ASSESS THE PROSPECTS FOR A POLITICAL SOLUTION TO THE CHINESE OCCUPATION OF TIBET - by Tharpa Dobar
“Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job. It lies with each of us individually. Peace, for example, starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us”. – His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Every Tibetan desires an independent Tibet. In fact, independence is the most ideal state for us to thrive and develop as a people and culture. But let’s face the reality. The reality is that we are not independent. To free ourselves from the clutches of a nation as powerful as China, we need military power and international support. But, we have neither military power nor international support. Practically every government in the world today recognizes Tibet as a part of China. And at this rate when China and its influence in the world is growing today, our chances for an independent Tibet has really become bleak and this is the sad fate of our country.
In February-March 1979, Gyalo Thondup, the elder brother of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, was invited for a private visit to Beijing. There, he met a number of Chinese leaders, including the paramount leader Deng Xiaoping on 12 March 1979. Deng told Thondup that "apart from the independence, all issues can be discussed". After so much waits & struggle towards positive response afterwards from China.
Finally, on 21 September, 1987 addressing the United States Congressional Human Rights Caucus, His Holiness the Dalai Lama announced his Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet. The five points are: (i) Transformation of the whole of Tibet into a zone of peace; (ii) Abandonment of China's population transfer policy which threatens the very existence of the Tibetans as a people; (iii) Respect for the Tibetan people's fundamental human rights and democratic freedoms; (iv) Restoration and protection of Tibet's natural environment and the abandonment of China's use of Tibet for the production of nuclear weapons and dumping of nuclear waste; and (v) Commencement of earnest negotiations on the future status of Tibet and of relations between the Tibetan and Chinese people. His Holiness elaborated on the fifth point of his Five Point Peace Plan in an address to the members of the European parliament in Strasbourg. Fortunately, His Holiness’s Middle-way approach gives us a ray of hope. Based on achievable goals in the interests of both the sides and with a strong international support for it, the middle-way approach is the most pragmatic and sensible solution to live with reasonable rights in our own country and eventually end our suffering.
In today’s globalized world, international support is vital for us whether we want independence or genuine autonomy. We all know that only four UN debates were held on the status of Tibet in 1959, 1960, 1961 and 1964. In none of these did we have substantial international support to prove that we were an independent country. Therefore a further discussion on this issue at the UN was given up. The issue of Tibet was reduced to the issue of human rights. In all the four debates, China was accused for only human rights violation in Tibet. With China emerging as a major power in the world today and with a country’s politics based on national interest, achieving the goals for a complete independence for Tibet is next to impossible. The only international support that we have today is humanitarian support. The Middle-way approach makes use of this support to provide a solution for Tibet. For instance, the United States and the European parliament have stated their continuous support by persuading the Chinese to solve the issue of Tibet through dialogues, which leaves us with some hope of solving our problem. Since all International Resolutions & Recognition on Sino-Tibetan Dialogue have never moved for Free Tibet, but on Human and Religious rights and environmental issues.
The world is changing fast. We have reached a critical stage as a people and a culture. The marginalization of our people in our own country and the Tibetan Diaspora are today endangering our own survival. The longer our struggle takes, the greater danger it poses on our identity and culture. Therefore; it is indispensable that our struggle today should focus on the preservation of our identity and our culture. His Holiness’ Five-point peace plan and the Strasbourg proposal demands genuine autonomy in Tibet so that we can live with respect and reasonable rights in our own country. This is not an unreachable goal for it is within the framework of the Chinese constitution, which states that all minorities will be given the right to equality and genuine autonomy.
The strength of the Middle-way approach lies in the fact that it takes into account the interests of the Chinese as well. China’s desperate attempt to develop fast has led to a lot of changes in China today. With the improvement in the economic standards of the people in China, people are demanding more and more democratic rights. Many people in China are criticizing the government for human rights abuse. The Communist government today foresees a threat from Falun Gong practitioners, Christians, Tibetans, and Uighurs etc. Besides, the rising gap between the people of its coastal area and inner lands is a great concern for the government. If the Chinese government fails to solve the problems of the minorities, there may be major disorders in the country that might threaten the very existence of the communist government. Therefore, unlike ever before today the Chinese government realizes the importance of democratic rights and stability for a powerful China. Their slogan today is, ‘Scientific development and harmony among people which means rational development taking into consideration the interests of the people including the minorities as against their earlier unreasonable and suppressive policies. The Middle way approach resonates the Chinese slogan for it is rational and in the interest of both the people of Tibet and China.
The six rounds of talks with the Chinese government may not have led to any concrete results. But the fact that the Chinese are becoming more open to the discussions clearly proves that we have reasons to be optimistic. In his remarks on the Current Status of Sino-Tibetan Dialogue, at the Brookings Institute, Washington D.C., November 14, 2006, Lodi Gyari Gyaltsen, Special envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama stated “The five rounds of discussions that we have had with the Chinese leadership have brought our dialogue to a new level. Today, there is a deeper understanding of each other's positions and the recognition of where the fundamental differences lie. On the surface it may appear that there have been no break-through and that a wide gap persists in our positions, but the very fact that the two sides have been able to explicitly state our positions after so many decades represents a significant development. How can we even attempt to make real progress unless we fully understand our differences?”
Furthermore, Mr Lodo Gyari said that the Vice Minister Zhu Weiqun once stated “we need not be pessimistic about the existing differences and that it was possible to narrow down the gaps through more meetings and exchange of views.” We have to be patient because we have to realize that it is but natural for both sides to take things cautiously after so many years of mistrust. A beginning of a fruitful talk will be possible only when both the sides dispel their mistrusts for one another. The talks are moving in the right direction and there is a silver lining.
The issue of Tibet is the issue of the majority of the Tibetans living in Tibet and in exile. The majority of the Tibetans in exile and in Tibet have shown their support to the Middle-way approach. This means that the demands of the Middle-way approach are popular demands. The people of Tibet, particularly the ones living in Tibet have shown their desire to be a part of China provided that the Chinese government takes care of our needs- needs which are in keeping with the Chinese constitution. As such there is no reason why an intelligent China should not agree with the demands when this would only mean unity and stability for China.
The Middle way Approach is certainly a huge compromise for us, as Tibetans. But given the circumstances today; the increasing economic and military power of our enemy -China, the lack of international support that we have regarding our independence, the dangers of becoming an extinct race and culture, the best solution to end our people’s suffering is the Middle way Approach. The dialogues so far may not have led to any concrete result but the fact that both sides are meeting and talking and beginning to understand each other’s differences is a huge development in itself. The road may be long but is certainly a sure one. With strong international support for a solution through dialogues, the Middle-way approach holds much promise for us- it is the solution that has the potential to bring an end to the issue of the Chinese occupation of Tibet once and for all.
“Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict -- alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, alternatives to violence”. - Dorothy Thompson
References:
1. International Resolutions & Recognition on Sino-Tibetan Dialogue - www.tibet.net/en/diir/sino/intnlre/#1
2. An overview of Sino-Tibetan Dialogue - http://www.tibet.net/en/diir/sino/
4. World Parliaments on Tibet - http://www.tibet.com/Wpct
5. Statement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day, 10 March 1989 - http://www.tibet.net/en/ohhdl/statements/
6. Issue facing Tibet today - http://www.tibet.net/en/tibet/issues.html
7. Related Tibetan Youth Congress books on various resolutions, supporters and prospective on Tibet issue.
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