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Published on March 20, 2008

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama once said: "The Chinese military is determined to crush, and the Tibetan side determined to resist."

The strain on relations between people in the predominantly Buddhist region and the communist-run government in Beijing did not start last week when demonstrations erupted in the capital city of Lhasa. It has a history that dates back centuries.

Tibetans say they were independent throughout their history until 1950, when the People's Liberation Army annexed Tibet.

The Indian-based government of Tibet in exile said before the invasion that Tibet met all of the conditions of statehood under international law. There was a defined territory, a population inhabiting that territory and a functioning government exercising authority over that territory and possessing the ability to enter into international relations.

The main events cited by the Chinese government occurred around the 13th century during the height of Mongol imperial expansion, when Mongol emperors extended their political supremacy throughout most of Asia and large parts of Eastern Europe; and later when Manchu Emperors ruled China and expanded their influence throughout East and Central Asia, including Tibet in the 18th century.

The Tibetans argue that history cannot be dated that far back, since the territory came under various degrees of foreign influence from the Mongols, the Gurkhas of Nepal, the Manchu of China and the British rulers of India.

"It would be hard to find any state in the world today that has not been subjected to foreign domination for some part of its history," said the Tibetan government in exile.

The Tibetans prefer the more certain period of modern history from 1911-49. They say there was no evidence of Chinese authority and influence over Tibet, suggesting Tibet was independent before the annexation.

The People's Liberation Army invaded Tibet in 1949 and completely defeated the minimal resistance of the ill-equipped Tibetan army in 1950 before pressuring the Tibetans to sign a 17-point agreement in 1951, reaffirming China's sovereignty over Tibet. That began a new chapter of resistance.

A huge uprising in 1959 caused the death of thousands of people and forced the Dalai Lama and other government principals to flee to India. The last serious protests took place in early 1989, just before the Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing.

Beijing says it has spent a lot of money to improve the Tibet plateau, including the construction of a railway to Lhasa. But Tibetans argue the development never trickled down to local residents and that the train has brought Han merchants to control its economy. The concept of the Tibetan Autonomous Region has functioned only as a form of Han rule.

What Tibetans really seek is self-determination. The current uprising has drawn wide attention from the international community, because it has erupted when China is under the spotlight of the Olympic Games this August. However, it is unlikely to produce the desired result.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation