There is considerable evidence that many Tibetans feel they would be better off without Beijing's choking embrace. Periodic uprising have marred the five decades under Communist Party rule. In response to these expressions of discord, actions by Chinese soldiers and police have caused the death of many thousands of Tibetans.
Apologists for Beijing's dominance often suggest that the Chinese have actually helped preserve Tibetan ways. One assertion that is often made is that there are more practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism in China than in Tibet itself. But this probably reflects the fact that a former Tibetan province, once known as Amdo, was absorbed by China and renamed Qinghai (
It is also pointed out that the Yong He Gong Lamasery in Beijing has been the sight of worship for nearly almost three centuries. However, over recent decades Chinese forces have razed many of Tibet's most revered monasteries and temples in retaliation for the fierce resistance to Beijing's rule.
In all events, Chinese physical presence or cultural influences in Tibet were negligible until after the Cultural Revolution. Indeed, it was only in the past 20 years that significant numbers of Han Chinese have been resettled in Tibet. At current rates of inward migration, native Tibetans will soon become a minority.
According to legal custom, possession is said to be nine points of the law. China can certainly use such logic to rationalize its continued occupation of Tibet. Whatever merit this dictum might have, judicial procedure and reasoning are normally brought to bear to examine the basis of how possession came about. In this case, China historical assertions for its control of Tibet are built upon very weak and shaky foundations.
Christopher Lingle is the Global Strategist for eConoLytics.com.
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