Dharamsala (AsiaNews) – China’s protests over the meeting between Bush and the Dalai Lama “are not surprising given that they repeat themselves at every single official event the Buddhist leader is invited to participate in”, but “they are an indicator of the how much Beijing fears our guides influence at an international level”. Penpa Tsering, Executive Director of Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Research Centre, comments to AsiaNews on the controversy surrounding yesterday’s encounter between the Noble peace prize winner and the US president Bush.
Beijing yesterday threatened the United States with “grave consequences” following the talks, given that the “words and actions of the Dalai Lama in recent decades prove that he is a political refugee involved in secessionist activities who is hiding behind his religious beliefs”. Washington did not give in to the blackmail and underlined the “private” nature of the meeting, which went ahead as programmed. Moreover today the US Congress will confer the United States highest civic honour, the gold medal on the Buddhist leader.
Tibetans refers Tsering, “are very happy and honoured by this award: we have no problems with the Chinese threats which inevitably accompany our leaders every public appearance”. However to resolve the Tibetan question, “ostracising China , boycotting the Olympics, as is being put forward by some European countries and isolating them by the international community will not help in the long run: China needs to open itself up to religious freedom”.
On the other hand, “there should be more political pressure on the Chinese Government not to support renegade governments like Myanmar, North Korea or any other country which is known to have Human Rights problems. The Dalai Lama teaches that non violence and dialogue are the only basis from which souls can be changed and therefore nations. Using these methods we are convinced that even the Chinese repression of Tibet will soon finish”.
