Dalai Lama // Current

Dalai Lama 'loses hope' for free Tibet

This is so sad. I support the Dalai Lama and hope his dreams of peace come true. * * * For decades, the Dalai... more

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"The Chinese government will never accept the Dalai Lama's calls for "high-level autonomy", an official leading talks between the two parties said at a briefing yesterday. Tibetan support groups expressed alarm at the harshness of the remarks, which also included an accusation that the exiled spiritual leader was seeking "ethnic cleansing" across the region.

A leading expert on Tibet warned that it was "almost a point of no return" in the dialogue, and blamed the British government's recent decision to explicitly recognise Tibet as a part of China for emboldening Beijing.

The press conference followed discussions in Beijing last week and precedes an agenda-setting meeting in Dharamsala, India, next week between Tibetan exiles about the future of their cause.

Zhu Weiqun, a vice-minister of the Chinese Communist party's United Front Work Department, added: "If one day, [the Dalai Lama] really seizes power, he will without any compunction or sympathy carry out ethnic discrimination, apartheid and ethnic cleansing."

Zhu said there had been no progress in last week's talks, blaming the Tibetan side. He described the current system as "perfect" and in need of no revision, adding: "There is no other way."

The government-in-exile is not commenting on its discussions with Beijing before the Dharamsala meeting. The Dalai Lama has sounded increasingly pessimistic about the prospects of a deal, and younger Tibetans have grown impatient with his "middle path" of peacefully pursuing autonomy for Tibet within China.

Professor Robert Barnett, an expert on Tibet at Columbia University, New York, described yesterday's meeting as "almost a point of no return", which "closes off all possible routes" to the exiles. He added: "This is a detailed statement by the actual dialogue team, broadcast live on state television ... [with] among the most aggressive depictions of the Tibetan position."

He added: "I think this is deeply embarrassing for the British government ... One has to ask how they ever thought withdrawing the historical basis for talks would make it more likely China would continue them. It places a major question mark over Britain's ability to read these kinds of situations."

In a parliamentary statement last week, the foreign secretary, David Miliband, recognised China's sovereignty over Tibet.

The government-in-exile argues that the region enjoyed a high degree of autonomy for many years, deriving its claim in part on treaties signed by Britain, which set the boundaries between Tibet and British-ruled India. Those recognized China's effective rule, or "suzerainty", but only on the basis of the region's political autonomy. But Miliband argued that the position was "anachronistic". Most countries recognize China's direct rule."

More at link."The Chinese government will never accept the Dalai Lama's calls for "high-level autonomy", an official... more

DeliaTheArtist
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8 days ago

NYT letter to editor: The rights of Tibetans

NYT letter to editor: The rights of Tibetans To the Editor: I do not wish to respond to the entirety of Nicholas D.... more

candid2008
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8 days ago

Tibetan independence hopes look over after China refuses to budge

The Dalai Lama's hopes of achieving independence for Tibet look to be over after China said that talks with his envoys had failed and that it will not compromise over its status.

By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai
Last Updated: 6:09PM GMT 10 Nov 2008

Last week's talks came after the Dalai Lama announced that he too had "given up" on the six-year negotiation process between Beijing and Tibet's government-in-exile.

He added, in a visit to Japan two weeks ago that the situation for Tibetans is deteriorating and that Chinese rule is "almost like a death sentence". He said: "My trust in the Chinese government has become thinner, thinner, thinner. I cannot take direct responsibility for dealing with the Chinese government any more. Now it is up to the people."

Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, Kelsang Gyaltsen, and three aides arrived in Beijing for the third round of talks this year at the end of October.

Zhu Weiqun, a spokesman for the Chinese government, blamed the Tibetan envoys for the failure of the talks. "They should assume full responsibility. In our conversations, we pointed out that the unification of the motherland, territorial integrity and national dignity are the greatest interests of the Chinese people. On these fronts we won't make any concessions, at any time and for anyone," he said.

He added that the talks had centred on the Dalai Lama. "We merely talked about how the Dalai Lama should completely give up his separatist opinions," he said.

The deputy governor of Tibet, Bai Ma Cai Wang, has admitted that China has recently increased its security forces in the region. "In order for Tibet's stability and for people's safety and for people's desire for security and order, the Government has moderately adjusted the presence of the police force on the street," he told The Australian newspaper.

Patrols in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, have reportedly been reinforced by the presence of snipers on rooftops around the city's holiest site, the Jokhang Temple.

The failure of the talks, and the Dalai Lama's decision not to continue with the negotiation process, could open the way for a fresh wave of violence in the region. The Dalai Lama's government-in-exile, based in Dharamsala in India, has promoted a "middle way" of autonomy for Tibet without full independence. He has said he wants Tibet to enjoy the fruits of Chinese economic prosperity without losing its own language and culture.

The Dalai Lama's moderate position is not shared by some of the more hardline Tibetan advocates who may now come forward. There is increasing division among Tibetan monks over what should be done and some even advocate the use of violence to achieve Tibetan independence, a move that would justify China's security operation.

Tensions came to a head in March when riots broke out in Lhasa against Chinese rule, before spreading to other areas of western China with Tibetan populations. Tibet's government-in-exile said more than 200 Tibetans were killed and about 1,000 hurt in a subsequent Chinese crackdown, but China reported police killing one "insurgent" and blamed Tibetan "rioters" for 21 deaths. The Dalai Lama's hopes of achieving independence for Tibet look to be over after China said that talks with his envoys had... more

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8 days ago

Falliti i colloqui tra gli inviati del Dalai Lama e il governo cinese

La Cina ha annunciato oggi che le recenti discussioni a Pechino con gli emissari del Dalai Lama sono fallite. Pechino precisa che... more

danito
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8 days ago

UK gov announces Tibet is part of China

The British Foreign Secretary has been accused of undermining the Dalai Lama in negotiations with China after recognising... more

purplefox
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12 days ago

China sentences 55 people over Tibet riots

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- China has sentenced 55 people for their involvement in anti-government protests that broke out in Tibet in... more

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13 days ago

Dalai Lama says his faith in China is shrinking

The Dalai Lama said Sunday that the situation in his native Tibet is deteriorating and he has little faith that ongoing negotiations with the Chinese government will lead to greater autonomy for the region.

The exiled spiritual leader has followed a "middle way" approach with Beijing in which he seeks some form of autonomy that would allow Tibetans to freely practice their culture, language and religion. But lately he has grown increasingly frustrated and vocal about the lack of progress, despite the departure of two of his envoys for new talks with China last week.

"Now my faith in the Chinese government is becoming thinner, thinner, thinner," he told reporters Sunday in Tokyo.

The Dalai Lama said conditions in his homeland continue to deteriorate despite his efforts to negotiate with Beijing.

"Inside Tibet, the situation is worse," he said.

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader is in Japan to give speeches and visit monks and children throughout the country. He has often visited Japan in the past, but rarely has official meetings with government officials, who are wary of a negative reaction from China.

A week ago at a public function in Dharmsala, India, the Dalai Lama said he had "given up" on persuading China to accept his "middle way" approach. Dharmsala is home to the self-proclaimed Tibetan government-in-exile.

The lack of progress spurred him to call a special meeting of Tibetan exile communities and political organizations due to take place later this month. It could mark a significant shift in the Tibetan strategy for engaging Beijing, which has governed the Himalayan region since Communist troops occupied it in the 1950s.

The announcement of the current talks with Beijing came after he called for that meeting.

The Dalai Lama fled to India amid a failed uprising in 1959. Tensions increased this year when demonstrations in Lhasa, Tibet's capital, turned violent and 22 people were killed, according to Beijing.

China responded with a massive crackdown in Tibet and the surrounding region in which exile groups say at least 140 people were killed and more than 1,000 were detained. The Dalai Lama said Sunday that the situation in his native Tibet is deteriorating and he has little faith that ongoing... more