The Quiet Battle: China's Systematic Efforts to Erase Tibetan Identity (IANS Analysis)

New Delhi, Feb 12 (NationPress) China's oppressive and violent assimilation strategies against its religious and ethnic minorities are well-documented. In spite of regular denunciations from the global community and civil society regarding its terrible human rights violations, China remains unyielding and continues its course.

A stark illustration of this is the unrelenting political, physical, cultural, and spiritual violence inflicted by the CCP on the Tibetan people. Many Tibetans, forced into exile from their homeland, continue to fight for autonomy, dignity, and the freedom to uphold their unique cultural traditions, representing one of the most formidable challenges to Chinese dominance today.

After the CCP's invasion of the Tibetan plateau in 1949, it fully annexed the region in 1951—a move that the Chinese government refers to as 'peaceful liberation from feudal serfdom'.

The following decade was marked by widespread protests and uprisings by Tibetans, which the Chinese regime suppressed brutally, resulting in the Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual authority and leader of Tibetan Buddhism, fleeing Tibet in 1949 and seeking refuge in neighboring India.

His escape was followed by over 80,000 Tibetans in the ensuing years, leading to a substantial population of Tibetans living outside Tibet.

Those who remain in Tibet face a barrage of policies from the Chinese government aimed at erasing their culture, disconnecting future generations from a distinct Tibetan identity, and engaging in demographic engineering to further marginalize Tibetans.

Often described as 'cultural genocide' and 'Sinicization', these policies include prohibiting the Tibetan language in favor of Mandarin in educational institutions and interfering in Tibetan religious practices, such as the selection of reincarnations of prominent spiritual leaders.

For Tibetans, their form of Buddhism, known as Tibetan Buddhism, is integral to shaping the social, political, cultural, philosophical, and spiritual norms of their society.

Political and religious elements are so deeply intertwined for Tibetans that their highest spiritual figure also occupies the pinnacle of political authority.

The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is a globally respected figure due to his steadfast advocacy for Tibetan rights and his international campaign for peace, human rights, and shared responsibility, earning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

To the Chinese government, which views him as a threat due to his immense influence over Tibetans, his charismatic and resilient nature further amplifies his impact.

It is therefore unsurprising that the CCP routinely engages in malicious propaganda against this revered leader, labeling him as an ex-slave-owning theocrat and even a paedophile.

As early as 1996, the CCP prohibited the possession and display of the Dalai Lama’s images in Tibet, interpreting it as solidarity with Tibetan separatism.

Forcing Tibetans to remove images of their spiritual leader from their homes and replace them with portraits of Mao Zedong and Xi Jinping is a blatant abuse of power and oppression of a people.

The CCP's desire for totalitarian control is evident, as the party, once openly hostile to religion under Mao, now seeks to dictate who will succeed the Dalai Lama.

The party has repeatedly claimed its right to decide the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation through the 'golden urn' method and has formed a committee of government-selected Tibetan monks and CPC officials to oversee this process, raising fears of a potential schism within Tibetan Buddhism.

It is crucial to remember that the six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, named by the Dalai Lama as the reincarnated Panchen Lama in 1995, was arrested shortly thereafter and has never been found, while the CCP appointed his successor.

Moreover, the Chinese government has systematically dismantled or reduced Tibetan Buddhist monasteries as well as Tibetan villages and private schools.

For example, from 2016 to September 2017, Chinese authorities demolished large sections of the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Sichuan, one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist study centers globally, citing disaster risk. Approximately 4,725 homes were destroyed, and 5,000 residents were displaced from a community that once housed between 10,000 and 40,000 monks, nuns, and students.

To worsen matters, the evicted individuals were forcibly subjected to a 're-education' program, which essentially entails indoctrination into the CCP’s ideology.

In a similar vein, the government has frequently ordered the shutdown of private Tibetan schools, including the Gangjong Sherig Norling School in 2024 and the Gaden Rabten Namgyaling School in 2021, ensuring that the upcoming generation of Tibetan children remains ignorant of their language, spiritual practices, values, and cultural identity.

To further undermine Tibetan education, the Chinese government compels Tibetan children to attend residential schools, uprooting them from their homes and immersing them in a Mandarin-centric education infused with Chinese majoritarian ideology. During a visit to one such school in 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping proclaimed that education should 'instill a shared consciousness of Chinese nationhood in the hearts of children from a young age'.

Reports indicate that these Tibetan children experience severe loneliness, depression, and other psychological issues in these boarding schools.

The Tibetan government-in-exile estimates that there have been over 150 instances of self-immolation by Tibetans since 2009.

Despite the relentless Chinese oppression and sophisticated surveillance tactics, Tibetan resistance continues. With the 112th Tibetan Independence Day approaching on February 13th, it is essential that the Tibetan struggle, which has endured for over 75 years, is recognized and amplified.

The global community must intensify its efforts toward the liberation of the Tibetan people, who have emerged as a symbol of strength, resilience, and pride, demonstrating to the world the importance of standing firm even against overwhelming oppression.