Events of 10 March 1959 and 10 March 1989

10 March 1959

In 1959 Tibetan resistance to the Chinese occupation, which had begun some nine years earlier, came to a bloody head. Despite the promises of the 1951 17-Point Agreement that there would be no interference with Tibetan politics, Chinese persecution had grown, leading many Tibetans to flee to the mountains and join guerrilla forces. Protests throughout Tibet against the occupation became more frequent, setting the scene for the events of March 1959.

On 10 March thousands of Tibetans flocked to the Dalai Lama's Summer Palace, the Norbulingka, in response to the widely circulating rumours that the Dalai Lama would be abducted when he attended a show at a Chinese military camp. Tensions rose in the days following whilst the Chinese made attempts to win over the Dalai Lama. Outside the Norbulingka there were frequent protests and fighting. A Tibetan official with pro-Chinese sentiments was killed by the mob and his body dragged through the streets. On 12 March the city was taken over by women protesters and the following day, thousands gathered in the village of Shol, below the Potala, where they renounced the 17-Point Agreement.

On 17 March the Chinese began shelling the city and the Dalai Lama took the decision to escape from Tibet. Three days later, unaware that the Dalai Lama had fled to the mountains, the Chinese shelled the Norbulingka. The Tibetans resorted to street fighting with their meagre weapons; a few guns, but mainly stones, sticks and knives. The Chinese military, with mortars, tanks and machine guns took control of Lhasa.

By 22 March the resistance in Lhasa had been quashed at the cost of thousands of Tibetan lives and the following day the Chinese flag was hoisted over the Potala for the first time. The Chinese continued the crackdown, executing suspected ring leaders and sending thousands to labour camps. In the following months 100,000 Tibetans followed the Dalai Lama into exile and throughout the 1950s much damage was inflicted on the monasteries of Tibet as resistance to Chinese rule was quashed.

The Chinese authorities stated in a Radio Lhasa broadcast on 1 October 1960 that 87,000 Tibetans were killed as a result of the Uprising, some during the Uprising itself, others in reprisals afterwards.

China's People's Liberation Army advancing into Tsetang, 1959. Photo provided by Jamyang Norbu.

10 March 1989

1987 and 1988 were periods of major unrest in Tibet with frequent street protests. The period coincided with the internationalisation of the Tibetan issue through speeches by the Dalai Lama, in which he asked for political support. Western tourists were witness to some of the demonstrations in this period and events became more widely reported in the west. In early 1989 the revered 10th Panchen Lama died and rumours circulated that he had been murdered.

During February and into early March 1989, protests continued; Tibetan flags were raised in Lhasa around the Jokhang temple and demonstrations were almost daily, many of them led by nuns. Arrests and demonstrations of force by Chinese security followed.

On the morning of 5 March a small group of monks, nuns and lay youths began a demonstration in the Barkhor (area around the Jokhang Temple); the protest grew rapidly as other Tibetans joined in and continued peacefully until police threw bottles at the demonstrators from the roof of a police station. Some Tibetan children responded by throwing rocks, and the police on the roof then fired at the crowd. The protests escalated throughout the day with confrontations between Tibetans and police. Over the next few days, protesters gathered daily in central Lhasa, shouting slogans and displaying Tibetan flags. Chinese shops were destroyed and the contents burned. Police made several attempts to control the crowd and several Tibetans were shot dead. At midnight on 7/8 March martial law was declared; foreigners were instructed to leave the country immediately, roadblocks were erected and thousands of Tibetan pilgrims were ordered to return to their homes. The protests continued but were gradually brought under control by a major show of Chinese military force; convoys of trucks and troops descended on Lhasa.

Whole families were involved in the uprising. A Western tourist watched young men throwing rocks at the police and old women carrying stones to them in their aprons. Young girls brought buckets of water to wipe the tear gas from their eyes. More than 70 Tibetans are believed to have been shot dead, but with the numbers of pilgrims in Lhasa, exact figures are impossible to calculate.

The crackdown continued for 13 months, with frequent night time raids on the houses of suspected activists; some inhabitants were killed on the spot, others were dragged away for detention and interrogation. Large numbers of Tibetans, particularly young people who had taken part in the demonstrations were forced to seek exile in India. Martial law was finally lifted in April 1990.