News Post India

Turning point for Tibet

Sunday 06th of April 2008
Below is the complete article written by Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, the Dalai Lama's Special Envoy, followed by the version edited due to space constraints which appeared in the International Herald Tribune on April 3, 2008.

In the last few weeks we have witnessed an uprising against the Chinese authorities' repressive policies on the Tibetan plateau, the likes of which we have not seen in a generation. A terrifying crackdown has begun on a scale never seen before in Tibet, in the full glare of the world's attention just months before the Olympics in Beijing.

As the lead interlocutor representing His Holiness the Dalai Lama for talks with the Chinese leadership since 2002, I have been deeply fearful that such events would come to pass, although none of us could have imagined the sheer scale of the protests given China's tight control in Tibet. Indeed on more than one occasion during our six rounds of discussion with representatives of the Chinese Government, I took the opportunity to emphasize strongly our perception that Beijing's policies were driving Tibetans into a corner. We knew that the heavy-handed implementation of policies undermining Tibetan peoples' distinct identity, combined with the influx of large numbers of Chinese migrants to the plateau, and in particular the virulent official denunciations of the Dalai Lama in recent times, meant that Tibetans were almost at breaking point.

Beijing must take full responsibility for the tragic situation that has unfolded in Tibet. Any attempt to blame His Holiness the Dalai Lama for what is basically its failure in Tibet will not succeed with the international community for they know who he is. We are deeply concerned by the way in which the Chinese authorities are planting the seeds of animosity between the Chinese and the Tibetan people in the PRC through the selective way in which they are representing the crisis. The rifts that are developing between Tibetans and Chinese could last for generations and they could cause irrevocable harm to the harmonious relations between the two communities.

The Dalai Lama's call for an international investigation into the recent unrest in Tibet must be welcomed as it will enable us to know the truth and also help restore the relationship between the Tibetan and other nationalities. It is our intention to vigorously pursue this.

The present development clearly validates His Holiness the Dalai Lama's consistent call for the need to address the aspirations of all Tibetans, both within the present-day Tibet Autonomous Region as well as in those Tibetan areas now under Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. His Holiness' call for the establishment of a single administrative entity for all Tibetans also assumes greater significance in the light of this development, for we believe this will provide genuine autonomy to all Tibetans.

The protests that we have seen among my Tibetan compatriots are not only a result of several years of hard-line policies by Beijing. They have deeper roots, arising from 50 years of Chinese misrule. Their geographical spread, across the entire plateau - from the vast grasslands of Amdo and Kham to the three major monasteries in Lhasa - underlines the importance of addressing the grievances of all Tibetans.

Contrary to the Chinese Government's accusation against the Tibetans in exile for instigating developments in Tibet, recent events have clearly showed that it is our brethren inside Tibet who were inspiring the Tibetans in diaspora. Previously, Tibetan exiles were the dominant voice calling for change, as repression in Tibet forced many to remain silent. But now, the opposite is happening. I salute the courage of my compatriots, who, through risking their lives and their freedom, have exposed the bankruptcy of China's Tibet policy and the strength of Tibetan identity as well as the shared aspirations of Tibetans.

Even under such a tragic situation, His Holiness has reiterated his commitment to the Middle Way Approach and not compromised his principled stand on nonviolence. He also believes that both the Tibetan and the Chinese sides should not give up hope, but rather take the current crisis as a challenge to endeavor to find a mutually beneficial solution to restore peace and stability in Tibet. We will pursue our efforts guided by these principles.

We have taken note of Chinese Premier Wen Jiaobao's recent comment that channels for talks are open, provided that the Dalai Lama renounces 'independence' and 'violence'. As British Prime Minister Gordon Brown informed the British Parliament, the international community is clearly aware of His Holiness committing himself to a solution for Tibet within the PRC. As for his commitment to nonviolence that is something that goes without saying.

No one could pretend that if our next round of discussions with the Chinese leadership were to be held now, it would be business as usual given the scale of the crackdown and the fact that protests are continuing almost daily in Tibet. I am sure even our Chinese counterparts would also agree that the present emergency situation in various parts of Tibet must be resolved before we can really talk about the future. It is imperative that those governments advising both sides to continue with the dialogue process ask the Chinese leadership to provide them and us with assurance of real and concrete progress in the dialogue process.

We are profoundly moved that several Chinese intellectuals have bravely raised their voices in China in response to the way Beijing was handling the development in Tibet. Far-sighted individuals within China today recognize that Beijing's Tibet policy is at a turning point, and that the Dalai Lama has a critical and historic role to play. President Hu Jintao now has an unprecedented opportunity to transform what will otherwise be a dark legacy on Tibet to one that is more appropriate for an emerging superpower that seeks the respect of the international community.

Rather than listening to vested interests whose actions have led to the downfall of quite a few leaders in the past, it will be beneficial to all concerned if he were to pay heed to the saner voices within China who are calling for a review of China's Tibet policy. The world is watching.