China and Tibet: Loss, Yet Hope

As you read these words, innocent Tibetan people are being arrested, tortured, and ultimately killed. The Chinese government has ordered Tibet's colonization. And, the Chinese people are listening to what they shouldn't: government propaganda.


Why did this horrible, yet somewhat unknown problem begin? It started with China claiming Tibet as part of them since the 14th century A.D. Since then, Tibet has been a lover of peace. 


In 1949, the Central People's Government (CPG) of China decided to claim Tibet, but disguise it as a liberation from invaders, because the British still had some control over Tibet. China needed control over Tibet to support their greatly growing population, and colonizing this territory would make the world see China as a world power. The CPG organized the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to "liberate" Tibet from its foreign invaders. In the spring of 1950, the PLA marched into Tibet, and drove out the British invaders. The "liberation" of Tibet had been successful. As the PLA marched around Tibet, something caught their eye: monks and monasteries. Something, according to them, was very wrong. Their Communist beliefs were against religion of any kind. As soon as the CPG found out that Tibet was highly religious, the PLA was ordered to destroy Tibet's religion by the destruction of monasteries and monks. 


And that is how Tibet's ways of life were abruptly changed. 


This issue, though, is not the fault of the Chinese people. In fact, they know nothing of the problem at hand.
If a person in China were to look up "Tibet" on Google, every article would be deleted, except for government pages saying that Tibetans are evil and must be destroyed. This propaganda leads to riots outside of Tibet or China, such as when the Olympic torch reached Seoul, Korea. Riots between Chinese and Tibetan people broke out. Chinese government propaganda must be stopped, because people have a right not to listen to propaganda, and to know about any issue.


Tibet's government, including the 14th Dalai Lama, has been in exile in Dharamsala, India. The Dalai Lama has ordered the Tibetan people not to fight, or else he would resign from office. He believes that peace can be used to resolve the problem in the long term. He is actually correct.


To stop China's government from colonizing Tibet, we don't have to use guns, planes, and bombs. All that needs to be done is communication. Let your community know about this issue. Organize a protest. Petition your local official, such as a mayor or representative of your state. Violence is not needed. Let the world know about this issue. By communication, China will ultimately stop colonizing Tibet. This will undoubtedly take a long time, but it is better than letting Tibet be gone forever.

Free China and Tibet.



Sources:

Florio, Maria. Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion. 1993. DVD. Hollywood.

Kapila, Subhash. "Tibet: Global Amnesia on Chinese Genocide Genrates Grave Strategic Impamations." South Asia Anaylisis Group. 26 Mar. 2008. 30 Apr. 2008 .