Guide Note

Protests in Tibet erupted on March 10, 2008, after Buddhist monks defied the Chinese authorities and marched in the capital, Lhasa, sparking a chain of events that led to an outbreak of violence on March 14, 2008.

Fast Facts

1. Most Tibetans view the province as a sovereign nation to be ruled by the Dalai Lama
2. March 10, 2008 march marked the 49th anniversary of the 1959 rebellion
3. Tibetans are possibly using the extra attention on China due to the upcoming 2008 Olympics to raise the profile of Tibetan Independence

The Chinese authorities attempted to black out media coverage, but images and video footage emerged soon after the trouble started. Video footage from Tibet shows ethnic Chinese being attacked, fires being started and property being vandalized. On March 16, Chinese police secured Lhasa, while protests spread to ethnic Tibetan communities in neighboring Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces.

1. China asserts its historical right to the area, which it officially annexed in 1951
2. Armed rebellion in 1959 led to decades of Chinese suppression of Tibetan culture and Buddhist religion
3. Chinese government policy has been to settle the area with ethnic Chinese, thus reducing Tibetan influence