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London/>/>
13 September 1994
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Photo - left to right - Mr Kazi Sonam Togpyal, Mr Robert Ford, Mrs Ronguy Collectt (daughter of Sir Charles Bell), Dr Bruno Beger, His Holiness, Mr Henreich Harrer, Mrs Joan Mary Jehu , Mr Archibald Jack and Prof. Fosco Maraini.
On the occasion of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's visit to London/> in September 1994, His Holiness invited for lunch a group of us who had the privilege to live, visit and work in Tibet/>/> prior to the Chinese invasion of the country in 1950, to exchange our experiences and reminiscences of that time.
As some of the few remaining foreigners who witnessed independent Tibet/>, we are unanimous in our conviction that Tibet/>/> was a fully sovereign country. The independence of Tibet/>/> was evident by our observation of the following facts:
1. The Government of Tibet had absolute control over its internal and external affairs;
2. There was no Chinese involvement in any form in the affairs of Tibet/>/>;
3. His Holiness the Dalai Lama was the supreme temporal and spiritual leader of the country to whom the Tibetan people showed unswerving loyalty;
4. Tibet/>/> issued its own currency and stamps;
5. Tibet/>/> was economically self-sufficient;
7. Tibet/>/> raised and maintained its own small army;
6. Tibet/>/> had its own distinct language, writing, culture and traditions.
8. Tibet/>/> remained neutral during the Second World War;
We are deeply concerned by the continuing occupation of Tibet/>/> by the Chinese which has resulted in:
1. the continuing gross violation of human rights;
2. the death of one sixth of the population of Tibet/>/> (1.2 million);
3. a/> massive transfer of Chinese population into Tibet/>/> with the consequence that Tibetans are now a minority in their own land;
4. environmental degradation including massive deforestation;
5. continuing attacks on Tibet/>/>'s cultural and religious heritage, including the denial of religious freedom;
5. a/> birth control policy which includes forced sterilisation and abortions;
6. the militarisation and deployment of nuclear weapons in Tibet/> threatening the security and peace in Asia/>.
We call upon the international community to recognize the continuing injustice and suffering of the Tibetan people and to urge their governments to take appropriate actions to save Tibet/>'s unique cultural heritage before it is too late and to restore Tibet/>/>'s former independence.
Mrs Joan Mary Jehu- Visited Tibet/>/> in September 1932. Accompanied her father Colonel Weir, the Political Officer in Sikkim/> on an official mission to Tibet/>/>.
Mr Robert Ford - Radio Officer with the British Mission/> in Lhasa/>/> in 1945 and from 1948 to 1950 Radio Officer to the Tibetan Government.
Mr Henreich Harrer - Seven Years in Tibet/>/> from 1943 to 1950
Mr Archibald Jack - 1938 visited the British Army garrison at Gyantse.
Dr Bruno Beger - Anthropologist, ethnologist, geographer and physician of the 1939 German Schäfer expedition to Tibet/>/>.
Prf. Fosco Maraini - Visited Tibet/> in 1937 with Professor Giuseppe Tucci if Rome/> University/>/>. Travel from Gangtok to Gyantse. Again visited Tibet/>/> in 1948 with Professor Giuseppe Tucci.
Kazi Sonam Togpyal - Official interpreter and translator to the Indian Mission in Lhasa/>/>. Arrived in Tibet/>/> in 1949 and stay for 7 years there after. Visited Tibet/>/> again in 1957-58 as a member of a Indian delegation to explore for the possible visit of Indian Prime Minister Nehru.
