Alternative History
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Monarchy of Tibet
Timeline: Project Noah
OTL equivalent: Tibet
Flag of Tibet Emblem of Tibet
Coat of arms
Location of Tibet (Nuclear Apocalypse)
CapitalLhasa
Official languages Tibetan
Other languages Han Chinese
Ethnic groups  Tibetans, Uyghurs, Han Chinese, Monpa, Hui
Religion Tibetan Buddhism (official)
Government Restored monarchy
 -  Dalai Lama Tenzin Gayto
Establishment
 -  Protectorate under the Qing Dynasty 1644-1912 
 -  Quasi-independence 1912-1950 
 -  Battle of Chamdo October 6-19, 1950 
 -  Incorporation into the PRC/Seven Point Agreement October 1951 
 -  2nd Tibetan Uprising April 21, 2017 
 -  Independence Proclaimed/Restoration of Monarchy May 22, 2017 
Population
 -  2014 estimate 3,180,000 
Currency Reminbi Yuan, Indian Ruppee

The Monarchy of Tibet is a self-declared independent country located in the Chinese mainland. The country took advantage of the chaos with the People's Republic of China to declare independence from the Chinese Communist Party. Tibet is the highest region on earth, with an average elevation of 4,900 meters (16,000 ft), making it one of the infection-free places from the Zombie Fish Worm.

History[]

Pre-Outbreak[]

Tibet used to be an independent country until military forces from the PRC occupied and annexed the region in 1950. In 1959, most of the Tibetan people staged an uprising against the PLA, but it was crushed. The Dalai Lama barely managed to escape Tibet to India with the help of CIA Special Activities Division paramilitary teams. He has since lived a life in exile in India ever since. After Tibet was annexed by China, the region became known as the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). The role of ethnic Tibetans in the higher levels of the TAR Communist Party remains very limited. Since 1979 there had been an economic but not a political reform. Some PRC policies in Tibet had been described as moderate, while others were judged to be more oppressive. Most religious freedoms had been officially restored, provided that the lamas did not challenge PRC rule, renounced the Dalai Lama, and stayed within dictated confines. Because of the repression of the Tibetans, the international community has called for the PRC to ease its restriction laws on Tibet. Tibetan monks often immolate themselves during rallies against Chinese security forces, resulting in several self-immolation incidents in recent times.

The Outbreak[]

Tibet was spared from the infection caused by the Zombie Fish Worm due to its location on the Tibetan plateau and also the fact the region is located far inland. The PRC to the east was not so fortunate. Most of its major cities where lost to the infected while the PLA and the People's Armed Police (PAP) was overextended in dealing with hordes of infected. Most of the security forces left in the area where deployed to fight in the east; only a few remained to ensure the Tibetans to do not attempt to rise up.

Second Tibetan Uprising[]

Tibet-resistance-fighters

A black-and-white photo of Tibetan rebels.

In April 21, 2017, with the PLA and the PAP spread out thin, countless Tibetan citizens began rallying in the streets. What initially began as peaceful protests turned violent when remaining police officers fired on the crowd, either out of panic thinking there was an infected among them, killing 10 Tibetan monks. This enraged the Tibetan people, who fought back using improvised weapons, molotov cocktails, and captured firearms. Many PLA and police officers were killed; their weapons and vehicles captured. Remaining loyalist PLA tried to call for the Chengdu military garrison to send reinforcements, but could not do so since they had to deal with herds of infected roaming much of the Chinese mainland. Because of that, some PLA soldiers defected to the Tibetans out of fear of getting killed. A month later, the remaining loyalist PLA surrendered to the rebels after being cut-off from their supplies.

Dalailama

Tenzin Gayto. The 14th Dalai Lama and monarch of Tibet.

Independence proclaimed[]

On May 22, 2017, one month after the uprising, the Tibetan rebels proclaimed the independence of the Monarchy of Tibet. One of their first acts is to inform the Dalai Llama, who has also weathered the crisis in Arunachal Pradesh. His return to Tibet was met with celebration from the locals. The Dalai Lama was soon restored as the monarch.

Surviving[]

The day after the monarchy was proclaimed, a group of Uyghur and Mongolian officials arrived in Tibet after hearing of the region's survival. They were well received by the Tibetans; as the Uyghurs themselves were once oppressed by the PRC. Official diplomatic relations was established with the two states. A week later, on May 27, 2017, Indian soldiers made contact with Tibetan militias in Kashmir. The Tibetans were surprised to learn that India has moved into the rest of Kashmir, which was also claimed by China and Pakistan. From there, India began supplying Tibet with aid and material.

Military[]

Type 63 APC at the Beijing Military Museum - 1

A captured PLA Type 63 APC utilized by the Tibetan militia.

Tibet has no standing military. What comprises its security forces are Tibetan militiamen (formerly rebels) and defectors from the PLA and the PAP. It has an tons of small arms captured from the Second Tibetan Uprising. The standard issue weapons they use are the Type 95 QBZ, the Type 56 Norinco carbine, the Type 81 Assault Rifle, and the Type 45 SMG. It has a vehicle fleet composed of improvised vans, buses, and police vehicles.

For now, they do not possess any aerial assets. Being a landlocked nation, Tibet does not have a navy.

It is believed that Tibet seized two DF-3 strategic missiles with possible nuclear warheads, after the surrender of the PLA garrison in Nagchuka: the local government has neither confirmed nor denied this possibility even if it seems doubtful that independent Tibet could have atomic weapons.

Culture[]

Majority of the Tibetans practice Tibetan Buddhism. This practice was tolerated by the PRC since the reforms of the late-70s/early 80s as long as it did not directly oppose the Chinese Communist Party. Because the Tibetan Monarchy has been restored, their culture has slowly returned.

Foreign Relations[]

Since proclaiming independence, Tibet has maintained relations with Uyghurstan and Mongolia since these countries weathered the outbreak best. The country has heard of the surviving Indian state in Kashmir and Himalayas. What remains of the Indian government have been supplying Tibet with food, water, medicine, and arms.

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