On March 10, 1959, fearing that he would be abducted and forcibly taken to Beijing to attend the upcoming Chinese National Assembly, 30,000 loyal Tibetans to surround the Norbulinka palace. This protective show of loyalty forced the Dalai Lama to turn down the army leader's invitation.

Late in the afternoon of March 17, 1959 the Chinese Communist Peoples Revolutionary Army fired two mortar shells at the Norbulinka palace. Fortunately for the Dalai Lama and the others in the Norbulinka, the shells landed short of the palace walls in a marsh. This attack, along with the other sequence of events, convinced the Dalai Lama to finally leave his homeland. An so, on the evening of March 17, dressed as a soldier complete with uniform and a gun slung over his shoulder, the Dalai Lama left the Norbulinka palace and headed to India.

Two days later, fighting broke out in Lhasa. The Chinese Communist PLA bombarded the Norbulinka palace with 800 shells. In addition, Lhasa's major monasteries, Gaden, Sera and Drepung were shelled and monastic treasures and precious scriptures destroyed. Thousands of monks were either immediately killed, relocated to cities and forced into slave labor, or deported. Over 86,000 Tibetans in central Tibet were killed by the Chinese during this period; this represented about 3% of Tibet’s total population.

The Dalai Lama and his party continued their escape and crossed into India at the Khenzimane Pass on March 31, 1959. Indian President Nehru announced on April 3, 1959 in the Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha) that the Government of India had granted asylum to the Dalai Lama.

Knowing these historical facts allows us to recognize that the continued repression of Tibet by the Chinese Government, which continues today, is in some way responsible for the current problems. More recent facts will reveal that even the Chinese Government of today, which is more globalized, is still repressing Tibet.

"Whether the (Chinese) government there admits or not, there is a problem. There is an ancient cultural heritage that is facing serious danger," the Dalai Lama said. "Whether intentionally or unintentionally, some kind of cultural genocide is taking place" he added.

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