Nothing in recent times has made me cringe as much as the Government of India’s suppression of pro-Tibet protests in Delhi and elsewhere in India. It was an act symptomatic of an ever weaker and submissive stance towards China.

Tibet neighbours India, and after the invasion of Tibet by China in 1951 a large number of Tibetans have settled in India. Many are now Indian citizens who have great love for India, their land of refuge.

The Government of India, at China’s request, clamped down upon and actively discouraged pro-Tibetan rallies during the Olympic torch relay ceremony in India. Tibetan run schools were ordered not to allow their children to take part in any demonstrations. The Communist Parties of India, which rule three states and support the ruling coalition, went a step further in declaring all protests illegal in the states they control.

Denying a people’s right to peaceful protest violates a basic principle of the Human Rights Convention as well as the rights of these Tibetans as citizens of the Republic of India. The way in which the relatively small and usually passive Tibetan Indian community has been treated is markedly different to the way in which other minority communities are treated. For example, the Government of India (GOI) has never tried to stop Indian Muslims’ from organising massive protests against the USA, Denmark or Salman Rushdie.

The treatment of Tibetan protests is even more pathetic when one considers the history and relationship of India with China. In 1962, China launched an unprovoked military attack on India, and to this day still illegally holds thousands of square kilometers of Indian Territory. The Chinese government still proclaims that Arunachal Pradesh, one of the states of India, should and will become part of China in the future.

Until recently, the Indian government maintained a healthy skepticism in its dealings with China, and by providing refuge to the exiled Dalai Lama, showed defiance towards the Chinese Government. China for its part has been a staunch supporter of Pakistan, having helped built up the country’s nuclear program and military capability to rival India.

However, in recent times the relationship between India and China has improved somewhat. While this can be welcomed in some ways - after all it’s not ideal to have too huge nuclear armed neighbours living in a perpetual state of hostility - India should not sacrifice basic humanistic principles to appease China. What the Chinese are doing in Tibet in disgusting; having killed one in five Tibetans, altering the demography by settling large number of Chinese settlers and forcing stricter birth control upon native Tibetans, forcing Tibetan monks to denounce the Dalai Lama and swear allegiance to Beijing etc.

If the GOI is not in a position to take up these issues on behalf of the Tibetan people, it should at least not get in the way of allowing Tibetan Indians from voicing their outrage at one of the worst cultural genocides in modern times.

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