1987–1989 Tibetan unrest

Series of pro-independence protests and demonstrations in Tibet, China July 2018 The 1987–1989 Tibetan unrest was a series of protests and demonstrations that called for Tibetan independence. These protests took place between September 1987 and March 1989 in the Tibet Autonomous Region, in the Tibetan regions of Sichuan, and Qinghai, as well as the Tibetan prefectures in Yunnan and Gansu. Protests began shortly after the Dalai Lama, the religious and temporal leader of Tibet exiled in India since the 1959 Tibetan unrest, proposed a Five Point Peace Plan regarding the "status of Tibet" on September 21, 1987, which was subsequently rejected by the Chinese government.Sanchez Rene 1987-09-22 DALAI LAMA URGES TIBETAN FREEDOM en-US Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1987/09/22/dalai-lama-urges-tibetan-freedom/6be1f7c0-8994-4f22-b402-799ae3697eb7/ 2022-09-15 0190-8286 The plan advocated for greater respect and autonomy of the Tibetan people, and claimed that "Tibet was a fully independent state when the People's Liberation Army invaded the country in 1949–50." 1988 Five Point Peace Plan http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/000944558802400208 China Report en 24 2 195–200 10.1177/000944558802400208 220873490 0009-4455 subscription China rejected the idea of Tibetans as an invaded people, stating that "Tibet is an inalienable part of Chinese territory" and has been for hundreds of years."China Opposes Dalai's Statement." Beijing Review, 10 May 1987. 6-7. The Tibetan sovereignty debate is longstanding, and the Tibetan assertion that they are a separate and unique people invaded by China has become a central argument for their independence. On September 27, 1987, the first demonstration began. Twenty-one monks from Lhasa's Drepung Monastery and an undetermined number of laypeople took to the streets to show their support for the Dalai Lama, waving the Tibetan flag and calling for Tibetan independence; the Chinese authorities arrested all twenty-one monks as well as five laypeople.30 years of resistance https://www.tibetwatch.org/30-years-of-resistance 2022-09-15 Tibet Watch en-USLi, Zhu. "Demonstrations Disrupt Peace in Lhasa." Beijing Review, 12 October 1987. 5-6. On October 1, China's National Day, monks from Lhasa's Sera Monastery decided to protest once again, calling for Tibetan independence, but this protest turned violent. Protesters threw rocks at the police, overturned motor vehicles and set them on fire, the police station was set ablaze, and at least six Tibetans died.Barnett, Robert. Lhasa: Streets with Memories. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006. Chinese media classified those involved as rioters, agitators, and members of a "clique of supporters of the Dalai Lama."Li, Zhu. "Demonstrations Disrupt Peace in Lhasa." Beijing Review, 12 October 1987. 6. In the following weeks, the Chinese authorities arrested hundreds of Tibetans suspected of being at the demonstrations, told foreign travellers and journalists to leave, and established a curfew.Schwartz, Ronald David. Circle of Protest: Political Ritual in the Tibetan Uprising. New York: Columbia University Press, 1994. 126. Over the next three years, demonstrations of various sizes continued to occur. The largest demonstrations took place between March 5–7, 1989 in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. It began as a small protest on March 5, with a handful of nuns, monks, and Tibetan youth in the Barkhor flying the Tibetan flag and calling for Tibetan independence, but they were quickly joined by a crowd of several hundred people. As time went on, tensions escalated between protesters and the police, and violence eventually erupted. According to Tibet Watch, violence erupted when a policeman threw a bottle at the crowd, but Chinese media reported that the violence began with protesters throwing rocks at the police station."Lhasa Riot Causes Death." Beijing Review, 19 March 1989. 7-8. Either way, the violence between Tibetan protesters and Chinese security forces continued for three days, with PAP soldiers shooting at unarmed civilian protesters in order to restore order.Brown, Jeremy. June Fourth: The Tiananmen Protests and Beijing Massacre of 1989. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2021. 156-158. Protests ended with the declaration of martial law on March 8.12 – "Lhasa Goes Under Martial Law." Beijing Review, 26 March 1989. 5-6. The few foreign journalists and tourists remaining were expelled from Tibet on March 10 and an estimated 60,000 Chinese troops and police arrived in Lhasa to restore order.Holley David 1989-03-10 Tibet Expels Foreigners, Intensifies Crackdown https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-03-10-mn-1223-story.html 2023-06-14 Los Angeles Times en-US Accounts of underreported deaths and excessive military threat against protesters have surfaced, but verifiable details remain elusive.Becker, Jesper. "Tibetans Fear More Secret Brutality." The Guardian, 10 March 1989. The exact number of deaths during this three-day period is unknown, with Chinese news outlets recording a total of 10 deaths and 60 injured while other, non-Chinese or pro-Tibet, media estimate between 16 and 50 people died.Ming, Shi. "Lhasa: From Riots to Martial Law." Beijing Review, 4 February 1989. 27-30. Another report estimates as many as 450 deaths and hundreds more injured in the first few months of 1989 in Tibet.Ap 1990-08-14 Chinese Said to Kill 450 Tibetans in 1989 en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/14/world/chinese-said-to-kill-450-tibetans-in-1989.html 2022-09-15 0362-4331 Martial law effectively quelled the demonstrations, with Chinese police arresting thousands of Tibetans suspected of participating in the demonstrations and reportedly silencing any media trying to report on the unrest. Lhasa would remain under martial law for thirteen months, but no more large protests would occur.Kristof Nicholas D. 1990-05-01 MARTIAL LAW ENDS IN TIBET'S CAPITAL en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/01/world/martial-law-ends-in-tibet-s-capital.html 2022-09-15 0362-4331 Timeline March 2018 1987 September 21 – the Dalai Lama reveals his Five-Point Peace Plan for Tibet in an address to the U.S. Congressional Human Rights Caucus in Washington, D.C. September 23 – China rejects the Dalai Lama's Five-Point Peace Plan. September 27 – twenty-one monks from the Drepung Monastery took to the streets of Lhasa to show support for the Dalai Lama, waving the Tibetan flag and calling for Tibetan Independence. They were gradually joined by a number of laypeople. The Chinese authorities broke up the demonstration, arresting all twenty-one monks and five laypeople. Multiple news reports labeled this the "black night."Tibetan Youth Congress September 27, 2004 http://www.tibetanyouthcongress.org/tycnews/27thseptrtyc1.htm December 5, 2009 Tibetans protest seeking release of political prisoners https://web.archive.org/web/20081006083545/http://www.tibetanyouthcongress.org/tycnews/27thseptrtyc1.htm October 6, 2008 dead mdy-allhttp://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=7778&t=1 Tibetans protest seeking release of political prisoners Phayul.com 2018-03-09 June 17, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160617151716/http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=7778&t=1 dead October 1 – large demonstrations occurred on China's National Day in Lhasa when monks from the Sera Monastery decided to fly Tibetan flags and call for Tibetan independence once more. These demonstrations turned violent, with demonstrators overturning vehicles, setting vehicles and the police station ablaze, and throwing stones at the police. At least six Tibetans died. October 4 – the Chinese authorities impose a 10 pm curfew on Lhasa residents.Ap 1987-10-05 CHINESE CURFEW IN THE TIBET CAPITAL en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/05/world/chinese-curfew-in-the-tibet-capital.html 2022-09-15 0362-4331 October 6 – a group of roughly fifty monks from the Drepung Monastery began protesting for the release of the monks detained during the September 27 demonstrations while also calling once more for Tibetan independence. An overwhelming force of 250 armed police broke up the peaceful demonstrations, reportedly beating the protesters with a variety of weapons, and arresting the monks. The monks were released soon after.Schwartz, Ronald David. Circle of Protest: Political Ritual in the Tibetan Uprising. New York: Columbia University Press, 1994. October 8 – Chinese authorities told foreign journalists to leave Tibet within 48 hours or "face the consequences."Macartney Jane 1987-10-09 FOREIGN REPORTERS ORDERED TO LEAVE TIBET en-US Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/10/09/foreign-reporters-ordered-to-leave-tibet/8baf7550-bd33-4a2d-a104-f5d312bee28d/ 2023-06-14 0190-8286 1988 March 5 – a revolt took place at the celebration of the Great Prayer (Monlam Prayer Festival). The riots cost the lives of three persons according to Chinese sources; thirty according to the Tibetan opposition. June – the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, altered his demands to the Chinese government. In his speech at the European Parliament on June 15, 1988, the Dalai Lama proposed a solution for Tibet "in association with the People's Republic of China." December 10 – further riots in Lhasa. According to official sources one person died; unofficial sources spoke of twelve. Dutch lawyer Christa Meindersma is amongst those shot by Chinese soldiers.Dutch Woman Wounded In Nationalist Unrest Allowed To Leave Tibet https://apnews.com/article/2b67ba6c09541a80c4f34dce71e524e5 2023-06-14 AP NEWS en 1989 January 19 – sentences were pronounced in consequence of the arrests made during the riots of 1988 with deterrent harshness. The sentences ranged from three years imprisonment to the death penalty (with delay of March 7 – all foreigners including journalists were evacuated. This signified an end to the provision of information to the rest of the world on the riots. Five people died in two days according to official sources. However, Tang Daxian, a former Chinese journalist present in Lhasa during that period, claims 387 civilians plus 82 religious people have been killed, and 721 people have been injured, according to a report he saw from Public Security Bureau.https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/14/world/chinese-said-to-kill-450-tibetans-in-1989.html Chinese Said to Kill 450 Tibetans in 1989 Associated Press August 14, 1990 See also Annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China History of Tibet (1950–present) Human rights in Tibet Protests and uprisings in Tibet since 1950 1959 Tibetan uprising 2008 Tibetan unrest 2010 Tibetan language protest Sinicization of Tibet Tibetan independence movement Tibetan sovereignty debate References Further reading The Dragon in the Land of Snows : A History of Modern Tibet Since 1947 Shakya Tsering Wangdu Tsering Shaya 2000 Penguin 0-14-019615-3 registration https://archive.org/details/dragoninlandofsn00tser_0 The Tibet-China Conflict: History and Polemics http://www.eastwestcenter.org/fileadmin/stored/pdfs/PS007.pdf Sperling Elliot Policy Studies Elliot Sperling 2004 East-West Center Washington 1-932728-13-9 1547-1330 14 August 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080819185422/http://www.eastwestcenter.org/fileadmin/stored/pdfs/PS007.pdf 19 August 2008 live – (online version) Beijing's Tibet Policy: Securing Sovereignty and Legitimacy http://www.eastwestcenter.org/fileadmin/stored/pdfs/PS004.pdf Carlson Allen 2004 East-West Center Washington 1-932728-07-4 14 August 2008 September 27, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110927102148/http://www.eastwestcenter.org/fileadmin/stored/pdfs/PS004.pdf dead – (online version) 1987-10-05 CHINESE CURFEW IN THE TIBET CAPITAL en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/05/world/chinese-curfew-in-the-tibet-capital.html 2022-09-15 0362-4331 External links Chronologie orientée, Tibet 1987-1993 fr Essay: The Tibetans by Robert Barnett Thunder from Tibet by Robert Barnett Account of 1987 riot in Lhasa Category:1980s in Tibet Category:1987 in China Category:1988 in China Category:1989 in China Category:1987 protests Category:1988 protests Category:1989 protests Category:1987 riots Category:1988 riots Category:1989 riots Category:Riots and civil disorder in China Category:Tibetan independence movement Category:Protests in China Category:Massacres in China Category:Rebellions in China Category:20th-century political riots Category:1987 in politics Category:1988 in politics Category:1989 in politics