Tibet: Cultural Genocide

By: By: David ChaconDavid ChaconKarina GarciaKarina Garcia

Andy XieAndy XieJulie VasquezJulie Vasquez

Summary of TibetSummary of TibetTibet was independent country with its own flag, government, currency, and

costumes. They spoke their own language and were mainly Buddhist and the 14th Dalai Lama was their spiritual leader. Since 1949 China’s Peoples Liberation Army invaded and overpowered the Tibetan military. China then took over the country, under the Chinese ruler Mao Zedong. Since then they have tried to make Tibetans believe they should be a part of China. In 1950 Chinese represented gave the Tibetan government a Seventeen Point Agreement, which Tibetans forcefully had to sign in 1951 in order to stop the Chinese from conducting further damage to their country. This agreement basically told the Tibetans that everything from now on will be checked and under control by the Chinese Army and any rights mentioned for the Tibetans was violated. From then on they took the power away from the Dalai Lama.

China renamed three Tibet provinces as their own and renamed the fourth province as Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). The Tibetans were killed and punished for not fallowing the Army’s wishes. Then in 1959, the Dalai Lama escaped and around 100,000 Tibetans fallowed him to India. In later years 6,000 monasteries were destroyed. Numerous of Tibetan people have been sent to prison for advocating rights. In 1964 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a second resolution calling on China to respect the rights of the Tibetan people. A year later the Tibetan Autonomous Region was formally established. During the late 1960’s many Tibetan temples, monasteries, libraries, and sacred monuments were destroyed or made into state museums. In 1976 the Cultural Revolution ends with the death of Mao Zedong. By 1987 the Tibetan government in exile declared that 1.2 million Tibetans died and that more than 6,500 monasteries were destroyed.

Dalai LamaDalai Lama

• 1950 The Dalai Lama assumes temporal responsibility for Tibet.

• 1979 Send first –finding delegation to Tibet and China.

• 1980 Sends second and third fact-finding delegations to Tibet.

• 1987 The Dalai Lama proposes “Five Point Peace Plan” during a visit to the U.S Congress.

Mao ZedongMao Zedong

• Ruler of Chinese Communist Party, and established the People’s Republic of China in October 1, 1949.

• His communist party controlled the media, using it to for his widespread propaganda.

• Mau used the army and the student population against his opponents making millions suffer or perish.

• Mao died in 1976 and those words of ruthlessness have slowly faded away.

HeadlinesHeadlines

• GENOCIDE IS LAID TO REDS IN TIBET – June 6, 1959

• Death of a NationJune 23, 1959

• UN ignores Tibet genocide– June 9, 2004

Speech and QuotesSpeech and Quotes

• “Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.”

•“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”

• “We can never obtain peace in the world if we neglect the inner world and don't make peace with ourselves. World peace must develop out of inner peace.”

The Dali lama’s five point peace plan:• This peace plan contains five basic

components: • 1. Transformation of the whole of Tibet

into a zone of peace; • 2. Abandonment of China's population

transfer policy which threatens the very existence of the Tibetans as a people;

• 3. Respect for the Tibetan people's fundamental human rights and democratic freedoms;

• 4. Restoration and protection of Tibet's natural environment and the abandonment of China's use of Tibet for the production of nuclear weapons and dumping of nuclear waste;

• 5. Commencement of earnest negotiations on the future status of Tibet and of relations between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples

Map: Inside TibetMap: Inside Tibet

Map: China taking over TibetMap: China taking over Tibet

FoodsFoods

• Tsampa (roasted barley flour)Dough made with roasted

barley flout and yak butter with water and beef.

• Tugpa – barley porridge with beef or mutton (lamb) and vegetables.

• Juema is a tibetian snack.• Momos – dumpling with different

fillings vegetarian, potatoes, cheese, and beef fillings.

• Sweet Tea – black tea with milk and sugar.

• Quiangmudo Tea – cheese powder and yak butter in tea.

• Yak butter from the milk of cattles and goats.

Beef mutton

Barley

LanguagesLanguages

• Language spoken is Tibetan• Spoken since 9th century• Current form known as Colloquial Tibetan by Western

scholars.

• The "standard" dialect is that of the region around the capital, Lhasa. Another form of the language, found in

current writing, is called Modern Literary Tibetan.

Photojournalist/ ReportersPhotojournalist/ Reporters

• Photojournalists:– Steve McCurry– Jodi Cobb– Diane Barker– Joe Mickey

• Reporters– Lewis M. Simons– Gloria Goodale– Patrick – Dhundup Gyalpo – Robert MaquandInternational Campaign

For Tibet– and many more…..

Role of the UNRole of the UN

• Little has been done by the UN since 1950 and now.Three resolutions have been made in the years 1959,1961,1964.

• All three recognizes that Tibetans are being violated their human rights

1959: “Calls for respect for the fundamental human rights of the Tibetan people and for their distinctive cultural and religious life

1961: “these events violate fundamental human rights and freedoms set out in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the principle of self-determination of peoples and nations”

1964: “Gravely concerned at the continued violation of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people of Tibet and the continued suppression of their distinctive cultural and religious life, as evidenced by the exodus of refugees to the neighboring countries”

• “To this day, the United Nations' unfinished consideration of the question of Tibet remains one of the global body's most notable and longstanding acts of omission” (International Campaign for Tibet)

UN Members InvolvedUN Members Involved

• Not many UN members were directly involved.

• Manfred Nowak currently writes reports for the United Nations. His latest work was the “UN Special Rapporteur on Torture’s 2005 China Mission Report: Excerpts on Tibet”

• Here is a list of countries involved in United Nations Commission on Human Rights• Asia (12 States): China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia,

Syria, South Korea, Thailand, Viet Nam.• Africa (15): Algeria, Bahrain, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Libya, Nigeria, Senegal,

Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Togo, Uganda, Zambia.• Latin American and Caribbean States (11): Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica,

Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela.• Eastern Europe (5): Armenia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania.• Western and Other States (10): Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy,

Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.

International Community ResponseInternational Community Response

• European Parliament is highly involved and updated with the Tibetan situation. They have even created resolutions on possible ways improve the relation between Tibet and China.– EP Resolution on Tibet

• United States has also acknowledged this situation.

- Tibetan Policy Act signed in September 30, 2002

- 107th Congress, 2nd Session: H. Res. 1646, 2002

Symbolic EmblemSymbolic Emblem

BibliographyBibliography• 107th Conference of the United States of America. The Second Session, 23 Jan. 2002,

Save Tibet. 1 Nov. 2006 <http://savetibet.org/documents/pdfs/resolutions/hres1646.pdf>."Dalai Lama Quotes." Think Rate. 2003. 5 Nov. 2006 <http://www.thinkarete.com/quotes/by_teacher/dalai_lama/>.

• "Death of a Nation." The Washington Post 23 June 1959. 5 Nov. 2006 • <http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/178783202.html?• dids=178783202:178783202&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&fmac=&date=Jun+2• 3%2C+1959&author=&desc=Death+of+a+Nation>.• "Genocide is Laid to Red in Tibet." The New York Times 6 Jan. 1959. 30 Nov. 2006 • <http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60A11FE3E54127B93C4A917• 8DD85F4D8585F9>. • Simons, Lewis M. "Tibetans, Moving Forward Holding On." National Geographic. 31

Oct. 2006 <http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0204/feature1/index.html>.

• Fact Sheets." International Campaign for Tibet. Oct. 2006. 29 Oct. 2006 • <http://racefortibet.org/learn/factsheets.php>.• Long- Hwa, Lee. "UN Ignores Tibet Genocide." Taipai Times 9 June 2004. 1 Nov. 2006 • <http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2004/06/09/2003174389>. • "Tibetan Food." Tibet Information Center. 2 Nov. 2006 <http://www.tibet.cn/tibetzt-• en/tibetanfood/everyday/every.htm>.• "UN General Assembly Resolutions." International Campaign for Tibet. 18 May-June • 2006. 1 Nov. 2006 <http://savetibet.org/advocacy/un/resolutions/index.php>.