March has always been a tense time in Tibet. This year, however, what could have been just another demonstration by a group of monks in Lhasa on 10 March 2008 instead metamorphosed into a pan-Tibet assertion of rights. At press time the situation is yet to stabilise, and there is no indication that the Chinese authorities are looking to take the situation in a positive direction. From available information, there is little doubt that the underlying cause of the current unrest is ultimately the misplaced policy initiatives that the Chinese government has undertaken in Tibet over the past several decades. The anger that has boiled over this time, however, dwarfs any public frustration vented during the period. Indeed, in terms of significance, the March 2008 demonstrations are comparable less to the widely discussed incidents of 1987 or 1989, than to the first Uprising Day, which took place in Tibet in March 1959, as the Dalai Lama fled into India.
There are three elements that need to be recognised regarding the size and nature of the recent protests in Tibet. First, although the demonstrations began in Lhasa, the domino effect was seen not only in different parts of the Tibet Autonomous Region, but more significantly in the Tibetan areas in present-day Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan provinces. This signified, for the first time since 1959, an essentially pan-Tibetan uprising, focused on Chinese rule and calling widely for the return of the Dalai Lama.
Second, common to nearly all of the demonstrations was the fact that the majority of the participants were quite young, appearing to be from the age group that came of age long after 1959. Most thus belong to the generation that has not even seen the Dalai Lama in person, unless they have been part of the fortunate few who were able to secure passports and permits to visit India.
Third, the age issue aside, it is crucial to note that protesters have been from all sections of Tibetan society. In addition to the 'urban' monks and nuns, as well as the lay people in Lhasa, nomads in eastern and northeastern Tibet have come out to make their voices heard, as have students in Beijing, Lanzhou and Chengdu – all clearly and courageously exercising their common grievances against the authorities.