oppose the establishment of the Commission. He told the delegates that if they did not agree to the proposal, they could return home any day, either before or after the armed liberation. The PLA troops, he said, were already stationed on Tibetan soil and that all it took to put them back into action was a simple telegram from Beijing. He asked the delegates to decide whether they wanted a peaceful liberation or an armed liberation.(36) In the following few days, there was no meeting. During that time, the Tibetan delegates met several times in Ngabo's room, and expressed concerns over how the negotiations might end in the light of the Chinese delegation's constant use of threats and bullying tactics. Ngabo said, "Now, we are in Chinese hands; they can beat or kill us. If they bully us like this, there cannot be any agreement."(37) For over three weeks, since the Tibetan delegates' arrival in Beijing, the Chinese authorities had prevented them from having any contact with their government or with anyone who could communicate with their government. The Chinese said that the nature of the negotiations was very sensitive and that communicating with Lhasa or Dromo would compromise the confidentiality of the negotiation. The Chinese also stated that the facilities for communication with Lhasa were not adequate. Because of this, the delegates did not even know whether the Dalai Lama was still in Tibet or had left the country. On May 14 the fifth meeting was held. By now, there was no doubt that if the Tibetans did not agree to the Chinese demand, the PLA would immediately resume its march into Tibet and bring death and destruction. Under the circumstances, the Tibetans decided that it was best to agree tentatively to the Chinese draft of the "agreement".(38) But they had one condition: if the Tibetan government and the Dalai Lama did not accept the "agreement" and if the Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet, they would need a guarantee that his power and position would be restored to him in the event of his return after four or five years. The Chinese agreed to this condition, but maintained that it should not be included in the main "agreement" since it could create unwelcome speculations when the document was announced to the world. Instead, the Chinese wanted this to be part of a separate, secret "agreement".(39) At the same time, the Chinese came up with a new proposal. They said that the differences between the Tibetan government and the Panchen Lama should be discussed, resolved and included in the "agreement". Ngabo replied that the Tibetan government had directed "us" to discuss the issues between Tibet and China, and not the internal matters of Tibet. He stated that the Panchen Lama issue should be discussed and resolved in another forum. The Chinese were adamant that if the
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