From: The Office of Tibet, London
HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA THE LEADER OF TIBET
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the head of state and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He was born Lhamo Dhondrub on 6 July 1935, in a small village called Taktser in north-eastern Tibet. Born to a peasant family, His Holiness was recognised at the age of two as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama.
Dalai Lama is a Mongolian title meaning Ocean of Wisdom. The Dalai Lamas are the manifestations of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Chenrezig. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who have postponed their own Nirvana and chosen to take rebirth in order to serve humanity.
EDUCATION IN TIBET: His Holiness began his monastic education at the age of six. At 25, he took his final examination in the Jokhang, Lhasa, during the annual Monlam Festival of Prayer in 1959. He passed with honours and was awarded the highest Geshe Lharampa Degree (Doctorate of Buddhist Philosophy).
LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES: In 1950 His Holiness the Dalai Lama was called upon to assume full political power after China invaded Tibet in 1949/50. In 1954 he went to Beijing for peace talks with Mao Tse-tung and other Chinese leaders, including Deng Xiaoping. But, finally, in 1959, with the brutal suppression of the Tibetan National Uprising in Lhasa by Chinese troops, the Dalai Lama was forced into exile. For the last 33 years he has been living in Dharamsala, India, seat of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.
Ever since the Chinese invasion, His Holiness has appealed to the United Nations on the question of Tibet. Three resolutions were adopted by the General Assembly, in 1959, 1961, and 1965.
In 1963 His Holiness the Dalai Lama presented a draft democratic constitution for Tibet. In January 1992 His Holiness issued a Policy document stating that when Tibet regains its independence he will give up his historical and political authority and live as a private citizen.
In 1987 His Holiness proposed a Five Point Peace Plan as the first step towards a peaceful solution to the worsening situation in Tibet. He envisaged that Tibet become a sanctuary - a zone of peace in the heart of Asia where all sentient beings can exist in harmony and the environment can thrive. China has so far failed to respond positively to the various proposals put forward by His Holiness.
REVERENCE BY TIBETANS: Every Tibetan has a deep and inexpressible connection with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. To the Tibetans, His Holiness symbolises the whole of Tibet: the beauty of the land, the purity of its rivers and lakes, the sanctity of its skies, the solidity of its mountains and the strength of its people.
UNIVERSAL RESPONSIBILITY: His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a man of peace. In 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his peaceful struggle for the liberation of Tibet. He has consistently advocated policies of non-violence, even in the face of great aggression. He became the first Nobel Laureate to be recognised for his concern for global environmental problems.
His Holiness describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk. In his lectures and tours around the world, everyone who meets him is visibly touched by his simplicity and good natured warmth. His message is the importance of love, compassion and forgiveness.
Tibet, an independent country with a history dating back to 127 B.C., was invaded in 1949/50 by the People's Republic of China. The invasion and occupation of Tibet was an act of aggression and a clear violation of international law. Today, Tibet is under illegal and repressive Chinese occupation.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibet's head of state and spiritual leader, a firm believer in non-violence, tried for eight years to coexist peacefully with the Chinese. But China's systematic subjugation of Tibet's territory and its people led to a cycle of repression. On 10 March 1959, Tibetan resistance culminated in a national uprising against the Chinese. The People's Liberation Army crushed the uprising, killing more than 87,000 Tibetans in central Tibet alone.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, members of his government and some 80,000 Tibetans escaped from Tibet and sought political asylum in India, Nepal and Bhutan. Today there are over 120,000 Tibetans in exile including more than 5,000 living outside of the Indian sub-continent. Large numbers of Tibetans continue to arrive from Tibet to escape Chinese persecution.
The United Nations passed three resolutions on Tibet in 1959, 1961 and 1965 expressing concern at the violation of human rights and called for "the cessation of practices which deprive the Tibetan people of their fundamental human rights and freedoms, including their right to self-determination."
STRUCTURE OF THE TIBETAN GOVERNMENT IN EXILE
In exile, the Tibetan Government has been reorganised according to modern democratic principles. It administers all matters pertaining to Tibetans in exile, including the re-establishment, preservation and development of Tibetan culture and education, and leads the struggle for the restoration of Tibet's freedom. The Tibetan people, both inside and outside Tibet, consider their Government in Exile based in Dharamsala, North India, to be the sole legitimate government of Tibet.
The Tibetan community in exile functions in accordance with the Charter for Tibetans in Exile and is administered by the Kashag (Council of Ministers), which is accountable to the Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies (a democratically elected parliament). The Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission is an independent judiciary body.
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) is comprised of three autonomous commissions - Election, Public Service and Audit, seven departments - Religion and Culture, Home Affairs, Education, Information and International Relations, Security, Health, and one Council for planning.
SETTLEMENTS, MONASTERIES AND INSTITUTIONS
The CTA, mainly through the assistance of the Government of India and various international voluntary organisations, has successfully rehabilitated Tibetan refugees in 14 major and 8 minor agricultural centres, 21 agro-industrial settlements and 10 handicraft centres throughout India and Nepal. There are also 83 Tibetan schools in India, Nepal and Bhutan with an approximate 23,000 children currently enrolled.
More than 117 monasteries have been re-established in exile; also a number of institutions, including the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute, the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, the Centre for Tibetan Arts and Crafts - all based in Dharamsala, the Central Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies in Sarnath and Tibet House in New Delhi. These institutions help to preserve and promote an ancient heritage and culture facing imminent extinction in in its own homeland, whilst enhancing the cultural life of the exile community.
OFFICES OF TIBET
The CTA also maintains Offices of Tibet in New Delhi, New York, Zurich, Tokyo, London, Kathmandu, Geneva, Moscow, Budapest, Paris, Canberra and Washington, D.C. These Offices of Tibet are the official agencies representing His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in Exile.
The Office of Tibet addresses all aspects of Tibetan refugee life, being the official channel through which funding from individuals and humanitarian agencies is directed to all the Central Tibetan Administration departments and institutions. It ensures that every donation received goes directly to the intended recipient. Through the Office, organisations and individuals have supported many projects, with an emphasis on education, economic and community development, religion and health - as a means of ensuring the preservation of Tibetan identity, culture and religion.
DEMOCRATISATION OF THE EXILED TIBETAN GOVERNMENT
"The future of Tibet should be the Tibetans to decide. The question of Tibet is not question of the future of the Dalai Lama. It concerns, the happiness and welfare of the six million Tibetan people."
Democracy is something that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has dreamed of giving to his people since he was young. Even before the tragic flight of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and some 80,000 Tibetans into exile in 1959, after the Tibetan National Uprising was crushed by the Chinese, His Holiness the Dalai Lama had introduced several reforms aimed at establishing greater democracy but his efforts were hampered by the Chinese occupying forces.
Soon after His Holiness the Dalai Lama's arrival in India, he subsequently re-established the Tibetan Government in exile, based on modern democratic principles. The exile Tibetan Government is composed of three organs -- executive, legislature and judiciary -- with clear separation of powers.
The Kashag, or the Council of Ministers, is the highest executive authority. Under it are various departments such as Home, Education, Finance, Health, International Relations, etc. The members of the Kashag are elected by the Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies (ATPD).
The ATPD is the government's legislative wing of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. It has framed and passed the Charter of Tibetans in Exile, which in effect is the Constitution of the exile government. The members of the ATPD are directly elected by the Tibetan people through universal adult suffrage. The Charter of the Tibetans in Exile, which in effect is the constitution, has been framed and passed by the Assembly.
Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission is the highest judicial organ and guardian of the Charter. The justice commission also redresses people's grievances against the Administration.
In 1963, the Dalai Lama promulgated a democratic draft constitution for a free Tibet from the headquarters of the exiled Tibetan government in Dharamsala, north India. It was this act that paved the way for the development of one of the world's newest democracies.
Today there are over 130,000 Tibetans in exile and large number of them live in Tibetan refugee settlements in India and Nepal. Over the past 36 years in exile, the Tibetans have worked hard to re-establish their various religious and cultural institutions to preserve and promote their identity.
The Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies, based in the Dharamsala is the Tibetan parliament in exile. It is composed of members who are directly elected by the Tibetan people living in the Indian sub-continent and in over 33 different countries in the west.
During the past 36 years in exile, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has continually emphasised the need to further democratise the Tibetan administration. In their years in exile, the Tibetans have endeavoured to gain experience in the workings of a true democratic system of government.
Over the years, various democratic reforms were introduced by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. However, in May 1990, the blitzkrieg reforms called for by the His Holiness saw the realisation of a democratic government for Tibet. Dissolving the 10th Assembly and the Tibetan Cabinet (Kashag) which has been appointed by Him, His Holiness called for fresh election.
The 11th Assembly of Tibetans People's Deputies which was elected in April 1991 was on the bases of one man one vote. It is composed of 46 members, including a Chairperson and a Deputy-Chairperson. The Assembly consist of ten members each from the three provinces of Tibet (U-Tsang, Amdo and Kham), two members each from the fours schools of Tibetan Buddhism and Bon, the indigenous religion of Tibet. A further two members represent the Tibetans in Europe and one from America. Three members are nominated by the Dalai Lama.
The new election procedure is unique since, for the first time, three members from America and Europe were elected independently without reference to a particular province or religious body. Moreover, the latest election saw quite a few young Tibetans who recently escaped from Chinese-occupied Tibet elected to the Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies.
The biggest change from previous Assemblies is that the Tibetan Cabinet Ministers (Kalons) would be elected by the members of the Assembly making the Tibetan Cabinet more accountable to the Tibetan people.
The Assembly holds two sessions in a year - a winter and a summer session during which all major policy matters are debated. Further, the Assembly has been entrusted with the authority to oversee the working of the different departments of the Tibetan administration.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has appointed a committee to revise the existing draft constitution for a free and democratic Tibet. In the meantime, the new Assembly has adopted a new Charter for the Tibetan people in exile.
The Charter, which provides detailed guidelines on the functioning of the Tibetan government and people while in exile, states that Tibet comprises of the three traditional provinces - U-Tsang, Amdo and Kham - and that the future free Tibet will be a federal and democratic state. The Charter guarantees freedom of speech, belief and movement, and states that any Tibetan who holds a Tibetan "Green Book" will have the right to participate in future elections regardless of any other citizenship which he or she may hold.
The Tibetan Parliament in Dharamsala had passed a resolution calling for total independence of Tibet through non-violence during its winter session in February 1992. During the last parliamentary session, the parliamentarians called on the Tibetan government not to negotiate with the present Chinese government unless His Holiness felt it was necessary because China had failed to respond positively to various Tibetan initiatives.
