Seventy-five years after the formal annexation of their homeland, exiled Tibetans continue to hold on to the hope of eventually returning, even as China has tightened its grip over the region in recent times.
Navigating the complexities of statelessness, the exiled community has continued to maintain a strong collective identity and evolved a vibrant democratic system. Even after seven decades, facing displacement and loss, those living in exile remain resilient in their struggle.
“For my generation, May 23 is a reminder of a broken contract and a stolen homeland. Even though most of us were born in exile and have only seen Tibet through the memories and stories of our elders, our connection to our roots is unbreakable. In our communities, we often say that every Tibetan carries an invisible ‘R’ on their forehead. It stands for three things: Refugee, Resistance, and Resilience,” says Tenzin Passang, 29, national director of the Students For A Free Tibet-India.
“Our hope comes from our own endurance. The Tibetan resistance has survived for 75 years. If Beijing thought that time would make the younger generation forget, they miscalculated. Our resolve is not fading; it is getting stronger. We carry the dreams of our grandparents, and we will keep pushing forward until we can finally go home,” Passang adds.
Echoes of forced pact
It was in 1949 when the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) first crossed into Tibet. The formal annexation by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) occurred on May 23, 1951. The date marks the signing of the ‘17-Point Agreement’ in Beijing, a contentious treaty that Tibetan leaders say was forced upon them by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The Tibetan government-in-exile maintains that the agreement never had any validity since it was obtained through the use and threat of armed force.
China’s annexation of Tibet triggered tensions within the region and eventually led to the 1959 uprising in Lhasa against Mao Zedong’s communist rule, which failed, forcing the then 23-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, and over 80,000 Tibetans to flee to India, where he continues to reside along with the Tibetan government-in-exile. Following his escape to India, China further tightened its control over the territory.
Karma Phuntsok Namgyal, 33, a Tibetan activist, says, “The Tibetan community has never surrendered to despair. Through decades of displacement, loss, and struggle, we have remained a people defined by hope and driven by an unbreakable determination. Ours is not a passive waiting; it is an active, unwavering fight to reclaim the freedom that was stolen from a previous generation, to honour the dreams of those who were forced to leave their homeland, and to one day return to Tibet to live, to breathe, and to die on the land that is ours.”
Democratic rebirth in exile
Following the Dalai Lama’s escape to India, he established the Tibetan exile administration on April 29, 1959, in the north Indian hill station of Mussoorie. Named the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) of the Dalai Lama, it is the continuation of the government of independent Tibet. In May 1960, the CTA was moved to Dharamshala, where it is today.
The Dalai Lama formally relinquished his political and administrative role in 2011 by signing amendments to the Constitution of the Tibetan government-in-exile. He chose to remain solely the spiritual head, transferring political authority to the CTA and its democratic leadership.
Dorjee Tseten, member of Tibetan Parliament in Exile and programme director, Tibet Action Institute, says, “May 23, the anniversary of the so-called 17 Point Agreement, remains a brutal reminder of the occupation of Tibet. The agreement was signed under military pressure and has never been accepted by the Tibetan people as a legitimate expression of our national will. The very act of forcing Tibet to sign such an agreement demonstrated that Tibet was historically a separate nation.”
“Under the leadership of the Dalai Lama and through the democratic institutions of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Tibetans have kept alive the values of democracy, unity, and non-violent struggle, and will continue this movement until Tibet is free and the Tibetan people can live with freedom and dignity in our homeland,” he added.
Shadow over reincarnation
With the Dalai Lama, the central figure of Tibetan Buddhism, ageing, the exiled Tibetans are anxious about the future as China’s alleged interference in his reincarnation process. Exiled Tibetans say that there is a quiet, deep dread within the community about the future. They say the process of recognising the reincarnations of lamas in Tibetan Buddhism is solely and uniquely a religious tradition. In contrast, Beijing maintains that the process of selecting his successor must adhere to Chinese law, asserting its control over Tibetan Buddhism and rejecting any succession beyond its authority.
The exiled Tibetans say the Chinese government’s interference in recognising reincarnated lamas is aimed at controlling the next Dalai Lama and, through him, the Tibetan people. In Tibetan tradition, it is believed that when a senior Buddhist monk passes away, his soul is reincarnated in the body of a child. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was recognised as the reincarnation of his predecessor at the age of two.
Having already installed a state-appointed Panchen Lama, who lacks legitimacy among exiled Tibetans and the broader international community, the exiled community feels the risk of China appointing a parallel, illegitimate Dalai Lama may be real.
Tenzin Lobsang, the general secretary of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), says there is no doubt that China will attempt to interfere in the process of recognising the next Dalai Lama. However, the spiritual leader has clearly said that the Gaden Phodrang Trust alone holds the legitimate authority to identify and recognise his reincarnation.
“The key question remains: How will the international community respond to the pressure and interference exerted by China? In this matter, India’s position will be particularly important. Considering the immense contributions of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to India, as well as his global legacy of peace, compassion and non-violence, we believe that India, the United States and the wider international community will support the authority of the Gaden Phodrang Trust in the process of recognising the next Dalai Lama,” he adds.
Faltering middle-way hope
For the peaceful resolution of the Tibet issue, the Dalai Lama has since long been proposing the middle-way approach, which aims to bring stability and co-existence between the Tibetan and Chinese people based on equality and mutual cooperation. It is a policy adopted democratically by the CTA and the Tibetan people through a series of discussions held over a long time.
However, with China’s strict control over Tibet and its repressive policies, exiled Tibetans are apprehensive about China’s willingness to seek a peaceful solution of the Tibet issue. “With the recent implementation of policies such as the Ethnic Unity Law and Progress, many Tibetans now feel that there is little to no space left for genuine cultural or political freedom unless Tibetans fully accept Sinicisation. As a result, confidence in the middle way policy has been weakened, and many believe the possibility for meaningful dialogue is rapidly closing unless there is a major change in these policies,” says Lobsang.
