Provided by International Campaign for Tibet

Q: What is the goal of the Tibet movement?

A: The goal of the Tibet movement is to achieve a peaceful, negotiated solution to the Chinese occupation of Tibet which allows for the Dalai Lama to return to a Tibet run by Tibetans.

Q: What is the position of the U.S. government towards Tibet?

A: The official position of the U.S. government supports dialogue between the Dalai Lama and Beijing. The government is also concerned about the "preservation and development of Tibet's unique religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage and protection of its people's fundamental human rights."

The U.S. Congress takes a stronger stand and maintains that Tibet is an occupied country under international law and the legitimate leader is the Dalai Lama.

Q: Is the Dalai Lama asking for Independence from China?

A: No. The Dalai Lama has been seeking genuine autonomy for Tibet. He has always stated that since Tibet was independent, Tibetans have the right to seek independence. However, he does not want to argue over Tibet's historical status, but wants to base negotiations on a forward-looking solution involving genuine autonomy. Genuine autonomy would mean that Tibetans have full control of governing their affairs-not unlike the status of Hong Kong today, or what China has offered Taiwan. The basis for the Dalai Lama's push for negotiations and autonomy is laid out in tow documents: the Five Point Peace Plan (1987) and Strasbourg Statement (1988).

Q: Haven't the Chinese improved conditions in Tibet?

A: Some conditions have been improved, however Chinese investments in Tibet go mainly to the newly arrived Chinese immigrants who currently outnumber Tibetans in all larger towns and cities. 

Q: Wasn't Tibet a brutal serfdom before the Chinese arrived?

A: A form of serfdom did exist in Tibet, however it was not nearly as brutal as Chinese propaganda makes it out to have been. Several travelers to Tibet in the 1940's reported that the level of economic exploitation was not dissimilar to many Asian societies at that time, and better than some. 

Q: Are Tibetans still fleeing into exile?

A: Since 1991 over 20,000 Tibetans have fled into India and Nepal. They have been helped by the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees, as well as by humanitarian aid from the U.S. government. Still, they often subsist under dire circumstances. Over a third of them are monks and nuns, many of whom have been expelled from monasteries and nunneries or barred from entering them. Half of the refugees are under 25 years of age. 

Q: How many Tibetans have perished as a direct result of the Chinese occupation?

A: The Tibetan government in Exile estimates that 1.2 million Tibetans have died since the 1949 invasion -- this includes from famine, torture, labor camps, pitched battles and other causes. 

Q: What are the major problems in Tibet?

A: The major problems in Tibet are continued brutality and oppression, religious persecution, human rights abuses, the massive influx of Chinese immigrants and the elimination of basic freedoms including speech, religion, cultural expression and self-determination.