Tibetan politician in exile talks about continued saga of survival
Jan 28, 2024
New Delhi [India], January 28 : Tibetan-American politician in exile, Lobsang Sangay, recently provided insight into the struggle of the people living in his parents' native land, Tibet.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Lobsang Sangay, who served as the Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile from 2011 to 2021, recounted his parents' struggle for survival and their journey to seek refuge in India amid the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
Sangay explained how China invaded Tibet and forced the 14th Dalai Lama to take refuge in India.
While talking about the Tibetan uprising of 1959 and the armed guerrilla group, Lobsang acknowledged that Tibetans were left with no choice but to take up arms in order to defend their motherland. "Many monks joined the guerrilla group to defend their faith as the Communist Party of China started destroying the monasteries after occupying Tibet," Sangay said.
On the question of America's help to Tibetans, Lobsang Sangay explained why the US extended limited support to them.
"America came in support of Tibetans because of the Korean War. During the Korean War, the Chinese were literally fighting against the Americans. The US needed a second front to divert attention. So, they started supplying arms and ammunition, but what they provided was very limited. Had they supplied more, the Tibetans would have fought bravely. There was a chance that we could defend at least some parts of our territory," said Sangay.
In response to a question concerning whether Tibetans ever felt deceived by America's treatment of them, Lobsang stated, "When Nixon went to China in 1972 to normalise the relations, several Tibetan guerrillas felt betrayed and committed suicides".
When asked about Lobsang's decision to return to his roots, he replied, "China occupied our country, brutalised our people, around million Tibetans died, because of the killings, suicides, starvation. Numerous monasteries were looted and burned. When you grow up with these kinds of stories, you have to fight for your cause."
Lobsang Sangay is the first person to serve as the Tibetan Prime Minister without a monastic background.
He was born in Darjeeling in 1968 in a refugee community.
Sangay earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Delhi. He studied International law and democracy at Harvard University. Later, he became an American citizen.
