Welcome to Tenzin Tibet Website

"Tibet is far away, and other countries have their own fears and troubles. We can well understand that there may be a tendency to let the events in Tibet drift back into history. Yet Tibet is on this very earth; Tibetans are human; in their way they are very civilised; certainly they are sensitive to suffering. I would dare to say that no people have suffered more since the Second World War; and their sufferings have not ended, they are continuing every day, and they will continue until the Chinese leave our country, or until Tibetans have ceased to exist as a race or as a religious community."

Known as the "Land of Snows", Tibet is an ancient civilisation with its own rich cultural and religious past. Tibet and China have a long history and for short periods of time over the last 2000 years Tibet has come under the rule of China. At other times both states were ruled by the Mongol empire. In 1949 China claimed Tibet as part of the ‘motherland’ despite distinct differences in culture, language, identity, government, and legal status. The occupation of Tibet represents brutal repression, colonial occupation, and military domination.


The Tibetan national flag
The Tibetan national flag is intimately connected with the authentic history and royal lineages of Tibet which are thousands of years old. Furthermore, in the Tibetan Royal year 820 or in the seventh century of the Christian era, at the time of the Tibetan religious King Song-Tsen Gamp the Great extensive land of Tibet was divided into large and small districts known as "gö-kyi tong-de" and "yung-g'i mi-de". From these large and small districts, an army of 2,860,000 men was chosen and stationed along the borders of Tibet, and the subjects thus lived in safety. The bravery and heroism of the Tibetan people at that time in conquering and ruling even the adjacent empire of China is well-known in world history.

"At that time, it is recorded that the regiment of Yö-ru tö had a military flag with a pair of snow-lions facing each other; that Yä-ru mä had a snow-lion with a bright upper border; that of Tsang Rulag, had a snow-lion standing upright, springing towards the sky; and the flag of ü-ru tö had a white flame against a red background, and so forth. In this way. the regiments of each area had its own individual military standard. Continuing with that tradition up to the beginning of the twentieth century, various regiments within the Tibetan army have had military flags with either a pair of snow-lions facing each other, or a snow-lion springing upwards and so forth.

"In the latter part of this period, during the rule of His Holiness the Great Thirteenth Dalai Lama, this eminent spiritual and temporal ruler of Tibet enacted many modifications in administrative policies in accordance with international customs. Based on the formats of previous Tibetan military flags, His Holiness improved upon them and designed the present, modern national flag. With an official proclamation, He declared that this would be the uniform, standard flag to be adopted by all Tibetan military defence establishments. Since the time of that proclamation, all Tibetan regiments have likewise adopted this flag as their standard.

"The colour scheme of the Tibetan national flag gives a clear indication of all aspects of Tibet in its symbolism such as the geographic features of the religious. snowy land of Tibet, the customs and traditions of Tibetan society, the political administration of the Tibetan government and so forth.

"History attests to the fact that Tibet is one of the most ancient nations of the world. Therefore, in all the three regions of Tibet, irrespective of caste and creed, this national flag inherited from our ancestors is universally accepted as a common, peerless treasure and even today still continues to be highly respected and esteemed as in the past."

An Explanation of the Symbolism of the National Flag of Tibet
In the centre stands a magnificent thickly snow clad mountain, which represents the great nation of Tibet, widely known as the Land Surrounded by Snow Mountains.

Across the dark blue sky six red bands spread representing the original ancestors of the Tibetan people: the six tribes called Se, Mu, Dong, Tong, Dru and Ra which in turn gave the [twelve] descendants. The combination of six red bands (for the tribes) and six dark blue bands for the sky represents the incessant enactment of the virtuous deeds of protection of the spiritual teachings and secular life by the black and red guardian protector deities with which Tibet has had connection for a very long time.

At the tip of the snow mountain, the sun with its rays brilliantly shining in all directions represents the equal enjoyment of freedom, spiritual and material happiness and prosperity by all beings in the land of Tibet.
On the slopes of the mountain there proudly stand a pair of snow lions blazing with the manes of fearlessness, which represent the country's victorious accomplishment of a unified spiritual and secular life.

The beautiful and radiant three coloured jewel held aloft represents the ever-present reverence respectfully held by the Tibetan people towards the Three Supreme Jewels (the Buddhist objects of refuge: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha).

The two coloured swirling jewel held between the two lions represents the peoples' guarding and cherishing the self discipline of correct ethical behaviour, principally represented by the practices of the ten exalted virtues and the 16 humane modes of conduct.

Lastly, the surrounding border of yellow adorning the perimeter represents the spread and flourishing in all directions and times of the purified gold like teachings of the Buddha

Issues facing Tibet today
CULTURE AND RELIGION
China's relentless destruction of religion in Tibet saw the loss of over 6000 monasteries and countless religious artifacts during the Cultural Revolution and, today, the Communist authority's approach to religion has changed little. In 1996 the "Strike Hard" campaign was initiated, specifically targeting Tibetan Buddhism. This campaign has been vehemently pursued in recent years.

Denouncing Tibet's Spiritual Leaders
Forced to denounce the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual and temporal leader, and his chosen Panchen Lama, Tibetans must pledge their allegiance to the Chinese government. Failure to do so can result in imprisonment or other forms of punishment. Possessing an image of the Dalai Lama is today illegal in Tibet.

Population transfer
The continued population transfer of Chinese to Tibet in recent years has seen the Tibetans become a minority in their own land. Today 6 million Tibetans are outnumbered by 7.5 million Chinese in Tibet. Under the guise of economic and social development, the calculated and government-encouraged population transfers have marginalised Tibetans in economic, educational, political and social spheres, and thereby threaten to quash Tibetan culture.

Education
Chinese occupation and the massive migration of Chinese to Tibet has seen the Tibetan language surpassed by that of the Chinese. The government is repressing Tibetan culture by making the language redundant in all sectors. Tibet's education system, controlled entirely by the Chinese and their Communist ideology, is directed to the Chinese immigrants and compromises Tibetans. Tibetan students also suffer from prohibitive and discriminatory fees and inadequate facilities in rural areas.

In monasteries, the heart of Tibetan academia and debate, Chinese government "work teams" are being sent to forcibly "re-educate" monks and nuns in their political and religious beliefs. Their methods are similar to those imposed during the Cultural Revolution and between 1996 and 1998, the "Strike Hard" campaign saw 492 monks and nuns arrested and 9,977 expelled from their religious institution by the Chinese.


UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS
By the end of 1998, the People's Republic of China had signed the three covenants comprising the International Bill of Rights, but it is still far from implementing these domestically and in Tibet. Individual and collective rights abuses continue to challenge the Tibetan people in their daily lives and in the future survival of their unique cultural identity.

As we commence the 21st century, the Tibetan Government-in-Exile solemnly relays that the Chinese government's treatment of Tibetans in Tibet is still in breach of the rights to life, liberty and security, and the freedoms of expression, religion, culture and education. Today, in Tibet:

Any expression of opinion contrary to Chinese Communist Party ideology can result in arrest.

The Chinese government has systematically covered religious institutions with police presence in an attempt to eradicate allegiance to the Dalai Lama, Tibetan nationalism and any dissention.

Tibetans are subject to arbitrary arrest and detention.

Those imprisoned are often denied legal representation and Chinese legal proceedings fail to meet international standards.

Torture still prevails in Chinese prisons and detention centres despite being in contradiction with the United Nations Convention Against Torture.

Tibetan women are subjected to enforced sterilisation, contraception and abortion procedures.

Due to subsistence difficulties, inadequate facilities and discriminatory measures, many Tibetan children are denied access to adequate healthcare and schooling.

The rate of imprisonment for political reasons is far greater than in other areas under Chinese rule.

Children are not exempt from China's repression of freedom of expression. There are Tibetan political prisoners below the age of 18 and child monks and nuns are consistently dismissed from their religious institutions. China has recently declared Tibet to be non- Buddhist.

Enforced disappearances, where a person is taken into custody and the details of their detention are not disclosed, continue to occur.

The eleven-year-old 11th Panchen Lama has been missing since his status was announced in 1995.

More than 70 per cent of Tibetans in the "TAR" now live below the poverty line.
Continual international pressure is essential in encouraging the Chinese government to abide by the regulations of the covenants of human rights.


THE ENVIRONMENT
Situated at the heart of Asia, Tibet is one of the most environmentally strategic and sensitive regions in the world. Tibetans live in harmony with nature, guided by their Buddhist belief in the interdependence of both living and non-living elements of the earth. However with the invasion of Tibet, the consumerist and materialistic Chinese Communist ideology trampled upon this nature-friendly attitude of the Tibetan people. The past 50 years has seen widespread environmental destruction resulting in deforestation, soil erosion, extinction of wildlife, overgrazing, uncontrolled mining and nuclear waste dumping. Today, the Chinese continue to extract various natural resources - often with foreign backing - without any environmental safeguards, and consequently Tibet is facing an environmental crisis the ramifications of which will be felt far beyond its borders.

Deforestation
Tibet boasts some of the finest quality forest reserves in the world. Having taken hundreds of years to grow, many trees stand 90 feet high with a girth of 5 feet or more. China's "development" and "modernisation" plans for Tibet are seeing these forests indiscriminately destroyed. In 1959, 25.2 million hectares of forest were found in Tibet, but in 1985 the Chinese had reduced forest-coverage to 13.57 million hectares. Over 46 per cent of Tibet's forest has been destroyed and in some areas this figure is as high as 80 per cent. Between 1959 and 1985, the Chinese removed US$54 billion worth of timber from Tibet. Deforestation, and inadequate reforestation programs, has a profound effect on wildlife and leads to soil erosion and changing global weather patterns.

Soil Erosion and Flooding
Massive deforestation, mining and intensified agricultural patterns in Tibet have led to increased soil erosion and the siltation of some of Asia's most important rivers. Siltation of the Mekong, Yangtse, Indus, Salween and Yellow rivers raises riverbeds to cause major floods such as those Asia has experienced in recent years. This in turn causes landslides and reduces potential farming land, thus affecting half the world's population which lives downstream from Tibet.

Global Climatic Effects
Scientists have observed a correlation between natural vegetation on the Tibetan Plateau and the stability of the monsoon, which is indispensable to the break-baskets of south Asia. Scientists have also shown that the environment of the Tibetan Plateau affects jet- streams which are related to the cause of Pacific typhoons and the El Nino phenomenon, which has had adverse environmental effects world-wide.

Extinction of Wildlife
In 1901, the 13th Dalai Lama issued a decree banning the hunting of wild animals in Tibet. Unfortunately, the Chinese have not enforced similar restrictions and instead the "trophy-hunting" of endangered species has been actively encouraged. There are at least 81 endangered species on the Tibetan Plateau of which 39 are mammals, 37 birds, four amphibians and one a reptile. Perhaps the most famous of these is the Giant Panda, an animal native to Tibet yet one that is propagated by the Chinese as their national mascot.

Uncontrolled mining
Extraction of borax, chromium, salt, copper, coal, gold and uranium is being vigorously developed by the Chinese government as a means of providing raw materials for industrial growth. Seven of China's 15 key minerals are expected to run out within a decade and consequently the extraction of minerals in Tibet is increasing in a rapid and unregulated manner. Increased mining activities further reduces vegetation cover and thereby increases the danger for severe landslides, massive soil erosion, loss of wildlife habitat and the pollution of streams and rivers.

Nuclear waste dumping
Once a peaceful buffer state between India and China, Tibet has been militarised to the point of holding at least 300,000 Chinese troops and up to one quarter of China's nuclear missile force. The Chinese brought their first nuclear weapon onto the Tibetan Plateau in 1971. Today, it appears the Chinese are using Tibet as a dumping ground for their, and foreign, nuclear waste. In 1984, China Nuclear Industry Corporation offered western countries nuclear waste disposal facilities at US$1500 per kilogram.

Mysterious deaths of Tibetans and livestock residing close to China's nuclear sites have been reported, as too have increases in cancer and birth defects. In addition, there has been incidence of waterway contamination where the local Chinese population were officially warned against using the water but the local Tibetans were not. China continues to control the Tibetan Plateau without any regard for its fragile ecology or for the rightful inhabitants of the land.

This information has been sourced from DIIR's Environment and Development Desk and from the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy.

Tibet at a Glance

Tibet refers to the entity composing of U-Tsang, Kham and Amdo provinces. It should not be confused to mean only the "Tibetan Autonomous Region" (TAR), which is less than half the landmass of Tibet with only one-third of the total Tibetan population.

Land Size: 2.5 million square kilometres, which includes U-Tsang, Kham and Amdo provinces. "Tibet Autonomous Region", consisting of U-Tsang and a small portion of Kham, consists of 1.2 million square kilometres. The bulk of Tibet lies outside the "TAR".

Political Status: Occupied country and without United Nations' representation.

Average Altitude: 4,000 metres or 13,000 feet above sea level.

Administration: Under Chinese rule, Tibet is divided into the following administrative units: a) Tibet Autonomous Region, b) Qinghai Province, c) Tianzu Tibetan Autonomous County and Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province, d) Aba Tibetan-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Mili Tibetan Autonomous County in Sichuan Province, e) Dechen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province.

Population: The total Tibetan population in Tibet is 6 million. Of them, 2.09 million live in the "TAR" and the rest in the Tibetan areas outside the "TAR".

Major Rivers: Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra in India), Machu (Yellow River in China), Drichu (Yangtse in China), Senge Khabab (Indus in India), Phungchu (Arun in India), Gyalmo Ngulchu (Salween in Burma) and Zachu (Mekong in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos).

Native Wildlife: Tibetan antelope, wild yak, wild ass and Tibetan argali, blue sheep, black-necked crane, Tibetan gazelle, giant panda, red panda, golden monkey.
Economy: Agriculture and animal husbandry.
Literacy Rate: Approximately 25 per cent.