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May 06, 2008
Tibet Envoys Knock China But Vow To Continue Talks
Two envoys of the Dalai Lama, in meetings with Chinese officials, criticized Beijing's handling of unrest in Tibet and asked China to prove its assertions that the Tibetan spiritual leader orchestrated violent anti-Chinese protests, a senior leader of Tibet's government-in-exile said Monday.
Still, the Tibetan envoys and Chinese officials, who met in Shenzhen on Sunday, agreed to restart talks that halted in mid-2007 on the future of Tibet, according to Samdhong Rinpoche, chairman of the exiled government's Kashag, or cabinet.
Prof. Rinpoche's remarks, made in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, were the first official Tibetan comment on the Shenzhen meetings.
An earlier round of talks between Chinese and Tibetan officials was suspended last summer after failing to bridge deep differences. But fallout from March's anti-Chinese protests in Tibet and a harsh security crackdown that ensued appear to have pushed Beijing and Tibet's government-in-exile to meet again.
'Both sides explained their differences,' said Prof. Rinpoche. 'The process of dialogue will continue.'
The Chinese side was represented by Zhu Weiqun and Sitar, both vice ministers of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party, a top policy-making body on religious and ethnic relations for China's ruling party.
According to China's official Xinhua news agency, Messrs. Zhu and Sitar told the Tibetan envoys the Lhasa riots had 'given rise to new obstacles for resuming contacts and consultations.'
Still, sending such high-ranking officials to Sunday's meeting shows Beijing's seriousness, said Li Hongbin, a professor in the history department at the Central University for Nationalities. 'I personally am optimistic, but I believe that one or two meetings can't resolve all the differences built up over the decades,' he said.
It's not clear when a new round of discussions with China over Tibet might resume. Sunday's agreement represents a small victory for the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile, which had previously pushed for resumption of talks with little success. But resuming the suspended talks is also useful to Beijing, as it tries to deflect criticism of its Tibet crackdown ahead of the Olympics. While agreeing to new talks without conceding anything to the Dalai Lama's envoys, China can still continue its media campaign against Tibetan dissident groups.
The envoys who represented Tibet in Shenzhen -- Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, based in Washington, and Kelsang Gyaltsen, based in Zurich -- were heading to Dharmsala Monday to brief the government-in-exile on details of Sunday's discussion, according to Prof. Rinpoche.
In his political role, the rough equivalent of a prime minister, Prof. Rinpoche heads a Tibetan-government task force on the dialogue with China.
The unrest in Tibet has embarrassed China internationally and has complicated Beijing's efforts to present to the world a more open image as it prepares to host the Summer Olympics and showcase its racing economy.
Since the March turmoil, China has severely restricted travel to Tibet, especially for foreign tourists and media. Chinese officials and state-backed media have bitterly criticized the Dalai Lama for allegedly orchestrating the protests, angering legions of his followers. Partly as a result, anti-Chinese protests have dogged the global relay of the Olympic torch bound for the Beijing games.
The Tibet-related violence inside China has claimed lives of both Tibetans and Chinese, though estimates of the numbers of deaths vary widely. Beijing says 22 people, mostly ethnic Han Chinese, have died in the unrest. Tibetan exile groups say about 200 people were killed. There has been no independent confirmation of the death toll.
The protests in Tibet marked the anniversary of a crackdown on Tibetan political dissenters in March 1959. During that period, the Dalai Lama escaped to India, followed by thousands of refugees. He eventually settled in the north Indian hill town of Dharmsala, where the government-in-exile is now headquartered and where a younger generation of Tibetans has massed in support for full independence from China.
In the interview, Prof. Rinpoche, who was still awaiting a full briefing of Sunday's Shenzhen meetings, said the two Tibetan envoys demanded that Chinese security forces halt arbitrary arrests, release political prisoners and compensate families of people killed in the protests.
He also said the envoys asked the Chinese to stop accusing the Dalai Lama of stirring up violence 'or else share the proof with the international community.'
Despite the pointed criticism, Prof. Rinpoche described the atmosphere at the meetings as good because the Tibetan envoys were given the opportunity to air their grievances. 'They were able to say what they wanted to say,' he noted.
Although it was the first meeting since the most recent unrest, the two Tibetan envoys are familiar figures in China. They spearheaded six rounds of talks over the future of Tibet, held between 2002 and 2007.
But after those talks broke off without any clear progress, members of the Tibetan negotiating team came in for criticism among frustrated exiles who believe the Chinese leadership is dragging its feet, waiting for the Dalai Lama to die and hoping the independence movement fragments without him.
'The reality is the Chinese are playing for time and we are playing into their hands,' said Lhasang Tsering, a former government official who now runs a bookshop with his wife in Dharmsala. 'We already know we can't have 'meaningful' talks with the Chinese.'
U.S. and European leaders have urged China to engage in dialogue with envoys of the Dalai Lama. The Buddhist leader -- who won the Nobel Peace prize in 1989 -- has advocated to Beijing a 'Middle Way' that accepts Chinese sovereignty over Tibet in exchange for more autonomy among Tibetans living inside China.
Prof. Rinpoche, who is also a high-ranking Buddhist monk, said there's been no rethinking the Dalai Lama's approach, despite the lack of headway in dialogue.
'If we remain without contact, what result can be achieved?' he asked. Those who advocate not engaging with the Chinese, he added, don't have much to show for their stand either. Prof. Rinpoche, dressed in crimson and mustard robes, is the first head of Tibet's government-in-exile to be voted into office in an election. He's serving the second of two terms. The Dalai Lama remains Tibet's spiritual leader and also the head of state, but has ceded much day-to-day management of government affairs to Prof. Rinpoche.
Prof. Rinpoche rejected any suggestion that Tibet's struggle for more autonomy in China would die with the Dalai Lama. 'A new generation will carry on the struggle,' he said. Besides, the 72-year-old Dalai Lama is in 'very good health,' added Prof. Rinpoche. 'He can work another twenty years.'
Peter Wonacott
Posted by google at May 6, 2008 06:02 AM