetings and remarks are exchanged.

Jangphud

136 Above are some of the main items and paraphernalia that come along with the celebration of Tibetan Losar. But what is noted here may not even account for 10 percent of actual traditional Tibetan Losar. Tibet has a rich tradition of operas, dances, and songs. It is said that whole nights are spent dancing, singing, and merry-making for several days during Losar.

Sadly, Tibet has not seen these gaieties and happy cheerful days since the Chinese occupation of Tibet. But Tibetans in and outside Tibet believe that one day the sun of happiness will shine over Tibet, and they shall be able to live freely as they have lived once.

Reference:

• Bod kyi dus chen, Festival of Tibet, compiled and edited by Kalsang Khedup and Chung Tsering, Dept. of Education, CTA

• Bod-rgya tsigs-mdzod chen-mo, Tibet

• Festival of Tibet by Tsepak Ringzin, Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1993

• A legend of Amche Ra-ru by T. G. Arya

(21/02/2020: https://tibet.net/a-brief-introduction-to-losar- tibetan-new-year/)

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137

~21~ A Short note on Lungta, a Tibetan prayer flag and its origin

Lungta Prayer flags at Mussoorie Lhagyal-ri /tga

Lung [Tib: rLung] means air or wind, and Ta [Tib: rTa] is a horse. So, Lung-ta means an air-horse or wind-horse. It is a divine horse to lift our energy and life force and carry our message to the gods and deities. If you happen to visit any Tibetan settlements or villages, your eyes will be greeted first with colorful flags hung horizontally on trees in the hills and ridges and on the rooftops. These are Tibetan prayer flags commonly known as Lungta darchog [Tib: rLung-rta dar-cog], air-horse flag. This is the same with people living along the

138

Lungta prayer-flags at Mussoorie Lhasol-ri / Photo TGA Himalayan regions practicing Vajrayana Buddhism and sharing Tibetan cultural bonds.

What is this Lungta prayer flag, and what does it signify. According to the Tibetan medical and astrological system, for the holistic health of a person, assessment of the five aspects of the individual, i.e. Lus, la, srog, wang and lungta, [Tib: lus, bla, srog, dbang and rlung-rta][124] is very important. They can be roughly translated as body, life-force (soul), life, power, and fortune. It is the last, Lungta, the fortune or luck aspect that pervades the overall well-being of the individual.

Fortune here is not about material wealth and riches. It is about the overall aspects of your being and existence, the vital force.

124 This sequence is based on oral narrative sTag, sengs, khyung, ‘brug and rta, and the pictures on the flag. Mentsekhang astrological Lotho has the following sequences: Srog, lus, wang, lung, and la [Tib: srog, lus, dbang, rlung-rta and bla].

139 How things go smoothly or not is generally attributed to the level of your Lungta. A high level of Lungta [Tib: rLung rta mtho po] will ensure smooth and successful completion of your work and aspiration, while a low level of Lungta [Tib: rLung rta dma’ po] does the opposite.

Lungta was originally written in Tibetan as kLung-rta and later as rLung-rta, meaning Air-horse. This Air-horse is the carrier of your fortune and vital force. The faster it runs, the better it is for the individual’s well-being. We say, “De ring rLung-rta rgyud song.”, today my Air-horse ran, meaning things went very well or all positive elemental forces were conducive that day. There are terms like Lungta darba, Lungta gyaspa and Lungta gyugpa, meaning flourishing lungta, expanding lungta and running lungta; these are all positive Lungta. Negative Lungta are: Lungta chagpa, Lungta nyampa and Lungta gudpa, meaning, fallen lungta, diminishing lungta, and downfall of lungta. There is a Tibetan proverb[125] that says, there is no doubt about my shooting, whether it will hit the target or not will depend on my Lungta.

Therefore, care is taken to keep this Air-horse in good health and running. Lungta prayer flags are hoisted on auspicious days, especially during the Tibetan New Year, Losar. When things are not going well and smoothly, people often hoist Lungta flags and perform Sangsol [burning of juniper or herbs]. Propitiation of deities with offerings and prayer recitation is done to activate one’s Lungta. 125 rgyad dang mi rgyag the tsom som nyi med, thebs dang mi thebs lung ta’i steng shod re རྒྱག་དང་མི་རྒྱག་ཐེ་ཚོམ་སོམ་ཉི་མེད། ཐེབས་དང་མི་ཐེབས་རླུང་讟འི་སེང་ཤོད་རེད། 140 Now, let us examine what a typical Lungta prayer flag looks like and what is written on the flag. It comes in five thin rectangular or square cotton clothes in five colors: yellow, green, red, white, and blue. These colors represent the five natural elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. In the four corners of the flags are four animals: a Tiger at the bottom-right; a Lion at the bottom-left; a Garuda at the top-left; and a Dragon at the top- right. In the center is the Air-horse carrying the wish-fulfilling jewel, and prayers to remove obstacles are written in between the animals.

What these animals represent, we have already discussed the main Lungta, the Air-horse. Astrological and elemental connotation is: Tiger represents Lus and forest; Lion – bLa and Snow mountain; Garuda represents Srog and sky; Dragon – dBang-thang and lake (klung); and Horse – rLung-rta and cloud. But

Prof Samten Karmay notes Lungta prayer-flag with the Tiger, Lion, that the ancient manuscript Garuda, and Dragon, with Horse in the middle has a lion representing

Lungta and a horse the bLa[126]. The general assumption is: Tiger represents bodily health; Lion represents soul’s health;

141 126 Samten Karmay,The Arrow and the Spindle, p-419

142 Garuda represents life-force; Dragon the power; and Horse, the fortune[127].

Through Lungta prayer flags, the health of our fortune is activated which in turn ensures a strong life-force, healthy body, powerful presence and vital soul.

One important question is how did this Lungta concept originated? Is it a Buddhist culture, or does it have its origin from the native Bon religion? Manuscript or reference materials on the subject are very scarce. An ancient manuscript by the title of “dBu nag mi’u ‘dra chag’, Appearance of the Little Black Headed-man, compiled and translated by Prof Samten Karmay,[128] takes us back to the Tibetan mythical era and gives us some useful information on the origin of Lungta prayer flag.

Prof Karmay says, “Although the manuscript is attributed to Emperor Khrisrong Deutsan [742-797], but in the text there is reference to Kublai Khan. It therefore cannot pre-date the thirteenth century.” It talks about six songs or poems dealing with the origin myths of the universe and the Tibetan people. From the cosmic egg emerged a being Sridpa Sangpo khri, also known by Yemon Gyalpo, the King of the primeval wish. From him came the Phyva, dMu, gTsug, gNyan, Ye, and Ngam came. They are the ancestors of the gods, spirits, and humans.

Sridpa Nekhrom [Tib: Srid pa sNe phrom], the youngest of the thirty-seven children of Phyva God Yablhadaldrug, was

127 སག་སེང་ཁྱུང་འབྲུག་རླུང་讟་དར། ལུས་བླ་སོག་དབང་རླུང་讟་རྒྱས། 128 Samten Karmay, The Arrow and the Spindle, p-245

143 sent to the earth to establish the human race. He lived with a Phyva woman, and through their son, Thingpo, came the ancestors of Trom, Gya, Hor, Bod, Jang and Mon[129] [Persia, China, Mongolia, Tibet, Yunan, and India].

Father Anye Khritho Chenpo has three wives: gNyan-bza’, dMu-bza’ and Srin-bza’. gNyan-bza’ has three sons: lDong, dBra and ‘Gru; dMu-bza’ has one, sGa; and Srin-bza’ has two: dBa’ and lDa.

When the father Khritho was tending yaks on the mount Lhari, seven robbers from the demon land robbed him of all his yaks. Furious, he charges them, but his wife gNyan-bza worries that he may come to harm if he pursues the robbers. So she turned herself into a big frog and tried to block his way. Not knowing that it was his wife, Khritho, in his rage, kills her. Her painful cry alerts her father gNyan-rgan de-ba, he shoots a lethal arrow and kills Khritho.

The six brothers, sons of Khritho, vow to avenge the father’s death, first, they sought compensation from gNyan-rgan de- ba, and they received dragon, eagle, yak, tiger, goat, and dog accordingly. The last two brothers, dBa’ and lDa, were not happy with the compensations, goat and dog, and were said to have left for the borderland. These six brothers are popularly known as Meudung-drug, the six original tribes of Tibet, se, mu, dong, tong, dra and dru[130].

129 ཕོམ། རྒྱ། ཧོར། བོད། འཇང་། མོན། 130 History & Religious History Reader VI Part II, Sherig, p-3-4. Mi’u gdung drug: se, rmu, ldong, stong, dbra and ‘bru

144 The four brothers took the four animals as their respective Dra-la [Tib:dGra-bla], protective war gods, arousing the warrior spirit and proceeded to conquer the robbers from demon land who were the cause of their father’s death. The story goes on about how they ultimately subdued the demon king Khappa-lagring. These four animals became the symbols of the major races of Tibet, lDong, bBra, ‘Gru and sGa. Later, these animals were propitiated on the rLungta flag to represent the fortune and well beings of the Tibetan race. Prof. Samten Karmay says that the yak may have been replaced by a lion around the time when lions became the national emblem of Tibet[131].

China has something called Long-ma, ‘Long’ in Chinese means dragon, and ‘Ma’ means horse, therefore, a Dragon- horse. Some scholars say rLung-rta is derived from Chinese Long-ma. If it is so, then it should be ‘Brug-rta in Tibetan, not rLung-rta. Tibetans could not have taken Long in the sense of pronunciation (sound) and Ma in the meaning. The Dragon represents power, wealth, and fortune in Chinese culture and is considered as an auspicious symbol.

In Japan, there is something similar to rLung-rta called ‘Ema’, written as 絵馬 meaning ‘picture horse’. It is a small wooden tablet with a picture of a horse. It has its origin in the native Shinto religion; it is now found in both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. People write their wishes and prayers on an Ema tablet and hang the same on the Ema board of the shrines

131 Samten Karmay, The Arrow and the Spindle, p-418

145

Japanese Ema at Naritsan Shishoji Temple / Photo TGA and temples. Horses are believed to carry the message to the Kami, spirits, and gods. During an auspicious event, the shrines and temples burn these Emas signifying the consummation of the devotees’ prayers and wishes.

Lungta prayer-flags at Lhagyal-ri Dharamsala / Photo TGA

146 These Lungta prayer flags represent the typical Tibetan culture honoring interdependence and the need for harmony among gods, elements [planet], humans, and animals. It reveals the deep reverence that Tibetan culture holds for the gods and spirits above; respect for the natural elements; and the love and harmony with the animals around. This is further reflected in Zamling Chisang [Tib: ‘Zam gling spyi bsangs][132], a universal prayer day. It is a prayer day dedicated to the world peace and harmony observed by the Tibetans since ancient times.

Therefore, many social-scientists around the world are of the view that the understanding and preservation of Tibetan culture is not only necessary but indispensable and must for world peace and harmony.

(10/01/2021: https://tibetpolicy.net/a-short-note-on-lungta- a-tibetan-prayer-flag-and-its-origin/)

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132 Zamling Chisang falls on the full moon day of the 5th month of Ti- betan calendar, usually in the month of July. It started during the reign of the 8th century Emperor Trisrong Deutsan, when Guru Rinpoche performed prayers and purification rites on the successful completion of the Samye monastery. Since then it evolved as a prayer day dedicated to the world peace and harmony.

147

~22~ Chotrul-duschen: The Great Prayer Festival of Tibet

Monlam Chenmo Festival in Tibet, February 2019. Photo/Sichuanfun

Chotrul Duschen [Tib: Cho ‘phrul smon lam chen mo], the Great Prayer Festival of Tibet falls in the first lunar month of the Tibetan calendar just after Tibetan Losar – New Year festivities. It was once observed with great religious fervor by the Tibetans in Tibet every year. Monks, nuns, officials, and devotees from all walks of life gather to join in the prayers and to receive the blessing of Jowo Rinpoche and the deities in Lhasa Tsuglagkhang. The festival originated in India to honor Buddha on his victory in magical performance over six heretic masters in Shravasti in modern-day Bihar. It was considered

148 an auspicious month and celebrated by the Indian Dharma kings. Later the Tibetan Kings and devotees also celebrated it in some form or others in Tibet.

However, it was Je Tsongkhapa [Tib: rJe tsong kha pa], a great scholar and the founder of Geluk [Tib: dGe lugs] school of Tibetan Buddhism, who first established the Festival formally in 1409 CE. It was first observed in Lhasa, during which the statues of Jowo Shakyamuni at Lhasa Tsuglagkhang and statues of other deities were honored and adorned appropriately. It initially started with the monks from Sera and Drepung monasteries. Later, others also joined in. More than eight thousand monks attend this fifteen-day long religious Festival to pray for the peace and prosperity of all sentient beings.

In 1614 AD, the Fourth Panchen Rinpoche Lobsang Chosgyan introduced the conduct of Geshe Lharampa examination for the monks from Sera, Drepung, and Gaden during the Festival. Monks debated, and their scholarships tested in public and were honored with Geshe degree. Tibetan religious dances, chams were performed, and a great scroll of Buddha’s thangka painting unfolded for everyone to view and receive the blessing. The Festival also came to be known as Lhadan Mon lam Chenmo [Tib: lHa ldan smon lam chen mo], the Great Prayer Festival. Since then, except for a few occasions, the Festival was observed in Tibet until the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959. Monks, nuns, and people from different parts of Tibet flock in Lhasa during the time to attend this annual religious festival.

149 His Holiness the Dalai Lama, despite the great responsibility as a head of the state and the tense situation under the Chinese invasion of Tibet, studied hard and gave his test during the Great Religious Festival on the 13th day of Chotrul Duchen in 1959, Earth-Boar year. This year’s Great Prayer Festival marks the 60th anniversary of His Geshe Lharampa test. His Holiness has related the experience in His book, “My Land and My People”, in some detail. “I appeared for my final examination during the annual Monlam Festival in Lhasa…. I was proud and happy to be taking the final examination, and to receive the degree of Master of Metaphysics, after so many years of studying the great teaching of Lord Buddha…”.

After His escape to India, His Holiness the Dalai Lama had the old and young high incarnate lamas and geshes, who had fled Tibet stay in Buxa in West Bengal and were later moved to South India. The Festival continued to be observed, albeit on a limited scale. In 1969, when Dharamshala Tsuglagkhang was completed, the Festival was organized in Dharamshala, and it continued to be celebrated every year after Tibetan Losar since then, during which His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives teachings to the public.

The Prayer Festival is also famous for the butter sculpture offerings, known as Chenga-chodpa – full-moon offering, made by the monks from Gyuto and Gyumed Monasteries alternatively. Butter sculpture is unique to Tibetan religious art, where beautiful sacred images of Buddhas, deities, and animals are made on Tormas – religious cake offerings. It is

150 displayed in the main Temple for everyone to feel the sacred images in colorful butter and to view the exquisite beauty of the offerings.

This year’s Great Prayer Festival marks the 60th anniversary of His Holiness the Dalai lama’s Geshe Lharampa examination. As it is Phag-lo, Boar-year, according to Tibetan astrology, it is dGung-skeg, obstacle-year for His Holiness. Tibetans and followers of His Holiness should commit to pious deeds and practice His teaching to mitigate the obstacles.

In Tibet, since the Chinese occupation of Tibet, the Monlam Chenmo Festival has not been allowed. China permitted it in 1986 for two or three years to demonstrate religious freedom in Tibet. Later they disallowed it for the fear that such a vast gathering of devotees would pose a challenge to its repressive rule. Today, it has become a time for the Chinese regime to impose strict surveillance and monitor the Tibetans’ movement in and around Lhasa Bakhor and the monasteries. Yet, they brazenly say there is religious and cultural freedom in Tibet!

References:

• H.H. Dalai Lama’s My Land and My people

• Department of Religion publications 1983

• Dung dkar tshig mzdod chen mo

151 • Bod kyi dus chen by Department of Education

• Shakabpa’s Political history of Tibet, and 6) personal interviews

(19/02/2019: https://tibet.net/chotrul-duschen-the-great- prayer-festival-of-tibet/)

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152 DIIR Publications

1. Tibet was never a part of China, but middle way approach remains a viable solution, first published 2018 2. Indo-Tibetan Relations: Shared Heritage, Shared Future 3. Tibet’s Past, Present and Future - What is the way forward 2016 4. CTA’s Response to the People’s Republic of China’s White Paper on Tibet’s ecology, 2018 5. The Panchen Lama Lineage (Updated 2015) 6. International Resolutions & Recognitions on Tibet (2005- 2013), 2014 7. International Resolutions & Recognitions on Tibet (1981- 1993), 1994 8. CTA’s Response to the Chinese Allegations 2008 9. 2008 Uprising In Tibet: Chronology and Analysis, 2008 10. Tibet and Manchu: An assessment of Tibet-Manchu relations in five phase of historical development, 2001 11. The Mongols and Tibet: A historical assessment of relations between the Mongol Empire and Tibet 12. Facts About 17-Point Agreement Between Tibet and China, 2001

Schools, Universities, Libraries, NGOs, and individuals who need the above books may contact our circulation manager or the reception at [email protected] and Tel at +91-01892-222510. The books are free but any donations to cover the cost, postage and promote such publications shall be appreciated.

153 About the author:

Tsewang Gyalpo Arya started his service with the Department of Finance, where he worked under various capacities notably as the Chief Research Officer of Tibetan Economic Research & Development Office (TERDO); President of Charitable Trust Tibetan Handicraft Exports (CTHE); and Director of Paljor Publications. In July 2000 he joined the mainstream CTA as Deputy Secretary. In June 2005, he was appointed the Secretary of Liaison Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Tokyo, and later in November 2013 as Secretary of the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi. In 2018, he worked in the Department of Home in Dharamshala as its Additional Secretary, and later he was appointed the DIIR’s Tibet News Bureau Chief Editor. In May 2019, he was promoted as Secretary of the Department of Information. The same year, Kashag appointed him with the additional charge as Director of Tibet Policy Institute, the official think tank of CTA. In May 2020, he was appointed the Representative of Office of Tibet Japan and East Asia.

T.G. Arya did his schooling from CST Mussoorie and obtained his B.A. from Panjab University; M.A. Economics from Annamalai University; M.A. Japanese Studies from Delhi University; and Diploma in International Trade & Economics from Chiyoda College of Business, Tokyo. He obtained Ph.D. from the Department of Buddhist studies, Delhi University. He wrote “English-Japanese- Tibetan Conversation Hand book” and has authored and translated several Tibetan and Japanese folktales and contributed articles and op-eds on Tibetan issues in various journals and media outlets. His forthcoming book is “The Ancient Tibetan Civilization; Studies in Myth, Religion, and History of Tibet” from the Library of Tibetan Works & Archives (LTWA), Dharamsala.

154