Perspectivas / Perspectives

March 10 (DPnet).– DemocraciaParticipativa.net pays a well-deserved tribute to the peaceful Tibetan people by honoring and spreading a message of recognition to the Tibetan Uprising Day, commemorating when Tibetans rose up to protest China’s invasion of their homeland.

In 1950, China sent in thousands of troops to enforce its claim on Tibet and systematic repression on Tibetan sovereignty started. On March 10, 1959, thousands of people rose up but were swept by Chinese forces. Finally, thousands gathered outside His Holiness the Dalai Lama's summer residence in Lhasa. There, they formed a protective barrier to prevent his capture by Chinese Communist Party forces. They succeeded in protecting him and the Dalai Lama fled and set up a government in exile in India. In that singular act of courage, our Tibetan brothers and sisters proclaimed to the world: "We alone have the right to decide our future."

The Dalai Lama (this title means in their language "Ocean of Wisdom") is the leading spiritual figure; the Panchen Lama is the second most important figure. Both are seen as the reincarnations of their predecessors. However, the Dalai Lama and Beijing have been at odds over the 11th incarnation of the Panchen Lama – identifying different youngsters for the role. The Chinese government does not espouse the beliefs of Buddhism, but has arrogated to itself the right to appoint at will a new Pachen Lama supposedly "reincarnated" undeer thjeir control. The Dalai Lama's choice, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, has not been seen since his detention by the Chinese authorities in 1995. 

This Tibetan Uprising Day carries profound significance in Tibetan history—and it’s a moment for all of us to demonstrate that we too will not accept China's continued domination and suppression of the Tibetan people.

Many of Tibet's monasteries were destroyed during China's Cultural Revolution. Thousands of Tibetans are believed to have been killed during several periods of repression and martial law. Today, the Chinese government continues their decades-long attempt to systematically erase Tibet’s ancient culture.  Lobsang Sangay, leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile elected by exiled Tibetans in 2011, says Tibetans are being held in camps similar to the Muslim Uyghur camps in Xinjiang. Penpa Tsering is the current democratically elected leader ("Sikyong" in their language) of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) (the Tibetan government-in-exile), based in Dharamsala, India. She was elected in May 2021.

While China works to hide the truth of their oppression, we work on these pages to expose it, documenting human rights abuses, amplifying Tibetan voices, and promoting international pressure on Beijing.