'TIBET'S PATH TO FREEDOM MIRRORS CHALLENGES FACED BY PALESTINE, UKRAINE'

Tibetan activist and writer Tenzin Tsundue speaks to The Sunday Guardian on the 65th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

Tenzin Tsundue is a leading Tibetan activist and a writer. While speaking to The Sunday Guardian on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising, Tsundue reflects on Tibet’s struggle for independence, comparing it to global movements like Palestine and Ukraine. He highlights Tibet’s historical bid for independence in 1913 and the 1959 uprising against Chinese rule, resulting in over a million deaths and cultural destruction. Tsundue talks about China’s systematic suppression of Tibetan culture, including population influx and language restrictions. While acknowledging India’s support for Tibet, he calls for a more active international involvement. Edited excerpts.

Q: March 10 marks the 65th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising which is perhaps the most significant event that Tibet witnessed since 1900 apart from declaring its independence from China in 1913 (proclamation of independence in 1913), an independence that lasted till 1950. My question to you is whether that brief time period of independence is now a part of history which is unlikely to be witnessed again? Given the military and diplomatic might that China now enjoys, do you believe that another uprising can happen?