Rome (AsiaNews) – European governments “have every right to think about stability and economic growth but they should not forget that the latter are founded on human rights and freedom of expression. The Dalai Lama is their champion; not meeting him means shelving them,” Thubten Samphel, spokesperson for the International Relations Department of the Tibetan government-in-exile, told AsiaNews as he commented the way the Buddhist leader was received in Italy.
According to the Tibetan representative, “the Dalai Lama does not want to embarrass any government or political leader if they cannot receive him. But it [meeting him] would be a good way to learn more about the real situation of the Tibetan people and region.”
It is never the less quite “understandable why so many governments take this attitude of limiting or giving less importance to the presence of the Dalai Lama on their territory. China has increased its international economic and diplomatic clout and Beijing’s paranoid attitude towards Tibetans is well known.”
European governments “must however remember that whilst trade and economics are very important they are not the bases of civilization. Respect for human rights, personal freedom and freedom of expression shall always take first place. A stable economy is only possible if people who run are free.”
For this reason “we must follow the example of the German government which plays an important role in the world’s economy but which is also unwavering on the issue of human rights, never pulling back on the Dalai Lama and many other situations where human beings are persecuted or in chains.”
Still “we are very happy and consider very important the fact that our leader is welcomed with sympathy and respect by all the peoples of the world who show their affection to him and the cause he represents.”
These feelings “allow us to go on despite exile and China’s domination of our region. They show that there is international concern over the Tibet question and that our struggle is not lost. They are very important.”
As for the latest controversy caused by Miss Tibet’s participation in an international beauty pageant, Mr Samphel does not mince words.
“For starters, we do not appreciate this kind of events,” he said. “And we believe it was inappropriate for it to be staged in Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama’s home. I also think that the so-called Miss Tibet, whoever she may be, is being invited around the world with the full knowledge that her presence will provoke Beijing’s ire and thus generated publicity for the event. Still the fact that China never allows the affirmation of the Tibetan identity under any circumstance weighs heavily on us.”
