Tibetans last week commemorated the 50th anniversary of an uprising against China, which led the Dalai Lama to flee to India and the Chinese government to reassert its sovereignty over the territory. From there, the seat of his government in exile, the Dalai Lama claimed the Chinese Communist Party had turned Tibet into a “hell on earth.”Disregarding the surprisingly angry tone with which he lambasted China, the Tibetan spiritual leader has consistently supported genuine autonomy rather than outright secession.The 6 million Tibetans under Chinese rule encompass about one quarter of Chinese territory. As China fears reprisal for its recent security clampdown – they’ve sent in thousands of troops, ordered monks to stay indoors, cut off cell phone service and unofficially declared martial law – its leader, President Hu Jintao, called for a “Great Wall” of stability in Tibet, according to The New York Times.As human rights watchdog groups eyeball the suspicious Chinese government, Chinese officials accuse the Dalai Lama of provoking separatist sentiment and provoking violent unrest. The Tibetan leader, on the contrary, claims his people seek only powers granted in the Chinese Constitution.The Chinese campaign to squash Tibetan independence, he says, has been violent and repressive and resulted in suffering equivalent to hell. The Chinese, seeking unity, cite recent progress at the hand of the government: it has enacted the abolition of a slave-holding system overseen by the Dalai Lama and financed various measures to improve Tibetan infrastructure.To discuss the situation, we sought out some notable voices on campus. Here’s what they said.Qinqin Lu, physics graduate studentPeople see the Tibet issue as a serious problem. Tibet is depicted as a once peaceful Utopia and a current miserable Inferno, or even “hell on earth.” However, that image of Tibet is overwhelmingly contrary to what the Chinese people think.The Tibet controversy is a historically prolonged one. Tibet was first incorporated into China’s Yuan Dynasty around 1249 C.E. The highest ranking lamas in the Gelug school – the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama – are decided every generation in a ceremony held by the central government ever since the inception of those two titles. When China was at war in the early 20th century, the Republic of China’s central government was weakened, and Tibet enjoyed greater autonomy but didn’t achieve sovereignty status. The People’s Republic of China, the current government of mainland China, took Tibet in 1951, and reinstated an effective, legitimate administration. Meanwhile, the ROC – defeated in Civil War and now administers of Taiwan – maintains a department for Tibetan affairs in its Cabinet even today.The situation in Tibet is a theocratic/secular conflict other than a moral corruption of          dictatorship. With harsh plateau geography, Tibet before 1951 was an undeveloped economy and a strict caste society. PRC announced the freedom of the serfs, redistribution of land and the abolishing of the Theocracy. During the past three decades, Tibet has enjoyed huge tax exemption and financial subsidy. Roads and railways, science and medicine may have changed Tibetan lifestyle to some degree, but those changes are benign.After all, isn’t the increase of lifespan a good thing? Social problems exist, but calling them “cultural genocide” is an exaggeration.The Chinese naturally consider Tibet as part of Chinese territory. And we strive to get wealthier and achieve well-being together with our fellow Tibetans. A Chinese rock star of Han ethnicity, Zheng Jun, called Tibet home: “Back to Lhasa, back to Potala. Over Mt. Tanggula I met her the Lotus. Come come let’s come back to Lhasa, back to our long parted home.” The song concludes our feeling.  Mark Macmurdo, opinion columnist, economics and history seniorAlthough Tibet was by all accounts an imperfect society prior to being absorbed by China, it does not lessen the severity of the Chinese government’s current policies of suppression or its history of destroying Buddhist holy sites. The concept of self-determination — the right of a people to choose their own political organization — has been a central part of 20th century Western thought and should be included on the list of rights being deprived from Tibetans. Until they are given this right to which all humans are entitled — in addition to the rights to speak and organize freely — Tibet is a nation held hostage.- – – -Contact The Daily Reveille’s opinion staff at [email protected]