Post by Die Fledermaus on Mar 10, 2008 17:16:27 GMT -4
March 10 1959 : Rebellion in Tibet
On this day in 1959, Tibetans band together in revolt, surrounding the
summer palace of the Dalai Lama in defiance of Chinese occupation
forces.
China's occupation of Tibet began nearly a decade before, in October
1950, when troops from its People's Liberation Army (PLA) invaded the
country, barely one year after the Communists gained full control of
mainland China. The Tibetan government gave into Chinese pressure the
following year, signing a treaty that ensured the power of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, the country's spiritual leader, over Tibet's
domestic affairs. Resistance to the Chinese occupation built steadily
over the next several years, including a revolt in several areas of
eastern Tibet in 1956. By December 1958, rebellion was simmering in
Lhasa, the capital, and the PLA command threatened to bomb the city if
order was not maintained.
The March 1959 uprising in Lhasa was triggered by fears of a plot to
kidnap the Dalai Lama and take him to Beijing. When Chinese military
officers invited His Holiness to visit the PLA headquarters for a
theatrical performance and official tea, he was told he must come
alone, and that no Tibetan military bodyguards or personnel would be
allowed past the edges of the military camp. On March 10, 300,000
loyal Tibetans surrounded Norbulinka Palace, preventing the Dalai Lama
from accepting the PLA's invitation. By March 17, Chinese artillery
was aimed at the palace, and the Dalai Lama was evacuated to
neighboring India. Fighting broke out in Lhasa two days later, with
Tibetan rebels hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned. Early on March
21, the Chinese began shelling Norbulinka, slaughtering tens of
thousands of men, women and children still camped outside. In the
aftermath, the PLA cracked down on Tibetan resistance, executing the
Dalai Lama's guards and destroying Lhasa's major monasteries along
with thousands of their inhabitants.
China's stranglehold on Tibet and its brutal suppression of separatist
activity has continued in the decades following the unsuccessful
uprising. Tens of thousands of Tibetans followed their leader to
India, where the Dalai Lama has long maintained a government-in-exile
in the foothills of the Himalayas.
On this day in 1959, Tibetans band together in revolt, surrounding the
summer palace of the Dalai Lama in defiance of Chinese occupation
forces.
China's occupation of Tibet began nearly a decade before, in October
1950, when troops from its People's Liberation Army (PLA) invaded the
country, barely one year after the Communists gained full control of
mainland China. The Tibetan government gave into Chinese pressure the
following year, signing a treaty that ensured the power of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, the country's spiritual leader, over Tibet's
domestic affairs. Resistance to the Chinese occupation built steadily
over the next several years, including a revolt in several areas of
eastern Tibet in 1956. By December 1958, rebellion was simmering in
Lhasa, the capital, and the PLA command threatened to bomb the city if
order was not maintained.
The March 1959 uprising in Lhasa was triggered by fears of a plot to
kidnap the Dalai Lama and take him to Beijing. When Chinese military
officers invited His Holiness to visit the PLA headquarters for a
theatrical performance and official tea, he was told he must come
alone, and that no Tibetan military bodyguards or personnel would be
allowed past the edges of the military camp. On March 10, 300,000
loyal Tibetans surrounded Norbulinka Palace, preventing the Dalai Lama
from accepting the PLA's invitation. By March 17, Chinese artillery
was aimed at the palace, and the Dalai Lama was evacuated to
neighboring India. Fighting broke out in Lhasa two days later, with
Tibetan rebels hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned. Early on March
21, the Chinese began shelling Norbulinka, slaughtering tens of
thousands of men, women and children still camped outside. In the
aftermath, the PLA cracked down on Tibetan resistance, executing the
Dalai Lama's guards and destroying Lhasa's major monasteries along
with thousands of their inhabitants.
China's stranglehold on Tibet and its brutal suppression of separatist
activity has continued in the decades following the unsuccessful
uprising. Tens of thousands of Tibetans followed their leader to
India, where the Dalai Lama has long maintained a government-in-exile
in the foothills of the Himalayas.
