In Monday's guest column, the author asserted that Tibet and China are separate nations. That's not true. There is not a single country or government in the world that disagrees that Tibet is part of China. From the second half of the 13th century, Tibet has experienced the merging of religious and temporal power in a peculiar type of theocracy.
Historical records show that the institution of the Dalai Lama as an "incarnate" politico-religious supreme was recognized and empowered by the Chinese government starting in middle of the 17th century.
When the current Dalai Lama was first installed in Lhasa, it was with an armed escort of Chinese troops and a Chinese minister, in accordance with centuries-old tradition. What upset the Tibetan lords and lamas in the early aftrer 1949 was that the Chinese were Communists. They feared the Communists would impose their egalitarian schemes upon Tibet. In 1959, the Dalai Lama fled China to set up the government-in-exile after he failed in the uprising. During the uprising, the participants were only Tibetan commandos and agents trained by the CIA. The main populace didn't join in the fighting.
The Chinese government abolished slavery and the serfdom system in Tibet. They also eliminated the many crushing taxes, started work projects and reduced unemployment. They constructed running water and electrical systems. They also built up child services, including day care, health care, housing and education. None of these were available before the Chinese takeover.
