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2009 marks 50 years since the Dalai Lama fled into exile and Tibetans rose up against Chinese rule in Tibet. After five decades of courageous non-violent resistance, Tibetans continue to be denied the basic right to freely express their identity and practice their religious and cultural traditions. The Chinese Government has so far rejected the Dalai Lama’s “Middle Way” proposal for genuine autonomy within the People’s Republic of China and Tibet remains in a state of “undeclared martial law”.
‘Never give up’: A poem
by the Dalai Lama
No matter what is going on
Never give up
Develop the heart
Too much energy in your country
Is spent developing the mind
Instead of the heart
Be compassionate
Not just to your friends
But to everyone
Be compassionate
Work for peace
In your heart and in the world
Work for peace
And I say again
Never give up
No matter what is going on around you
Never give up.
Click here to view two of ATC’s activities to commemorate this important year
Tibet Today
In 2008 thousands of Tibetans risked their lives to protest the repressive policies undermining their religion, identity and culture. The overwhelming majority of more than 130 protests across Tibet were peaceful. But the response of the Chinese government was brutal.
Recent photographs taken in Lhasa by Australian journalists reveal a city under military control. Armed soldiers are stationed on every intersection in the Tibetan quarter. Snipers are perched atop the sacred Jokhang Temple, overlooking the Barkhor Square, once the bustling heart of old Lhasa.
For several months following the outbreak of unrest in March Tibet was sealed to foreign journalists, diplomats, tourists and other international observers. Even now access to Tibetan areas remains tightly controlled. At the same time the Chinese Government is working harder than ever to propagate its own version of events and create an illusion of stability and contentment in Tibet.
Yet despite these extreme measures to contain dissent and intimidate those who might speak out, Tibetans continue to do so, knowing that they face arrest, detention and torture.
Download ATC’s report on human rights concerns in Tibet [348kb PDF]
Read more about the ‘Real Situation in Tibet’
As It Happened - 1959
On 10 March 1959 thousands of Tibetans surrounded the Dalai Lama’s summer residence in Lhasa amid rumours that he was to be kidnapped. Tensions flared over the following days as thousands more took to the streets of Lhasa to declare Tibet’s independence. Fearing loss of control, Chinese authorities acted swiftly and violently, triggering the flight of the Dalai Lama into exile and leaving tens of thousands of Tibetans dead.
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