International Campaign for Tibet

China in Tibet: A Brutal Occupation

Implementation of Chinese policies to settle Tibetan nomads, and to resettle Tibetans in towns and villages, are now threatening their way of life.

For centuries Tibet, a high altitude plateau between China and India, remained remote from the rest of the world with a widely dispersed population of nomads, farmers, monks and traders. Tibet had its own national flag, its own currency, a distinct culture and religion, and controlled its own affairs. In 1949, following the foundation of the Chinese Communist state, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) invaded Tibet and soon overpowered its poorly equipped army and guerilla resistance.

International legal scholars agree that from 1911 until the Chinese invasion in 1949, Tibet was a fully independent state by modern standards. Since then, Tibetans have struggled to regain their freedom and keep their culture intact.

Tibet Today

China’s actions in Tibet over the past 50 years have created a climate of fear that still continues today—torture and imprisonment for peaceful protest, and economic plans that discriminate against Tibetans, threatening their unique identity. The PLA maintains a strong presence in Tibet and China’s military control increased with the 2006 opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Human rights conditions in Tibet remain dismal. Under the Chinese occupation, the Tibetan people are denied most rights guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights including the rights to self-determination, freedom of speech, assembly, movement, expression and travel. Signs of support for His Holiness the Dalai Lama are banned by the Chinese government.

Additional Information:

» Chronology of Tibetan-Chinese Relations, 1979 to 2008

» Colonialism and Economic Conditions in Tibet Today

» History of Tibet Before the Chinese Invasion of 1949

» History Since the Chinese Invasion

» The Legal Status of Tibet

» The Political System in Tibet Today