In 1935, Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, was found in Amdo region. The young boy was taken to Lhasa and enthroned as the ruler of Tibet. During his minority, regents ruled over Tibet. It was during this weak period of regency that the Chinese used their influence over the nobility and the monastic community to weaken the Tibetan government. In 1949, the Communists came to power under the leadership of Mao Tsetung and in the next year, the Chinese invaded the eastern part of Tibet.

Following the Chinese invasion and occupation of Tibet in the 1950s, and the subsequent uprising of the Tibetan people in 1959, thousands of Tibetans fled across the Himalayas to India, Nepal and Bhutan in order to avoid reprisals and remain free. His Holiness the Dalai Lama attempted to negotiate with the Chinese, but to no avail, and thus was also forced to flee. He was granted refuge in Dharamsala, India, where he established his government in exile. From this base, he remains leader of and inspiration to his people. His commitment to peaceful negotiation earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

Over the following decades, the Chinese have worked  hard to assure their claim over Tibet. Their approach has been nothing less than to eradicate the Tibetan culture and assimilate the Tibetan people into the Chinese mainstream. Largely unknown to the outside world is the fact that, since the Chinese invasion, almost one-sixth of the Tibetan population, or over one million people, have died from war, starvation, torture and abuse. Further, more than 6000 monasteries, irreplaceable ancient manuscripts, statues and paintings were destroyed.

Tibetans are denied fundamental rights. Free speech, freedom of religion, and public gatherings of any kind are forbidden. Torture, forced labor and sterilization are commonly used by the Chinese government to suppress the Tibetan people. During the 1980s the Chinese started a massive transfer of Chinese into Tibet, reducing the Tibetans to a minority in their own land. In their pursuit of freedom, Tibetans continue to risk their lives by making the dangerous journey through tight borders and over treacherous mountains into Nepal and India. Currently, over 300,000 Tibetans live in exile.

Because of the continuing repression in Tibet, this entire culture is at risk of extinction. For this reason, friends of Tibet around the world believe it to be vital that special humanitarian provisions are made available to Tibetans in exile in order to sustain their unique way of life.

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