International Tibet Independence Movement

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The historical flag of Tibet is a symbol of an independent Tibet

The International Tibet Independence Movement ( German : International Tibet Independence Movement ; also: Free Tibet Movement) is an international political movement that has set itself the goal that historical Tibet with the provinces of Amdo , Kham and U-Tsang as an independent state to establish . Supporting this movement is considered illegal in the People's Republic of China . It is based mainly on the initiative of exiled Tibetans and is funded by some organizations outside the People's Republic of China.

Rangzen

The Tibetan term for independence is rangzen ( Wylie : rang btsan ). The Rangzen organization International Tibet Independence Movement (ITIM) was founded on March 18, 1995 by Thubten Jigme Norbu ( Taktser Rinpoche ) and Larry Gerstein of Ball State University as a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Indiana . The founding date of the International Tibet Independence Movement is not at the same time the beginning of the international Tibet independence movement, since organizations founded at an earlier point in time pursued the goal of Tibetan independence. Examples are the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) founded in Dharmshala in 1970 and the Students for a Free Tibet organization founded in New York City in 1994 . However, a distinction must be made between the terms freedom and independence. The political position of those Tibet organizations that demand more freedom for Tibet and the political position of those Tibet organizations that demand ranks are different, which should be checked in each individual case of a regional, national or international Tibet organization.

Supporters and opponents of Tibetan independence

The status of Tibet under international law between the years 1912 and 1950 is hotly debated among supporters and opponents of Tibetan independence (see also the Shimla Convention ).

Proponents of Tibetan independence see Tibet as an independent state after the end of the Qing dynasty (1912) through the Xinhai revolution and before the establishment of the People's Republic of China (at the time of the Chinese civil war ). Even during the period from the Yuan Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, Tibet was largely autonomous . The Tibetan government-in-exile takes the position that the People's Republic of China is unlawfully colonizing Tibet out of an interest in mineral resources and for strategic reasons and is thus violating the historical status of Tibet and the right of the Tibetan people to self-determination . She also refers to the autocratic form of government of the People's Republic of China, the divide et impera and the Sinization of Tibet.

Since the Yuan dynasty, the opponents of Tibet's independence have seen Tibet as an area that belongs de jure and de facto to China. They point out that no country established diplomatic relations with Tibet as an independent state after 1950 . Tibet has also proven that it belongs to China by sending delegates to the assembly on the establishment of a new constitution for the Republic of China in 1925 , and to the Long Parliament of China in 1931, to the 4th National Congress of the Kuomintang in 1931, to the National Assembly for a new constitution in 1946 and another in 1948. The People's Republic of China sees all attempts to achieve independence for Tibet as the result of Western imperialism that began with British attempts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (see also Francis Younghusband ) to achieve the Undermine the integrity and sovereignty of the Chinese government, thereby weakening China's status in the world. Reference is also made to the autocratic and theocratic structure of the former government in Lhasa before 1959, as well as to Arunachal Pradesh's departure from China, which sees the People's Republic of China as part of Tibet and thus China, and which, from the point of view of the Chinese government, is occupied by India becomes. The Tibetan government in exile also has no right to claim to be the legitimate government of Tibet.

Riots and demonstrations in Tibet after 1950

For a chronological listing of the events before and after 1950 see also the main article: Tibet timetable .

In 1950 the Chinese People's Liberation Army invaded Tibet. The governor of Kham Ngapoi Ngawang Jigmê capitulated. In 1951 the 17-point agreement was signed.

In 1955 a spontaneous uprising was bloodily suppressed. Subsequently, various tribal groups joined together in a nationwide rebellion which was organized after 1957 in the Khampa resistance " Chushi Gangdruk ".

In 1959 there was another uprising, the Tibet uprising .

In the summer of 1969 the so-called Nyêmo incident occurred . a. was investigated by Melvyn Goldstein .

In the 1980s, the situation in Tibet improved through the initiative of Hu Yaobang , who in 1980 replaced the 1st Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Ren Rong , with Yin Fatang . 1987–1989, after the failure of the policy of Hu Yaobang et al. a. to major demonstrations in Tibet whereupon martial law was imposed.

In 1996, Dalai Lama images were banned in Tibet.

In 2008 the Tibetan Riots occurred in 2008 .

Various figures and political positions

After 1959, according to the Tibetan exile, the number of people killed during the great leap forward and afterwards (until 1969) in Tibet was approximately 1.2 million. 6,500 temples and monasteries were destroyed. The Chinese Communist Party gives different numbers. The authors of the Black Book of Communism assume a death toll of around 800,000. About 10% of Tibetans were imprisoned and only a few survived. Chinese demographic studies estimate that around 90,000 of the 300,000 missing Tibetans have fled.

The Tibetan government-in-exile fears that although the Tibetan culture has recently become more valued in order to attract tourists, the traditional Tibetan lifestyle has changed irretrievably. Monks and nuns are therefore still being arrested, and many Tibetans (often monks and nuns) try to flee Tibet every year (see also Nangpa La 2006).

It is doubted that projects like the Lhasa Railway or the development program for western China are for the benefit of the Tibetans. Rather, it is feared that these projects will serve to settle even more Han Chinese in Tibet and to strengthen the military presence of the People's Republic of China in Tibet.

According to a quote from Hu Qili and Tian Jiyuan, the population of Tibet in 1737 is said to have been around 8 million. Over the next two hundred years, the population of Tibet steadily declined due to Buddhism and monastic life, and in 1959 about 1.19 million people are believed to have lived in Tibet. In 2000 the number was 7.3 million, including 5 million Tibetans, due to the abolition of theocracy and the generally higher standard of living.

This is viewed positively by the government of the People's Republic of China. The gross domestic product of the Tibet Autonomous Region has increased thirty-fold since the reign of the Dalai Lamas ; 22,500 km of roads have been built since 1950; a secular upbringing was established; there are now 25 scientific research centers; the infant mortality rate decreased from 4.3% (1950) to 0.661% (2000) back; the average life expectancy increased from 35.5 years (1950) to 67 years (2000); the Gesser Chan , which was only passed down orally, was written down and published; Since the 1980s, 300 million Renminbi have been invested to maintain and rebuild Tibetan monasteries; The Tibetan language is spoken in school and in court and the Tibetans are now much better off than in the days of the Dalai Lamas. The Cultural Revolution is seen as a nationwide national catastrophe and the main culprits (according to the People's Republic of China, the gang of four ) were condemned and are no longer conceivable in modern China. The West China Development Program is a great, beneficial and patriotic undertaking by the East of the People's Republic of China to help the West, including Tibet, achieve a better standard of living.

In contrast, environmental protection organizations refer to the problems of larger economic projects and mining in the sensitive ecosystem of the Tibetan highlands . Animal welfare organizations refer to the threat from u. a. in Tibet living animal species, for which the acutely from extinction endangered snow leopard is an example, adheres to no state boundaries.

International developments

The 14th Dalai Lama has spoken many times and “all over the world” on the question of Tibet's independence. Also in the United States Congress and before the European Parliament . In 1987 he started a campaign with the aim of solving this problem peacefully. He renounced the independence of Tibet, but only demanded the autonomous status as a special administrative zone . This became known as the Middle Way Policy (see Tibet - Five Point Peace Plan ).

Although the 14th Dalai Lama received national and international support from many quarters after his escape from Tibet in 1959, the Tibetan government in exile he founded - which in fact can only be elected by Tibetans in exile - has not yet become the official government of the Tibetan people recognized.

Since the 14th Dalai Lama recognized China's territorial sovereignty long before his resignation as head of state (2011), the independence movement has officially limited itself to an attempt to uphold human rights in Tibet, which have been worse off since 2008 than ever before : Since 2011 (until March 2012) 35 Tibetans, mainly monks and nuns, have protested through self-immolation , which, according to the Buddhist view , is seen as more karmically harmful than murder.

See also

Web links

Commons : International Tibet Independence Movement  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Pro-Tibet Ball State professor says he's harassed in San Francisco (2008)
  2. ↑ Tibetan Youth Congress: About us (English) ( Memento of 12 May 2008 at the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ Students for a Free Tibet: History (English) ( Memento of 2 December 2010 at the Internet Archive )
  4. ^ Section after: en: International Tibet Independence Movement # Positions on the status of Tibet
  5. ↑ chushigangdruk.org (English) ( Memento from March 25, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ↑ On the Cultural Revolution in Tibet: The Nyemo Incident of 1969 (book review)
  7. ↑ Planet Knowledge : Gregor Delvaux de Fenffe: Tibet question (2004)
  8. ↑ Numbers from: en: International Tibet Independence Movement # Positions on Tibet after 1950
  9. ↑ dharmakara.net: Self-determination and the Tibetan issue by Kalon Tashi Wandi
  10. ↑ Section after: en: International Tibet Independence Movement # Positions on Tibet after 1950
  11. ↑ Herald Tribune : Valuable mineral deposits found along Tibet railroad route (2007) ( Memento from January 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  12. ↑ Section after: en: International Tibet Independence Movement # Development and influence