Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, Feb.14: To mark the 112th anniversary of the previous Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso’s declaration reaffirming Tibet’s complete independence, pro-Independence group Students for a Free Tibet-India organised a panel discussion addressing the Chinese government’s recent directive mandating the use of “Xizang” instead of “Tibet” in Dharamshala. The panel held on Thursday emphasised that “Xizang” is not Tibet’s legitimate name and condemned the attempt to erase Tibetan history and identity.
The discussion themed Tibet Must Survive: Tibet in Global Dialogue, Erasure, and Resistance’ brought together key figures from the Tibetan community. Among the speakers were Dr. Tsering Dawa, Director of the Tibet Policy Institute; Tibetan Parliament Member Dorjee Tseten; and Tenzin Pasang, Sonam Tsering, General Secretary of Tibetan Youth Congress and National Director of Students for a Free Tibet-India. They discussed the critical implications of China’s mandate to replace “Tibet” with “Xizang” in English, highlighting the Chinese government’s broader agenda of historical erasure and Sinicization.
Speaking with Phayul, Tenzin Pasang underscored the urgency of the issue, noting that over the past year, China has not only forcibly changed “Tibet” to “Xizang” but has also pressured foreign governments and international media outlets to adopt the term. She pointed to recent examples of global media using “Xizang” in their coverage of the Dingri earthquake, stressing the need for Tibetans and their allies to resist this linguistic manipulation.
Dr. Tsering Dawa elaborated on the political motivations behind China’s push to rename Tibet, explaining that this strategy aims to restrict the term “Tibet” solely to the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), thereby undermining the unity of Tibet’s three traditional provinces—U-Tsang, Kham, and Amdo. He warned that this move is a deliberate effort to rewrite Tibetan history and weaken Tibetan identity on the global stage.
MP Dorjee Tseten drew parallels between China’s actions and historical colonial practices, noting that many colonial powers changed the names of occupied regions to erase indigenous histories. He asserted that despite China’s 70-year occupation of Tibet, its current push to change Tibet’s name internationally demonstrates its ongoing insecurity and manipulation of historical narratives.
The panel discussion concluded with four key demands directed at governments, media organizations, and international institutions: the immediate cessation of terms like “Xizang,” “China’s Tibet,” and “Southern China” when referring to Tibet; recognition that “Xizang” is not Tibet’s legitimate name and the continued use of “Tibet” in English; accurate representation of Tibet’s distinct identity on world maps to counter China’s territorial claims; and increased international pressure on China to end its policies of forced Sinicization, which threaten Tibetan religion, culture, and language.
It is encouraging to see the younger generation taking responsibility in championing the Tibetan cause! Our older generation has born the brunt of dispossession, exile into a foreign country without the slightest knowledge of the land, language and its climate. Thousands of Tibetans, both young and old perished when they arrived in a foreign country that was hot unlike Tibet and this had a profound impact on their physical and mental wellbeing. Thousands of Tibetan refugees died of malnutrition, exhaustion, traumatic experience and loss of ones country! Those Tibetans who arrived in India with nothing but their rags on their backs have either died or are on the twilight of their lives! It is now the young and energetic, educated Tibetans who are born outside Tibet who have the responsibility to continue the legacy of those gone by for the freedom of our country! The Chinese communists have swallowed Tibet but it’s unable to digest! It is therefore making an all out attempt to neutralize the Tibetan Independence Movement through intimidation, inducements and deception including the attempt to ERASE the very name of our country. It tells foreign reporters in Beijing to write things like “China’s Tibet” or the Chinese nickname for Tibet to legitimize their illegal occupation of our country! Despite seventy years of killing 1.2 million Tibetans and destroying 6000 Tibet’s priceless monasteries, conducting merciless repression including the wholesale destruction of Tibet’s ancient civilization, the Chinese communists are still struggling to gain legitimacy of its illegal occupation of Tibet! It vandalized every monastery, every statue, every stupa and every holy relic while pillaging and plundering the contents of every monastery! it is still seeking legitimacy by concocting names, making ludicrous phrases and a mountain of propaganda vilifying The Dalai Lama and racially dehumanizing the Tibetan people! This shows that TRUTH CANNOT BE EXPUNGED! it is now up to the younger generation to carry forward the flag of Tibetan independence and leave their own legacy for the future generation. Every country was invaded by more powerful invaders but in the end those who fight with determination wins and the occupier is forced to relinquish their ill gotten treasure! Don’t ask anybody or believe anybody, who tells you independence is impossible! Napoleon Bonaparte said: “impossible is found only in the fool’s dictionary”.!!! Who would have thought the Soviet Union would collapse? Who would have thought the Berlin Wall would fall? Who would have thought that Bashar Al Assad‘s army would fall like a pack of cards? But it all happened in our our life time! Through steely determination, we can achieve our goal because the CCP is bound to fall sooner or later like all dictatorships!!! That’s a guarantee! Yes! Guarantee! You heard it right! Because no one can escape the law of disintegration!