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Tibet is a country roughly the size of Europe, high in the Himalaya mountains, bordering China, India, Nepal, Burma and Bhutan. It is an independent country with a written history of more than 2000 years. Cut off by the mountains, its way of life remained unchanged for hundreds of years.

For almost 1500 years the main religion of the country has been Buddhism, which emphasises peace and compassion. The main leader of Tibetan Buddhists is the Dalai Lama. He is also the leader of the country's government.

Tenzin Gyatso was born in 1935 in a village called Takster in East Tibet. At the age of 2 years he was recognised as the rebirth of the 13th Dalai Lama, who had died in 1934. At 4 years old, he was brought to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, where he lived in the Potala Palace as the 14th Dalai Lama. Here he began his education as a Buddhist monk. A Regent was in control of the government until he was old enough to take over, but Tenzin Gyatso took a keen interest in learning about his people and also the world outside.

In 1950 the new Communist Government of China invaded Tibet, claiming it was historically part of the 'Chinese Motherland'. Aged just 15, the Dalai Lama became the leader of the Tibetan government. His first job was to contact the United Nations and ask for help, but his request was turned down. The tiny and ill-equipped Tibetan army was quickly overpowered by the might of the Chinese troops.

China promised to respect the Tibetan people and their way of life, but they soon broke these promises, demanding money and food, taking people's land and cattle, and destroying the Buddhist monasteries, and killing anyone who resisted.

In 1954 the Dalai Lama visited Beijing, the capital of China, for talks with Mao Tse-tung, the Chinese leader. Again China made promises which were soon broken.

In 1959, thousands of Tibetan people gathered in Lhasa fearing that the Dalai Lama was about to be kidnapped and taken to China. They prepared to defend him with their lives. Hoping to avoid terrible bloodshed, the Dalai Lama took refuge across the border in India. He travelled in disguise, completing the long and difficult journey on horseback with a few companions. The Chinese bombarded the Potala Palace and altogether 84,000 Tibetans were killed in the uprising.

The same year, 80,000 Tibetans crossed the Himalayas to seek refuge from the Chinese in India, Nepal and Bhutan. Many more have continued to leave throughout the years of Chinese rule.

The government of India welcomed the Dalai Lama, and gave land to the Tibetan refugees. The Tibetan government in exile was established in Dharamsala, Northern India. Their main concerns were education, health care and the survival of Tibetan culture. Tibetan orphans were cared for by the Tibetan Children's Village there.

Later Communist ideological programmes, such as the Cultural Revolution (1967-76), which aimed to destroy everything to do with the past, were particularly oppressive in Tibet. Almost all the 6,000 monasteries in the country were systematically destroyed by the Chinese and the practice of Buddhism was strictly outlawed. It was especially forbidden to even possess a picture of the Dalai Lama. Most of Tibet's sacred Buddhist literature was burned and Buddhist monks, including highly respected lamas (teachers) were humiliated, imprisoned or killed.

Approximately 1.2 million of Tibet's 6 million people died during the thirty years following the Chinese occupation in 1949, many as a result of famine brought about by Chinese policies. About 125,000 Tibetans followed the Dalai Lama into exile. The major refugee populations are in India (85,000), Nepal (14,000), Bhutan (1,600), Switzerland (1,540), the USA and Canada (7,000), and Taiwan (1,000). There is a small Tibetan community in the UK also.

China's policy of occupation and oppression has resulted in the destruction of Tibet's national independence, culture and religion, environment, and the universal human rights of its people. And it continues to this day.

An official Chinese Government document from 1991 says: "We should oppose all those who work to split the motherland. There should be no hesitation in taking harsh decisions to deal with any political disturbance carried out in the name of nationality or religion"

Some of 'old Tibet' has been incorporated into Chinese provinces, and other parts are known as the Tibetan Autonomous Republic – all is ruled by the Chinese.

Today possessing an image of the Tibetan national flag can lead to a seven-year jail term.

"Today, we are going through a critical period of time. We are a nation with an ancient culture, which is now facing the threat of extinction. We need your help, the international community's help, to protect our culture. Our culture is one of the heritages of the world. Protecting an ancient culture like this is the responsibility not only of the concerned nation, but also of the world community as a whole." The Dalai Lama

Various policies by the Chinese authorities threatened the Tibetan way of life:

• Tibetans are now outnumbered by Chinese in their own country (7.5 million Chinese to 6 million Tibetans)
• The Chinese usually have the best housing and jobs, and are encouraged to set up their own businesses
• More than 70% of the Tibetans under Chinese rule live in poverty
• The education system is controlled by the Chinese and reflects their ideology, denigrating Tibetan life and culture
• Tibetan children are denied access to adequate health care and schooling, due to discrimination and poor facilities
• Chinese police infiltrate and interfere with the workings of the monasteries, trying to eradicate allegiance to the Dalai Lama
• It is illegal to have a picture of the Dalai Lama
• The Panchen Lama, second in authority to the Dalai Lama, was kidnapped, aged 6, in 1995 and has not been seen since

Tibet is situated at the heart of Asia, and is environmentally very important for the whole world. Tibetans live in harmony with nature, guided by their Buddhist belief in the interdependence of all things and creatures.

The past 50 years, however, have seen widespread environmental destruction:

• The Chinese authorities have destroyed 46% of Tibet's forests, taking US$54 billion of timber between 1959 and 1985
• Massive deforestation, mining and intense farming have resulted in increased soil erosion,
• This in turn has led to the silting of the Mekong, Yangtze, Indus Salween and Yellow Rivers, raising the riverbeds and causing major flooding throughout Asia
• It is suspected that deforestation also affects the stability of the monsoon rains across Asia, and also affects jet streams related to typhoons in the Pacific Ocean
• Active encouragement of hunting, and the destruction of habitats means that 81 animals on the Tibetan plateau are now in danger of extinction
• uncontrolled mining of key minerals has also severely damaged the environment, causing habitat loss and pollution
• There are at least 300,000 Chinese soldiers in Tibet, and 25% of China's nuclear missile force is housed there.
• It appears that China is using Tibet as a dumping ground for their own and foreign nuclear waste
• There is evidence of contamination around the nuclear sites

• Tibetans can be arrested for no reason, detained without trial, and tortured
• In 1998, more than a thousand Tibetans including women and children were locked up in Chinese prisons because of their political, religious or ethical views
• China has been accused of 'acts of genocide' in Tibet by the international community

The Dalai Lama has continued to work for the Tibetan cause tirelessly, but always through peaceful means. In 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for this work.

He has set out his vision for the future of Tibet in a 5 Point Peace Plan:

1. Tibet should become a Zone of Peace. This would involve the withdrawal of Chinese troops and military installations, but includes much more:
   
   "Peace means harmony: harmony between people, between people and animals, between sentient beings and the environment. Visitors from all over the world could come to Tibet to experience peace and harmony. Instead of building big hotels with many stories and many rooms, we could make small buildings, more like private homes – that would be in better harmony with nature." Dalai Lama
2. Giving up China's policy of transferring huge numbers of Chinese to live in Tibet
3. Respect for the Tibetan people's fundamental human rights and democratic freedom
4. Restoring and protecting Tibet's natural environment and giving up China's use of Tibet for the production of nuclear weapons and dumping of nuclear waste
5. Beginning serious negotiations on the future status of Tibet and of relations with the Tibetan and Chinese people

He has promoted a 'Middle Way' approach to restoring relations: not demanding the total independence of Tibet, but meaningful autonomy based on the recognition of the Human Rights of Tibetans.

He has introduced democracy in the Tibetan government in exile, and has said that he will give up his political role as leader of the country once Tibet is safe.

His peaceful approach in the face of very great difficulties has inspired people all over the world.

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