The nation of Tibet was annexed by China in 1949-50. The 14th and current Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader and most important symbol of Tibet, went into exile in 1959, settling in Dharamsala, India. The Chinese government imported Han Chinese into what is now known as the Tibet Autonomous Region (part of China); they now constitute the ethnic majority. In 1988, the Dalai Lama stated his official wish for Tibet’s future to be not an independent state, but rather a “democratic and autonomous political entity.”
On March 10 2008, Tibetan monks in Lhasa, capital of the Tar, began street protests to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the failed rebellion against China. The protests evolved into violence. Protesters clashed with police and burned down business owned by Han Chinese. Similar protests erupted in other regions of China with large Tibetan populations. Chinese and Tibetan accounts of casualties have varied wildly, and were impossible to confirm independently because the Chinese government has banned journalists from the affected areas.
The protests are a major embarrassment for the Chinese government in the coming months, as China prepares to host the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Follow our coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and read more about the Tibet clashes on our Observers site.
Reporter's notebook: Tibetan protests
FRANCE 24's Sébastien Le Belzic is on assignment in Western China to cover the protests by ethnic Tibetans. Send him your questions.
Protests renew Tibetan debate over violence
Images of Tibetans attacking Chinese targets seem to be at odds with the non-violence preached by the Dalai Lama. Tibetans say the new violence raises old questions about the struggle for freedom.
Tension mounts between China and Dalai Lama
Despite the Dalai Lama's resignation offer, the Chinese government continues to place the responsibility for last week's violence on him.
Yahoo! denies posting photos of Tibetan protesters
Internet giant Yahoo! denied posting pictures of Tibetan militants wanted by China for protesting in Lhasa on its websites. Yahoo! said it was checking the incident with the Yahoo! China site.
Pour aller plus loin
- 05/08/2008 : Spain to hear lawsuit from Tibetan rights groups
- 19/05/2008 : Dalai Lama meets German minister
- 03/05/2008 : Tibetan envoys expected in China
- 30/04/2008 : China admits killing Tibetan 'insurgent'
- 29/04/2008 : China jails 17 for Tibet riots
- 25/04/2008 : China agrees to dialogue with the Dalai Lama
- 10/04/2008 : Dalai Lama backs China's 'right' to Games
- 23/03/2008 : China vows to crush Tibet protests
- 22/03/2008 : China: 19 people killed in Tibet unrest
- 21/03/2008 : Pelosi calls for independent probe on Tibet
- 21/03/2008 : China admits shooting Tibetan protesters
- 21/03/2008 : Tibet, China on Taiwanese campaign agenda
- 20/03/2008 : Dalai Lama ready for Tibet talks
- 17/03/2008 : Tibetan resistance goes online
- 16/03/2008 : Death toll rises in Tibet unrest
- 16/03/2008 : US urges Chinese restraint in Tibet
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IN THE FIELD
21/03: Henry Morton reports from Sichuan (6 a.m)
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REPORT
Chinese state TV broadcasts 'Tibet Report' (Report: C. Norris-Trent)
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REPORT
20/03: China admits shooting protesters (Report: C.Norris-Trent)
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