17 March 1959: Thousands of Tibetan women surround the Potala Palace, the main residence of the Dalai Lama, to protest against Chinese rule and repression in Lhasa, Tibet. Hours later, fighting broke out and the Dalai Lama was forced to flee to safety in India

Photograph: AP

Members of the Dalai Lama’s family, including his mother, secretly escape, followed by the Dalai Lama, who leaves the Norbulingka dressed as a soldier, carrying a rifle and wearing a scarf over his face.

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