Tibet
Tibet is home to
many Tibetans, and sadly home to many Chinese who do not belong there. Since 1950, about 1.2 million Tibetans have
been killed by the Chinese. Although China has ratified
UN conventions related to torture and racial discrimination, they have violated
these agreements in Tibet. They have not only been killing the Tibetans,
but erasing the Tibetan culture. Tibetan
children are no longer being taught the Tibetan language in schools, being
forced to learn Chinese. All references
to the previously independent Tibet and their
cultural past have been omitted from curriculum. Although the 1982 Constitution of the
People’s Republic of China guarantees
freedom of religion, China has been
restricting the numbers of monks and nuns entering monasteries and discrediting
the religions authority of the Dalai Lama.
In 1995, six year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, recognized by the Dalai Lama
as the 11th reincarnation of Panchen Lama, “disappeared” and was
replaced by a candidate selected by the Chinese government.
Originally, the
task of the People’s Liberation Army in October of 1950 was to “liberate Tibet.” 40,000 Chinese troops invaded Tibet with no
accepted legal basis for claims of sovereignty.
Today, however
China's predominant
interest in Tibet is no longer
ideological, but is based on collection of resources. Mining and mineral extraction
is the largest economic activity in both U'Tsang and Amdo and at least one-half
of Tibet's natural
forest has been destroyed since Chinese occupation.
Tibet is home to
Tibetan Buddhism, under the direction of the Dalai Lama. The national language is Tibetan, based on
the Sanskrit alphabet. These cultural
items unique to Tibet will be destroyed if something is not done to free the
Tibetan people.
The Om
Om mani padme
hun!
(Hail the Jewel
of the Lotus!)