March 28, 1959
TIBET: London, 26 – Further details have emerged about the situation in Tibet in reports from Taipei and New Delhi. Apparently the Dalai Lama managed to flee Lhasa two days before the outbreak of hostilities between rebels and the Chinese Army and to head south, helped by Kamba guerrillas. He has not crossed the border into India but remains close to it in the event that he needs to escape to Indian territory. On March 10, large crowds had gathered in front of the Dalai Lama’s palace demanding the cancellation of the 1951 Sino-Tibetan treaty. The leaders of the demonstration, according to Reuters, asked the Indian, Nepalese and British consuls in Lhasa to witness the cancellation of the treaty, in a resolution to be handed to the Tibetan foreign affairs bureau, which is directed by the Chinese, as well as to the defense bureau. The three consuls refused to do so but the resolution was given to the Chinese governor in Lhasa. This led to an escalation of the tension and bloody clashes. The Chinese artillery bombed parts of the city held by the rebels. There are no clear indications as to whether the fighting in Lhasa is over but it appears that it is continuing in other parts of Tibet.
