A Brief Introduction to the Tibetan Government In-Exile

Background

In 1949 the People's Liberation Army of China marched into Tibet's northeastern province of Kham and Amdo, thus setting in motion the forcible occupation of the country which culminated in the flight of its young leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama to India and the crushing of the Tibetan National Uprising in March 1959. Tibet's leader was followed by some 80,000 Tibetans, who sought refuge in India, Nepal and Bhutan. The influx of refugees continues even today. Currently, the Tibetan exile population is over 145,150 of which about 101,242 are based in India.
On April 29, 1959, His Holiness the Dalai Lama established the Tibetan exile administration in the north Indian hill station of Mussoorie. Named the Central Tibetan Administration ( CTA) of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, this is the continuation of the government of independent Tibet. In May 1960, the Central Tibetan Administration was moved to Dharamsala, situated in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

The Tibetan people, both inside and outside Tibet, recognize Central Tibetan Administration as their sole and legitimate government. CTA is also being increasingly recognized as the legitimate government and true representative of the six million Tibetan people by parliaments around the world.

Right from the beginning, the Central Tibetan Administration has taken upon itself the task of rehabilitating refugees and restoring the freedom of Tibet. Education has been on top of the rehabilitation agenda.

Alongside rehabilitation, CTA decided to experiment with modern democracy in preparation for a future, free Tibet.

Today, the Central Tibetan Administration functions as a veritable government and has all the attributes of a free democratic government.