On the 66th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetans\u2019 national uprising against China\u2019s illegal occupation of their country, the International Campaign for Tibet calls on the international community to strengthen their support to the Tibetan people\u2019s peaceful struggle, including by pressuring the Chinese government to resume dialogue with the Tibetan leadership to resolve the Tibet China conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, the Chinese government continues their decades long attempt to systematically erase Tibet\u2019s ancient culture and civilization. The Dalai Lama, who will soon turn 90 years old, continues to work to preserve, promote, and protect the Tibetan identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Irrefutable historical facts confirm that Tibet has been an independent country. After a military invasion in 1949-50, China claimed dominion over Tibet and has ruled over it with an iron fist ever since. The Dalai Lama and the elected Tibetan leadership in exile advocate for the Middle Way Approach to resolve the Tibet-China conflict peacefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an op ed in the Washington Post on March 6, 2025, the Dalai Lama said, \u201cOn March 10, Tibetans everywhere in the free world will be commemorating the 66th anniversary of the Tibetan people\u2019s uprising in Lhasa. The right of the Tibetan people to be the custodians of their own homeland cannot be indefinitely denied, nor can their aspiration for freedom be crushed forever\u2026\u201d The Dalai Lama further called on China to resolve the Tibetan issue saying, \u201cI hope that the Beijing leadership will, in the near future, find the necessary will and wisdom to address the legitimate aspirations of the Tibetan people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, since 2010 no talks between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama\u2019s representatives have occurred. China insists on imposing poison pill preconditions, such as demanding the Dalai Lama endorse their false propaganda that Tibet has always been part of China, \u201csince ancient times\u201d. Thus, the Tibet-China conflict remains unresolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China continues to crack down on Tibetans\u2019 human rights through an intense system of control, including a high-tech surveillance state. Tibetans are persecuted simply for preserving their cultural identity and most basic rights. They can be jailed and tortured just for celebrating the Dalai Lama\u2019s birthday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Chinese Communist Party\u2019s intent is to \u201cSinicize\u201d Tibetans\u2014a term for a Chinese government policy designed to force Tibetans to discard their distinct identity and language and assimilate them into Chinese \u201cculture,\u201d as defined by the party. If the CCP succeeds, this would result in Tibetans no longer having ties to each other, their land, their history or their culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This assault on Tibet is part of Beijing\u2019s plan to achieve regional hegemony. Tibet is Asia\u2019s high ground and the source of the water that downstream nations from India to Vietnam depend on. Left unchallenged, China\u2019s militarization of Tibet, including rampant hydropower dam construction, will only provide more leverage over these countries \u2013 a direct threat to U.S. interest and global stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The peaceful Tibetan struggle is a concrete source of challenge to China\u2019s increasingly aggressive policies towards the international community. It is for this reason that China targets a simple Buddhist monk, the Dalai Lama, as an enemy and does everything it can to undermine his efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is, therefore, in the broader security interest and peace in the world that the international community needs to stand up for Tibet and the Tibetan people. China\u2019s approach to Tibet is based on violence and repression. The Dalai Lama has shown another way forward, one based on dialogue and respect. It is up to the international community to help China understand the value of this approach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On the 66th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetans\u2019 national uprising against China\u2019s illegal occupation of their country, the International Campaign for Tibet calls on the international community to strengthen their support to the Tibetan people\u2019s peaceful struggle, including by pressuring the Chinese government to resume dialogue with the Tibetan leadership to resolve the Tibet China […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":12873,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categorie":[691],"news_tag":[],"class_list":["post-13103","nieuws","type-nieuws","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categorie-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n