Statement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the Fourth Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day, 10 March 1963
A year has rolled by since I spoke to my beloved people on this
memorable day to mark the spontaneous upsurge of the peace-loving and
devout people of Tibet against the ruthless and insensate conquerors.
Since then there has been no respite in the struggle of my unfortunate
people for peace and freedom. The night of terror still continues.
Hundreds of people are being massacred to satisfy the greed and impious
ambition of the Chinese military leaders. The revered places of worship
are being destroyed or converted into arsenals for conquest and
oppression. Famine and starvation stalk our beloved land. Refugees are
fleeing to the neighbouring States to escape from cruel and inhuman
persecution. The passive resistance of our people still continues.
Vivid accounts of unspeakable misery are still being brought to us in
exile. The situation continues to be desperate and hopeless. But those
of our unfortunate brothers and sisters who remain in Tibet must not
lose their faith in the ultimate victory of truth. I believe and
believe firmly that the faith and spirit of my people cannot be broken.
I believe and believe firmly that evil cannot last forever. It is my
earnest faith and hope that the time will come when our struggle for
freedom and independence will bring about the end of this vicious and
barbarous rule. This memorable day as on other days, I pray with all
earnestness and fervour that the great Avalokiteswara may grant my
beloved people courage and determination to enable them to continue
their passive struggle against tyranny and oppression.
In my message last year I referred to the resolution of the General
Assembly of the United Nations and expressed the hope that the appeal
of the World Assembly would not go unheeded by the great Chinese
people. I also ventured to state that the Chinese government must
realise that the inhuman measures which have been adopted by its
representatives in Tibet constitute a total negation of the principles
of humanity and justice which it has more than once publicly accepted
and endorsed. I also stated that the present leaders of China must
realise that there must be an end to the policy of tyranny and
oppression which it is pursuing in Tibet. Unfortunately, the voice of
the people of the world has fallen on deaf ears, and my earnest appeal
has evoked no response. We have already seen the dire result of their
insensate ambition. Without any rhyme or reason they defied the basic
principles of international justice and poured hordes into Indian
territory, carrying death and destruction to the innocent people of the
frontier areas of India. Their naked aggression has been condemned by
the whole world, including almost all the countries of the Communist
bloc. I hope and pray that the leaders of China have learnt their
lesson from this vicious adventure. I hope and pray that they have
realised that they cannot defy the conscience of mankind and the
opinion of the civilised peoples. I, therefore, once again appeal to
them to bring about a change in their policy in Tibet and realise that
the only solution to the Tibetan problem is a peaceful settlement
consistent with the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Tibetan
people.
Today in this modern world, when colonialism in every form is being
eliminated and the equal right to freedom of all people is being
realised, I think it is a grave mistake on the part of China to believe
that she can forcibly occupy and claim Tibet to be a part of her
territory. She must realise that history has proved, in many instances,
a country no matter how powerful, can never continue to dominate
another country forever. I, therefore, earnestly appeal for the
complete withdrawal of the Chinese from Tibet.
I take this opportunity to express once again our deepest gratitude to
the States which have been moved by the tragic situation in Tibet and
taken an active part in persuading the United Nations to interest
itself in the restoration of the freedom and liberties of the Tibetan
people. The last Resolution of the General Assembly of the United
Nations appealed to every member State to use its good offices and best
endeavours to bring to an end the practices which deprive the Tibetan
people of their fundamental human rights and freedoms. I have no doubt
that all these peace-loving States will not fail to respond to this
appeal and do their best to bring peace and freedom to my unfortunate
people.
We must all, therefore, with unshaken faith, continue to struggle for
the not too distant day of regaining freedom of our country. To build
and prepare for the future is one of our primary responsibilities. For
this purpose, I have prepared a future Constitution for Tibet which is
consistent with the teachings of Lord Buddha and with the rich
spiritual and temporal heritage of our history and democracy. This
Constitution provides for effective participation by the people and
also for securing social and economic justice. I have decided that on
Tibet regaining freedom the Constitution shall immediately come into
force but later may be suitably recast on the advice of the elected
representatives of the people.
I invoke the blessings of Divine Providence on all mankind.
The Dalai Lama
March 10, 1963