Beijing, 9th August: The 14th Dalai Lama should not deny the fact that in 1951, he signed a telegram expressing his support for the March of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops into Tibet, according to a senior Tibetan official.

Ngapoi Ngawang Jime, who participated in the negotiations that resulted in the peaceful liberation of Tibet 45 years ago, said in Beijing that in 1951, China's central government signed the Agreement on Peaceful Liberation of Tibet with the Tibetan local government. "The central government sent troops into Tibet in accordance with the agreement. So there does not exist the question of one party forcing another to do anything," he said.

But in a recent speech to the British Parliament, the 14th Dalai Lama, who lives in exile abroad, said that "China dispatched troops to invade and occupy Tibet" and that "China exercises colonial rule over Tibet".

Ngapoi, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top advisory body in China, said that in view of this, he considered it his duty to reveal all the facts he knows.

Ngapoi, then a senior official of the Tibetan local government, was appointed by the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan local government as the chief representative for negotiations with the central government.

He recalled that on 24th October 1951, the Dalai Lama sent a telegram to the late Chairman Mao Zedong, expressing his support for the agreement. The telegram was made public by the media and is often quoted by scholars. The telegram states that representatives of both parties signed the Agreement on the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet.

The Tibetan local government, monks and people all support the agreement, it says, adding that led by Chairman Mao and the central government, they will assist the troops of the PLA to be stationed in Tibet to reinforce national defence, driving imperialist forces out of Tibet and safeguarding the motherland's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "The telegram was signed personally by the Dalai Lama. Nobody forced him to do so." Ngapoi said.

The telegram is now kept in the Central Archives in Beijing. Ngapoi, 86, who is in good health and of sound mind, recalled that soon after the establishment of the central government in 1949, the Tenth Panchen Lama residing in Qinghai Province sent a telegram to the central government expressing his whole-hearted support for the action. Among the Tibetan local government officials, those favouring negotiations with the central government gained the upper hand, he said. The overwhelming majority of business people, urban and rural residents, monks and nuns also expressed support for negotiations, he added.

"It is an inevitable historical development that the central government of New China liberated Tibet by carrying out the historical convention since the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) in order to continue exercising sovereignty in Tibet," he said. It is under these circumstances that the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan local government appointed Ngapoi and four other officials as representatives to negotiate with those from the central government, he said. Early in the talks, representatives of both parties disagreed over questions such as whether PLA troops should March into Tibet, he said.

Then Li Weihan, chief representative of the central government, explained to Tibetan representatives that Tibet had been invaded repeatedly by imperialists. Li added that since Tibet was located so far from other parts of China and had very poor transport services, PLA troops would be unable to get to Tibet promptly in the event of an emergency.

"You recognize Tibet as part of China's territory and yet you do not welcome PLA troops to reinforce defence in Tibet. I think this is not reasonable," he said. The five Tibetan representatives finally agreed that since major issues had been solved, such as the recognition of Tibet as part of China's territory, all other issues were minor.

Representatives of both sides soon reached an agreement on the March of PLA troops into Tibet. On 23rd May 1951, nine representatives of both parties signed the agreement. Later, the Dalai Lama sent a telegram expressing his support for the agreement. Ngapoi said that he and four other Tibetan representatives were appointed by the Dalai Lama, and that their certificates also were signed by him. Moreover, in accordance with the instructions of the Tibetan local government, the representatives were authorized to act as they deemed necessary and to deal independently with matters related to negotiations.

"Negotiations proceeded in a friendly and open atmosphere," he said. "Sometimes we had different views on some questions. But I think this was quite normal. The agreement signed is reasonable and acceptable," he added.

He stressed that the agreement, known as the 17-article Agreement, is a document that falls into the category of domestic agreements, because it handles the relationship between the central government and a local government. Its legal basis is the "Common Programme of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference", which was set forth in 1949.

Chinese scholars share the view that the central government signed the agreement with the Tibetan local government because it took into consideration Tibet's particularities in political affairs, its geographical location and its minority ethnic affairs. By doing so, the central government considered several issues: the consequences of an invasion of Tibet by colonialists; the fact that Tibet lies in a remote, border area; and that estrangements existed between the Han people and Tibetans, resulting from erroneous policies pursued by central governments before 1949.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the signing of the agreement. Ngapoi said said that in the years since the agreement, Tibet has embarked on the path of prosperity.

"As an old man, I am very happy about this," he said.