Published by: World Tibet Network News, Wednesday, August 21, 1996

By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa

Published in The Los Angeles Times

July 28, 1996

The issue of Tibet's future appears to be a topic the world would rather not deal with. But like the San Andreas Fault, it is a phenomenon that exists & no ostrich formula can avoid the worldwide impact its eruption will produce.

Prior to 1950, Tibet was a free & independent nation. In October 1950, Chinese troops under Communist rule marched through the unprotected borders of Tibet & forced the Tibetans to sign the so-called 17-Point Agreement, subjugating Tibet into an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. This "treaty" promised self-rule, freedom of religion & protection of Tibetan traditions & culture, while China would remain guardian of Tibet's defense & foreign affairs. By 1956, the Chinese had violated every promise they made in that agreement; in 1959, the Tibetans revolted.

This revolt was followed by the flight of the Dalai Lama & 80,000 Tibetans from their homeland to India & elsewhere.

The Dalai Lama struggled for more than 25 years to regain Tibet's independence through nonviolent means. Then in 1988, believing that the political leadership in China was in a state of flux & worried that his country & his people would eventually become extinct, the Dalai Lama proposed a "Middle Path" to reach a solution with the Chinese. This proposal essentially involved acquiescence to Chinese rule, while preserving Tibetan lives & identity. Although many Tibetans urged His Holiness to withdraw from this approach, the Dalai Lama continues to believe his formula will eventually save his people.

Tibetans believe the Dalai Lama to be the reincarnation of Chenrezig--the Lord of Love & Compassion. Every Tibetan, no matter what his background, believes in the Dalai Lama & his teachings. But while there is no wavering of faith in the Dalai Lama, there are differing views on what to do for the future.

Many Chinese & Western observers mistake this difference in view to mean that Tibetans no longer support the Dalai Lama. But faith in the Dalai Lama means belief in his teachings, not necessarily in his political analyses or his political leanings.

The divergent views among the first family in Tibetan society should not be mistaken or maliciously misconstrued as disunity within the family. Rather, the family's courage in openly differing on political issues should uphold the strength of the Tibetan democratic spirit & the fearless willingness of the first family to set an example to all people constrained by religious or political dogmas.

The views of the Dalai Lama's brother, who is also a recognized, high-ranking incarnate teacher, differ from his brother's. The Dalai Lama wishes to nonviolently preserve the basic human rights & identity of his people, though reluctantly under Chinese rule, because he feels independence may be too long in coming & that the Chinese may wipe out the Tibetan race before then.

His elder brother, Taktser Rinpoche, wishes to nonviolently regain Tibet's independence along with all the basic rights of the Tibetan people. He feels that this is the only way Tibetan life & liberty can truly be saved & preserved. While in both instances, there is not only compassion but virtue, the tricky question is: Would Tibetans be selling themselves forever to the Chinese or would they be fighting a losing battle? Who is right?

No Tibetan should feel he is sacrificing his religious belief & faith in the Dalai Lama if he chooses the "path of independence." That choice is a democratic choice & a constitutional right, which the Dalai Lama himself so wisely promulgated in the new Tibetan constitution. Neither should any Tibetan speak ill of the Dalai Lama's "independent-minded" brethren, as that critic himself would be breaking a cardinal rule of nationalism & patriotism.

China was never invited to come & rule Tibet. Tibet was made a part of China but China, as in the case of Hong Kong, promised a different system of rule. Slowly but surely, the Chinese reneged on the agreement. The freedoms promised were unashamedly withdrawn & the noose around the neck tightened with each move made by the Tibetans in protest.

The stories that have since trickled through the closed borders of Tibet have been sad & gruesome: 1.2 million Tibetans killed & thousands brutally tortured & imprisoned; nuclear waste dumped into sacred rivers & lakes.

Also, the Chinese government kidnapped a 6-year-old boy regarded by the Tibetans as their highest-ranking reincarnate lama, second only to the Dalai Lama.

Tibetans are a peaceful, patient & religious people, carefree in appearance but determined in spirit. Therein lies their strength.

My late beloved father, Tsepon Wangchuk Deden Shakabpa, chose the "path of independence" because he firmly believed in the principles & values upon which his nation was built & because he did not want his people or his children to suffer in Chinese hands. I, too, have chosen the "path of independence" for the same reasons. My father lived & died for Tibet.

* Tsoltim N. Shakabpa is executive director of the Tsepon Wangchuk Deden Shakabpa Memorial Foundation.