In March 1959, Tibet’s ruler and spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled his homeland amid a deadly Chinese crackdown, escaping to India in a gruelling two-week trek.
There he would form a government-in-exile and demand autonomy for Tibet, going on to earn international renown and respect, while remaining a bete noir for China.
Following is an account of his dramatic escape.
Photo: AFP
THE REVOLT
Buddhist Tibet, a vast Himalayan area of plateaus and mountains, declared independence from China in the early 20th century.
However, China took back control in 1951, having sent in thousands of troops.
Lhamo Dhondup, chosen at the age of two in 1937 as the 14th incarnation of Tibetan Buddhism’s supreme religious leader under the name Tenzin Gyatso, was enthroned as head of state after the Chinese invasion.
His co-existence with the Beijing authorities was tense and when the Chinese authorities summoned him to an event without his bodyguards on March 10, Tibetans feared a trap that could endanger their leader.
Thousands assembled at his summer palace to prevent him from leaving; thousands more demonstrated in Lhasa to demand the Chinese depart, the Dalai Lama would later say.
Beijing poured more troops into Tibet: As tensions mounted, they opened fire on March 17, targeting and eventually razing the Dalai Lama’s palace.
The revolt was suppressed by March 21, ending in a bloodbath.
The government-in-exile later claimed the Chinese army killed tens of thousands.
DISAPPEARANCE
The outside world was largely unaware of the turmoil engulfing isolated and remote Tibet. Only India had diplomatic representation there and rare reports of the unrest trickled out via its media.
On March 22, Agence France-Presse reported from India that there was concern over the fate of the Dalai Lama, then aged 23, who seemed to have disappeared.
“According to some rumors, the young man could be in his Lhasa palace or under Chinese military guard,” the report said, citing India’s the Statesman newspaper.
It later emerged that he had been able to slip past Chinese troops massed around his palace on March 17.
GREAT ESCAPE
He left the palace dressed as a soldier and met up with a group of Tibetan resistance fighters 60km out of Lhasa, AFP reported, again citing the Statesman.
His entourage included his mother, sister, younger brother and several top officials. They traveled for two days and two nights without stopping, on foot and on horseback, a Tibetan official later said.
A month’s supplies were carried by mules. To cross the major 457m-wide Brahmaputra River, they used a single boat made of yak skin, the official said.
The group then continued on foot, walking only at night through the harsh Himalayan terrain.
They had a head start on Chinese troops who had not realized the Dalai Lama had disappeared until two days later, only then sending out a ground and air dragnet, and combing monasteries where he could be hiding.
It was “one of the most fantastic escapes in history,” an AFP story said.
ARRIVAL IN INDIA
On March 31, the Dalai Lama walked across the border into the Indian state of Assam.
“The Dalai Lama entered India on March 31 in the evening,” then-Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru announced on April 3, AFP sending out the information in a top priority flash.
In mid-April an official statement provided details of his escape.
“It is thanks to the affectionate support and the loyalty of his people that the Dalai Lama was able to make his way, by an extremely difficult route,” it said.
It denied a Chinese claim that he had been forced into exile.
“The Dalai Lama wishes to categorically state that he left Lhasa and Tibet and came to India of his own free will and not by force,” it said.
GOVERNMENT-IN-EXILE
India granted the Tibetan leader asylum on April 3 and permission to establish a government-in-exile in the northern hill station of Dharamsala, already a sanctuary for thousands of Tibetan exiles fleeing Chinese repression.
From there he launched a campaign to reclaim Tibet, gradually easing this into an appeal for greater autonomy. Talks between the two sides failed, China adamantly rejecting any suggestion of Tibetan autonomy and blacklisting the Dalai Lama a dangerous “separatist.”
Beijing continues to be accused of political and religious repression in the region, but insists Tibetans enjoy extensive freedoms and that it has brought economic growth.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
RSS