Chronology of Contemporary Tibetan Events

Oct 1949: The People's Liberation Army march into Tibet's north-eastern province of Amdo.

Oct 1950: 40,000 PLA troops attack Chamdo, eastern Tibet's provincial capital. Two days later the 8,000-man Tibetan army is defeated and Chamdo Governor Ngabo Ngawang Jigme held hostage. Indian Foreign Ministry sends a protest letter to the Chinese government. Britain and the United States express support to the Indian position.

Nov 1950: Tibetan National Assembly convenes an emergency meeting and requests the 14th Dalai Lama, then only 15 years old, to assume full political authority as Head of State of Tibet. The Assembly also requests the Dalai Lama to leave Lhasa for Dromo, near India's north-eastern border.

May 1951: Threatening further military invasion, China forces Ngabo Ngawang Jigme and other Tibetan delegates in Beijing to sign the infamous "17-Point Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet".

July 1954: The Dalai Lama visits Beijing with an entourage of officials and dignitaries.

April 1956: China sets up the Preparatory Committee for the Autonomous Region of Tibet (PCART) to replace the Tibetan Government.

Nov 1956: The Dalai Lama journeys to India for the Buddha Jayanti celebration. He discusses possible asylum with Prime Minister Nehru, but is persuaded to return home by Premier Zhou Enlai of China on the promise that Beijing will rectify the deteriorating situation in Tibet.

Mar 1959: Tibetan national uprising breaks out in Lhasa. China crushes the uprising, killing 87,000 Tibetans. The Dalai Lama and some 80,000 Tibetans escape Tibet to India. Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai announces the dissolution of the Tibetan government.

Mar 1959: Tibetan Women's Association formed in Lhasa to challenge the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Over 15,000 women demonstrate against Chinese occupation.

Apr 1959: The Dalai Lama repudiates the "17-point Agreement" on reaching Tezpur in Assam, a north-eastern state of India. He says this "agreement" was thrust upon the "Tibetan Government and people by the threat of arms".

Apr 1959: Re-establishing the Tibetan Government in the exile of Mussoorie, a north Indian hill station, the Dalai Lama declares: "Wherever I am, accompanied by my government, the Tibetan people recognise us as the Government of Tibet."

Aug 1959: China deploys PLA troops on the India-Tibet border. India militarises its northern border.

Oct 1959: The UN General Assembly passes its first resolution on Tibet [1353 (XIV)], calling for "respect for the fundamental human rights of the Tibetan people and for their distinctive cultural and religious life".

Jan 1960: An unofficial Tibetan guerrilla base is established in Mustang, Nepal, to continue covert armed resistance against the Chinese occupation of Tibet.

Feb 1960: The first Tibetan agricultural settlement is established in Bylakuppe, a densely forested area near Mysore, south India. Today, there are 54 Tibetan settlements and welfare offices in India, Nepal and Bhutan.

Apr 1960: The Tibetan Government-in-Exile moves to Dharamsala, north-west India.

May 1960: The first Tibetan school in exile opens in Mussoorie. Simultaneously, a Tibetan nursery (now known as Tibetan Children's Village) opens in Dharamsala. Today, there are 87 Tibetan schools in India, Nepal and Bhutan, enrolling some 30,000 students.

Jun 1960: The International Commission of Jurists publishes its first report on Tibet, critising China of "wanton killing of Tibetans" and "systematic disregard for the obligations under the Seventeen-Point Agreement of 1951".

Aug 1960: International Commission of Jurists publishes its second report on Tibet, which states that "acts of genocide had been committed in Tibet in an attempt to destroy the Tibetans as a religious group".

Sep 1960: The Tibetan parliament in exile is established and named the Commission of the Tibetan People's Deputies. Its name is later changed to the Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies.

Dec 1961: The UN General Assembly passes its second resolution on Tibet [1723 (XVI)], recognising the right of the Tibetan people to self-determination.

Nov 1962: 97 per cent of monasteries and nunneries in the "Tibet Autonomous Region" ("TAR") and 98-99 per cent in the Tibetan areas outside the "TAR" are by now either depopulated or in ruins (Ref: "The Panchen Lama's 70,000-character petition to Mao Zedong"). Information compiled later by the Tibetan Government-in-Exile's Department of Culture and Religion shows that of 6,259 monasteries and nunneries in the whole of Tibet, only eight remain undestroyed.

Mar 1963: Chinese scientists arrive in Amdo province to work on the design of hydrogen fusion bombs.

Mar 1963: The Dalai Lama promulgates the democratic constitution for future Tibet.

Mar 1964: The 10th Panchen Lama is arrested in Lhasa after: publicly supporting the Dalai Lama.

Aug 1964: 10,000 Tibetan students demonstrate against Chinese policy in Lhasa.

Dec 1965: The UN General Assembly passes the third resolution on Tibet [2079 (XX)], renewing its "call for the cessation of all practices which deprive the Tibetan people of human rights and fundamental freedoms".

Aug 1966: Mao's Cultural Revolution unleashes a further wave of death and destruction in Tibet.

Oct 1970: Tibetan Youth Congress, the largest non-governmental political organisation of the Tibetans in exile, is established with its headquarters in Dharamsala.

Jan 1971: China stations its first nuclear weapons in Tsaidam Basin, north-eastern Tibet's Amdo province.

Jul 1979: Deng Xiaoping announces a policy of liberalisation.

June 1984: Tibetan Government-in-Exile announces the death of 1.2 million Tibetans as a direct result of Chinese invasion and occupation.

Sep 1984: Tibetan Women's Association revived in exile.

Sep 1987: The Dalai Lama addresses the US Congressional Human Rights Caucus and puts forward his Five Point Peace Plan for resolving the issue of Tibet through negotiations with the Chinese government.

Oct 1987: Two major, internationally-reported, demonstrations against Chinese rule erupt in Lhasa.

Jun 1988: The Dalai Lama announces his Strasbourg Proposal before the European Parliament. He proposes that the three provinces of Tibet should be forged into one entity, enjoying genuine autonomy, but concedes that China can continue to be responsible for Tibet's defence and foreign affairs.

Jan 1989: The 10th Panchen Lama passes away while on a visit to Shigatse. A few days before his death the Panchen Lama makes a forthright public statement that Chinese rule in Tibet had brought more harm than benefit. Suspicion surrounds the cause of his death.

Mar 1989: China declares Martial Law in Tibet following three days of protest demonstrations in Lhasa.

Oct 1989: The Dalai Lama wins the Nobel Peace Prize.

Apr 1990: China lifts Martial Law in Tibet.

May 1990: The Dalai Lama introduces sweeping democratic reforms in the exile administration, empowering the popularly-elected Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies to elect the Cabinet Ministers of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.

Jun 1991: The Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies adopts a new democratic constitution for the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. Known as the Charter of Tibetans in Exile, it draws heavily on the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Aug 1991: UN Sub-commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities passes "The Situation in Tibet" resolution, expressing concern at "continuing reports of violations of fundamental human rights and freedoms which threaten the distinct cultural, religious and national identity of the Tibetan people".

Oct 1991: US President George Bush signs into law a congressional resolution declaring Tibet an occupied country.

Feb 1992: The Dalai Lama issues "The Guidelines for Future Tibet's Polity and Basic Features of its Constitution." He states that in a future, free Tibet, he will relinquish his powers in favour of a popularly-elected government and that the Tibetan Government-in-Exile will then be dissolved.

Sep 1994: National Democratic Party of Tibet is established in exile.

May 1995: The Dalai Lama announces Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, a six-year-old child in Tibet, as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama.

May 1995: China kidnaps Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and enthrones an alternative child, Gyaltsen Norbu, as the 11th Panchen Lama. As of late-1999 the whereabouts of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his parents are unknown.

Sep 1995: Six Tibetans take up an unto-death hunger strike in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York. The fast, organised by the National Democratic Party of Tibet, is stopped at the request of the Dalai Lama.

Apr 1996: China begins its Strike Hard, Patriotic Re-education and Spiritual Civilisation campaigns in Tibet. Aimed at coercing the Tibetan people to renounce their faith in the Dalai Lama, monasteries and nunneries are especially targeted by the campaign.

Mar 1997: The Dalai Lama arrives in Taiwan and attends a high-profile meeting with President Lee Teng-hui.

Oct 1997: The US Administration creates a new post to oversee and report on Tibetan affairs. Greg Craig is appointed the first Special Coordinator for Tibet.

Dec 1997: International Commission of Jurists publishes its third report on Tibet. It states that "there has been further escalation of repression in Tibet. The ICJ recommends that the UN Commission on Human Rights appoint a Special Rapporteur to investigate the situation of human rights in Tibet; that the UN Secretary-General appoint a Special Envoy to promote a peaceful settlement of the question of Tibet; and that a United Nations-supervised referendum is conducted to ascertain the wishes of the Tibetan people.

Mar 1998: Six members of the Tibetan Youth Congress undertake an unto-death fast in New Delhi to pressure the United Nations to implement the ICJ recommendations . Delhi police break up the fast. One TYC supporter, Thubten Ngodup, dies from self- immolation.

Mar 1999: Three members of Tibetan Youth Congress undertake an unto-death fast in Geneva to pressure the 55th session of the UNHRC into censuring China on its human rights practices in Tibet. The strike is called off after 26 days at the request of the United Nations and governments. Official assurances are given that the situation in Tibet will be assessed.

June 1999: The World Bank approves a controversial US$160 million loan to China to resettle some 58,000 Chinese farmers in Qinghai (Amdo), threatening the cultural survival of the local nomadic people.

Jan 2000: The 17th Karmarpa, 14-year-old Orgyen Trinley Dorje, flees from Chinese rule in Tibet and arrives by foot in India.

Jan 2000:    The Chinese authorities ordain Sonam Phuntsok,  a two-year old boy in Tibet, as the reincarnation of the sixth Reting Rinpoche and formally installs him at the Reting monastery.  

Jun 2000:    Chinese information ministry convenes a meeting of propagandists and Tibetologists in Beijing to discuss new strategies for winning international public opinion on Tibetan issue. The meeting recommends strategies to lure the international academics and media persons into lending their voices to the chorus of Beijing’s propaganda on Tibet.

Jun 2000:     China issues its third white paper on Tibet entitled The Development of Tibetan Culture, claiming “unprecedented development” of Tibetan language and culture during the past 40-plus years of their rule.

Jul 2000:     Coinciding with His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday, the European Parliament adopts a resolution by majority vote to consider recognising Tibet’s exile government if within three years China does not sign an agreement with it “on a new statute for Tibet”.

Mar 2001:    His Holiness the Dalai Lama announces his decision to hand over all administrative responsibilities of the exile administration to the directly elected executive chief and parliament.

Mar 2001:     Amidst stinging criticisms from Beijing, His Holiness the Dalai Lama begins his second, 10-day visit to Taiwan. 

Jun 2001:    China’s Fourth Work Forum on Tibet endorses the repressive policies of the Third Forum and asks for the acceleration of Tibet’s integration into Chinese economy and culture.

Jun 2001:    China starts the construction of a railroad between Gormo in Amdo and Lhasa.

Sep 2001:    Professor Samdhong Rinpoche, the first directly elected Kalon Tripa of the Tibetan exile administration, takes oath of office and forms a four-member cabinet. 

Nov 2001:     China issues its fourth white paper on Tibet entitled Tibet’s March toward Modernisation, outlining “achievements” during the last 50 years of their rule over Tibet. 

Dec 2001:     The CTA releases a response to the Chinese white paper of November 2001 entitled HEIGHT OF DARKNESS: Chinese Colonialism on the World’s Roof, a study of the hidden agenda behind China’s frantic efforts to reinforce colonialism in Tibet.

Mar 2003:     China issues its fifth white paper on Tibet entitled Ecological Improvement and Environmental Protection in Tibet, claiming, “The ecological improvement and environmental protection have been an important part of the effort to modernise Tibet”.

Jul 2003:     The CTA releases a response to the Chinese white paper of March 2003 entitled TIBET 2003: State of the Environment, an objective analysis of China’s latest policies on the environment and development of the Tibetan plateau.

May 2004:     China issues its sixth white paper on Tibet entitled Regional Ethnic Autonomy in Tibet, urging His Holiness the Dalai Lama once again that he should “look reality in the face, make a correct judgment of the situation and truly relinquish his stand for Tibet independence”. It also rules out Hong Kong- and Macao-like autonomy for Tibet, because it claims, “the situation in Tibet is completely different”.

May 2005:     The TYC releases a response to the Chinese white paper of May 2004 entitled Tibet: The Gap between Fact and
Fabrication, arguing that the “claims of Tibet being a part of China and the existence of a meaningful autonomy and human rights there is absolutely baseless, that in reality needs no refutation”.   

Jul 2006:     Chinese President Hu Jintao inaugurates the Gormo-Lhasa railway line amidst great pomp and show. In a nationally televised ceremony held in the Gormo city, Hu boasts “the project is not only a magnificent feat in China’s history of railway construction, but also a miracle in the world’s railroad history”. 

Sep 2006:     His Holiness the Dalai Lama receives the honourary Canadian citizenship. 

Sep 2006:   President George W. Bush signs into law a bill to present His Holiness the Dalai Lama with the US Congressional Gold Medal, in recognition of his advocacy of religious harmony, non-violence and human rights throughout the world, as well as for his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Tibet issue through dialogue with the Chinese leadership. 

Sep 2006:    In a brazen violation of human rights, the Chinese border police fires indiscriminately at a group of 75 Tibetans, while they were  crossing into Nepal through the Nangpa La Pass. This incident claims at least two Tibetan lives and the arrest of some 30 Tibetans, including 14 children. Despite the shock and condemnation expressed by the international community, the status of the arrested people remains unknown to date. 

Dec 2006:   The Republic of Kalmykia confers its highest honour, the White Lotus Order, on His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Jul 2007:    China’s State Administration of Religious Affairs issues an order called Management Measures for the Reincarnation of “living Buddhas” in Tibetan Buddhism, which says all incarnate lamas or tulkus must be approved by the Chinese government. The CTA issues a joint statement repudiating this order.

Oct 2007:    In a formal ceremony held on 17 October in Washington D. C., President Geoge W. Bush presents the US Congressional Gold Medal to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The CTA declares the day as a national holiday.

Nov 2007:  Over 400 Buddhists from Mongolia and the three republics within the Russian Federation — Kalmykia, Burytia and Tuva — offer a long-life prayer to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, along with a week-long cultural presentation in Dharamsala.