Dispiriting days for the Dalai Lama

The Tibetan Government-in-exile, headed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled head of state and spiritual leader, has consistently held that Tibet has been under illegal Chinese occupation since China invaded the independent state in 1949/50. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) insists that its relation with Tibet is purely an internal affairs, because Tibet is and has been for centuries an integral part of China. The question of Tibet’s status is essentially a legal question, albeit one of immediate political relevance.

The PRC makes no claim to sovereign rights over Tibet as a result of its military subjugation and occupation of Tibet following its armed invasion in 1949-50. Indeed, the PRC could hardly make that claim, since it categorically rejects as illegal claims to sovereignty put forward by other states based on conquest, occupation, or the imposition of unequal treaties. Instead, the PRC bases its claims to Tibet solely on the theory that Tibet became an integral part of China 700 year ago.

For years, the Dalai Lama has pinned his hopes on a diplomatic solution to his exile from Tibet. Seeking compromise instead of independence, he has waited patiently for a breakthrough at private talks between his envoys and mid-level Chinese officials.

But after four years of talks, there are few signs of progress. And as he marked his 71st birthday last week, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader was hearing news of a bitterly personal attack on him by the head of China’s official Tibetan government — a reminder of the strength of his hard-line opponents.

On the Dalai Lama’s birthday, thousands of Chinese flags were fluttering on every street and major building in Tibet, from the smallest village to the biggest city. Officially, the red Communist flags were celebrating the opening of China’s new railway to Tibet, but they were also a vivid symbol of Beijing’s tightening grip on this region.

Everyone from the wealthy businessman to the humble herdsmen was required to buy a Chinese flag and display it prominently this month. It was another clear demonstration of China’s ability to exercise power in every corner of Tibet.

The Dalai Lama and his supporters have repeatedly proclaimed that progress is being made in the…

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"The global village is deteriorating at a rapid pace, and in the children of the world the result is rage." -Romeo Dallaire ____________________________________________________________ Harold: "You're good with people." ...