Dalai Lama says he's willing to meet China's president

20 March 2008

DHARMSALA, India: The Dalai Lama said Thursday he was willing to meet Chinese leaders, including President Hu Jintao, as Chinese authorities acknowledged that anti-government riots in Tibet had spread to other provinces.

But Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader said he would not travel to Beijing for talks unless there was "a real concrete development" in relations between Beijing and Tibet. He did not elaborate.

Chinese officials said they would talk with the Dalai Lama if he "stopped separatist activities" and recognized Tibet and Taiwan as parts of China.

The Dalai Lama has long maintained that independence was not his aim.

"The whole world knows Dalai Lama is not seeking independence, one hundred times, thousand times I have repeated this. It is my mantra — we are not seeking independence," he told reporters in Dharmsala, the seat of Tibet's government-in-exile.

The Dalai Lama has said he wants dialogue with China aimed at giving Tibetans autonomy, but remaining under Beijing rule.

"The Tibet problem must be solved between Tibetan people and Chinese people," he said.

The Dalai Lama said he would be prepared to meet with any Chinese leaders, including Hu. Many Tibetans harbor a deep resentment toward Hu, who served as Tibet's Communist Party chief beginning in 1989, marking a return to hard-line policies after a period of relative openness.

Chinese officials have accused the Dalai Lama and his supporters of organizing violent clashes in Tibet in hopes of sabotaging this summer's Beijing Olympics and promoting Tibetan independence.

But China said his words were not enough.

"For the Dalai Lama, we not only listen to what he says, but more importantly, we focus on what he does," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang.

During a news conference that grew increasingly testy, reporters pressed Qin for evidence that the Dalai Lama had not met the conditions, reminding Qin that the spiritual leader has long advocated nonviolence and meaningful autonomy for Tibet, not independence.

"I'm not aware of the situation or what you're talking about," Qin responded bluntly.

The Dalai Lama has said in the past that he would meet Chinese leaders. His representatives re-established formal contact formal contact with China in 2002 after years of silence. They have met six times since, most recently last June in China.

Tibetan officials in exile say at least 80 people have died in the violence following protests in Tibet that began March 10 on the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising. Chinese officials say 16 people were killed.

On Thursday, Chinese officials and media said unrest had also taken place in neighboring provinces in recent days.

The Dalai Lama said he feared there would be more bloodshed as more Chinese forces were sent into these regions and appealed to the international community to help.

"Please think, visit the helpless, unarmed innocent people who simply love Tibetan culture and are not willing to accept others bullying them. Now they are facing death. So very sad," he said.

The Dalai Lama dismissed the accusations and insults Chinese officials hurled at him this week, which included the Communist Party boss labeling him "a devil with a human face but the heart of a beast."

"As a Buddhist monk, it does not matter what they call me," he said, adding that he believed these comments were meant to stir up anti-Tibetan feeling within China.

"The outside world doesn't believe that I am devil," he said.

Meanwhile, Indian authorities released 30 protesters Wednesday who were arrested last week while attempting to march from Dharmsala to Tibet, said B. Tsering, one of the organizers of the march.

Roughly 100 protesters remain in Indian custody and are set to be released by March 27.

A second group of roughly 50 marchers who set off for Tibet after the arrests continued their march Thursday without interference from authorities.

The Dalai Lama has asked them to give up the protest march due to fears of a confrontation with Chinese border guards. March leaders are debating how to continue.
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Commentary

Forgotten Knowledge of Tibet?

By HRM Deborah

What I am going to say is in no way to disrespect the Chinese government or the Dalai Lama.

The same scenario that occurred for the occupation and war in Palestine, is the same as what has happened to the Tibetan people.

The history of Tibet was that it has always been a sovereign country until the invasion in about 1951, which in turn created the occupation of Tibet, which we see even today.

I do not know, what information the Chinese government actually has in this regards or what they have been told at this time, but Tibet, does belong to the Tibetan people.

At one time when I was very young and if I had gained my freedom, I had thought of asking permission of the Dalai Lama to visit Tibet. Because what history I know of his country, I have always found Tibet to be not only a fascinating country, but also one that most people in respect to the Tibetan people should see and understand, especially the history of the Tibetan people.

“One should never forget the well being of ones people.”