In the first days of October, 1987, I was asked by reporters from around the world about a demonstration that had occurred in Lhasa. During my thirty-four years of living in exile in northern India, I had heard of many other such protests in my native land, but not until months after they had happened. China had been very successful in keeping information from leaking out of Tibet—until October 1, 1987.
I remember meeting Dr. Blake Kerr and John Ackerly in mid-October immediately after they came out of Tibet. They were the first eyewitnesses of the October 1 demonstration with whom I spoke. When they told me they had seen Chinese police kill unarmed Tibetans who were peacefully calling for freedom, I was deeply saddened. But I was also encouraged that my people had maintained their nonviolent resistance, despite China’s use of lethal force. On behalf of six million Tibetans, I wish to thank all of the Western tourists whose hearts, in the face of truth, went out to the Tibetan side.
Since China’s army invaded Tibet in 1950, one million Tibetans—one-fifth of my people—have died. Over 6,000 monasteries have been destroyed, and with them much of Tibet’s 1,200 years of history, Buddhism, and art. I believe that Tibetans are currently struggling through one of their darkest moments. Now more than ever the world needs to heed Tibet’s message of nonviolence and respect for all living beings.