Agreement in 17 points on the peaceful release of Tibet

The agreement in 17 points on the peaceful release of Tibet is a document signed by the representatives of the 14 {{E}} Dalaï Lama and those of the Popular republic of China the May 23rd 1951 with Beijing. However, this agreement was denounced by the Dalaï Lama and her government, because according to them it was signed by the Tibetans under the constraint. On its arrival in exile in India, the 14 {{E}} Dalaï Lama gave a declaration of press, on April 18th, 1959, where he affirms that the agreement in 17 points had been signed under the pressure of the Chinese government. June 20th, 1959, it gave another declaration of press, in which it disavowed the “Agreement”, describing it like having been imposed on the Tibet by the invasion, the threat and the lie. The International commission of the lawyers declared that by this repudiation, Tibet legally “discharged from the duty under the agreement”.

September 21st 1987, the Dalaï Lama presents a Peace plan in five points for Tibet to the Congrès of the United States which he will reformulate on June 15th 1988 with the the European Parliament of Strasbourg, thus officializing a proposal for a negotiation, which, he hoped for it, would be used as a basis for the resolution of the question of the Tibet. The Dalaï Lama declared: “My proposal, which was then known under the name “of approach of the center gate” or of “proposal of Strasbourg” consists in considering for the Tibet a true autonomy within the framework of the Popular republic of China. It should not be a question, however, of autonomy on paper which had been imposed to us there is fifty years in the agreement in 17 points, but of a real autonomy, of a Tibet which autogouverne truly, with Tibetans fully responsible for their own interior matters, including the education of their children, the questions religious, the cultural questions, the protection of their delicate and invaluable environment and the local economy. Beijing would continue to assume the responsibility for the control of the foreign affairs and defense”.

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE POPULAR CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AND THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF THE TIBET TO THE MEASURES FOR THE PEACEFUL RELEASE OF THE TIBET, 1951

Preamble

Nationality Tibetan is one of nationalities having a long story inside the limits of the China and, like much of other nationalities, it achieved its glorious duty throughout the process of constitution and development of our great Fatherland.

But during the hundred last years and more, of the forces imperialists penetrated in China and, consequently, also penetrated in the area Tibetan by having recourse in their behavior to all kinds of frauds and provocations. Like the preceding governments reactionaries, the government reactionary of the Kuomintang continued to implement a policy of oppression and discord among nationalities, causing division and the disunion within the people Tibetan. The local government of the Tibet did not oppose the frauds and with the provocations imperialists and it adopted a antipatriotic attitude with regard to our great Fatherland. Under these conditions, the nationality and the people Tibetan S were plunged in the pit of slavery and the suffering.

In 1949, a fundamental victory was gained on a all nation scale. In the war of liberation of the Chinese people, the interior enemy common to all nationalities (the government reactionary of the Kuomintang) was eliminated and the external enemy common to all nationalities (forces of aggression imperialists) was pushed back. It is on this success that was proclaimed the foundation of the Popular republic of China and of the popular Central government.

In agreement with the common Program adopted by the popular advisory political Conference of China, the popular Central government declared that all nationalities inside the limits of the Popular republic of China were equal, that they will found the unit and the mutual assistance and will oppose the imperialism and their own public enemies so that the Popular republic of China will become an big family of fraternity and co-operation, made up of all its nationalities, and that inside this big family of all nationalities of the Popular republic of China, a national regional autonomy will be exerted in the territories where the national minorities are concentrated, and that all the national minorities will have freedom to promote their written and spoken languages and to preserve or reform their habits, uses and religious beliefs, while it will belong to the popular Central government to help all the national minorities in their work of political construction, economic, cultural and educational.

Since then, all nationalities inside the country, except for those of the Tibet and from Taiwan, obtained their release. Under the unified control of the popular Central government and direct control with the more high levels of the popular Government, all the national minorities enjoy with equality their national right and established or are in way to establish a regional national autonomy.

In order to manage to successfully eliminate the influences from the aggressive forces imperialists to the Tibet, to carry out the unification of the territory and the sovereignty of the Popular republic of China, and to ensure national defense; in order to manage to ensure the release of the nationality and the people Tibetan S and their return in the big family of the Popular republic of China there to enjoy the same rights to the national equality as all other nationalities and to carry out their work of construction political, economic, cultural and educational, the popular Central government, when it gave the order to the popular army of Release to enter to the Tibet, asked the local government Tibet to send delegates near the central authorities to carry out negotiations for the concluding of an agreement to the measures for the peaceful release of the Tibet.

In the last days of April 1951, the delegates arrived at Beijing provided with the full powerss of the local government of the Tibet. The popular Central government named representatives provided with the full powerss to carry out the negotiations on a friendly basis with the plenipotentiary delegates of the local government of the Tibet. Following these negotiations, the two parts are agreed to conclude this agreement and to guarantee its execution.

Text

POINT 1: The people Tibetan will be linked to drive out out of the Tibet the forces of aggression imperialists: the Tibet will be allocated to the big family of the Fatherland, the Popular republic of China.

POINT 2: The local government of the Tibet will contribute actively to the entry with the Tibet of the popular army of Release and with the consolidation of national defense.

POINT 3: In agreement with the policy with regard to the nationalities registered in the common Program of the Chinese popular advisory Conference political, the people Tibetan will be entitled to the exercise of a regional national autonomy under control of the popular Central government.

POINT 4: The central authorities will not modify the current political system of the Tibet. In the same way, the central authorities will not amend established, the functions and the capacities of the Dalaï Lama. The civils servant of the various ranks will fill their load as with the accustomed one.

POINT 5: The established statute, the functions and the capacities of the Panchen LAMA will be maintained.

POINT 6: By established statute, functions and capacities of the Dalaï Lama and Panchen LAMA, one understands the statute, the functions and the capacities of thirteenth the Dalaï Lama and the ninth Panchen LAMA at the time where they were in good and friendly relations one with the other.

POINT 7: The policy of freedom of religious belief registered in the common Program of the Chinese popular advisory Conference political will be implemented. The religious beliefs, habits and uses of the people Tibetan will be respected, and the communities of spangled will be protected. The central authorities will not carry out any change in the income of the monasteries.

POINT 8: The troops Tibetans will be reorganized by stage, within the popular Army of Release and will become part of the national forces of defense of the Popular republic of China.

POINT 9: The language spoken and writing and the education system about the Nationalité Tibetan will be developed gradually according to the current conditions with the Tibet.

POINT 10: Agriculture Tibetan, the breeding, industry and the trade will be developed gradually and the standard of living of the people will be improved gradually according to the current conditions with the Tibet.

POINT 11: With regard to the various reforms with the Tibet, there will be no coercion on behalf of the central authorities. The local government of the Tibet will have to carry out the reforms of its own will and when the people present requests for reforms, they will have to be examined in consultation with the personnel directing of the Tibet.

POINT 12: In so far as the former civils servant pro-impérialistes and pro Kuomintang broke their relationships to the imperialism and the Kuomintang and will not be delivered to acts of sabotage and of resistance, they will be able to continue to fill their load, whatever their past.

POINT 13: The popular army of Release entering to the Tibet will be held by all the provisions mentioned above and will behave honestly in its purchases and its transfers and will arbitrarily take on the people neither the least needle nor the least wire.

POINT 14: The popular Central government will deal with the centralized control of the businesses external of the territory of the Tibet; the peaceful coexistence with the adjoining countries as well as the establishment and the development of the commercial relations and the exchanges with those will be organized on the basis of of the equality, the mutual advantage and reciprocal respect of the territory and sovereignty.

POINT 15: In order to assure the implementation of this agreement, the popular Central government will establish a military committee and administrative as well as a territorial military general headquarter with the Tibet and, in addition to the personnel sent, will engage as much as possible of personnel Tibetan to take share with work. The personnel local Tibetan taking part in the military committee and administrative will be able hardened the patriotic elements coming from the local government of the Tibet, the various districts and the principal monasteries; the list of names will be drawn up after consultation between the representatives designated by the popular Central government and the various parts concerned, and will be submitted for approval to the popular Central government.

POINT 16: The expenditure of the administrative military committee and, the territorial military general headquarter and the popular army of Release sent to the Tibet will be covered by the popular Central government. The Local government of the Tibet will assist the popular army of Release for the purchase and the transport of food, the fodder and other consumer goods.

POINT 17: This agreement will come into effect immediately after the signatures and the seals will have been affixed there.

Signatories

Signed and sealed by:

Delegates of the popular central government:
Delegated as a chief: Li Weihan
Delegated: Zhang Jingwu, Zhang Guohua, Sun Zhiyuan

Delegates of the local government of Tibet:
Delegated as a chief: Ngapo Ngawang Jigmé
Delegated: Dzasak Kemey Sonam Wangdi, Khentrung Thupten Tenthar; Khenchung Thupten Lekmuun Rimshi, Samposey Tenzin Thondup.

Sources

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