India ought to intervene to prevent the destruction of Tibetan culture, says Dalai Lama
Gorakhpur (AsiaNews) – The Dalai Lama is concerned about the “over cautious” position taken by India vis-à-vis the Tibet issue. With China steadily tightening its control over the territory, a solution to the crisis must be found now more than ever. Various experts talk to AsiaNews about the issue.
“We are not seeking [Tibet’s] independence or separation [from China],” the Tibetan spiritual leader told an Indian TV network on Sunday. But “we do want certain rights within the context of autonomy or self-rule. Our main concern is the preservation of our culture, our spirituality and our environment. [. . .] I think many visitors to Tibet, including many Chinese, see how Tibet is actually ruled by terror. Tibetans should have final authority, except in foreign affairs and defence” matters, he said.
The Dalai Lama recognised that India's policy on Tibet was difficult to change after 50 years, but insisted that it should be reviewed from time to time, saying that it has been “over cautious” and “sometimes certain attitudes create more resentment among Tibetans."
For Maulavi Majid, a Muslim cleric, it “is an open historical truth that Tibet was a sovereign state for over a millennium with its own Buddhist culture and religion. The Dalai Lama has always been a religious rather than a political leader. China’s invasion and annexation of Tibet has compromised the country’s unique political-spiritual balance and India cannot, by its silence, ignore Tibet’s ruin.”
What is more, Indian support for China’s annexation of Tibet in 1950, he said, “did not prevent Chinese aggression in 1962 and its occupation of thousands of km2 of our Indian land. Today’s India is not that of 1962 and our support for Tibetan autonomy will indeed hurt China, but eventually, this could pave the way for the resolution of the Tibetan crisis."
Father Francis, a local Catholic priest engaged in inter-faith dialogue, also told AsiaNews that Dalai Lama's anguish "is genuine and India must review its Tibetan policy.”
“The Tibet issue is not only an internal Chinese matter. Dalai lamas have been de facto and de jure rulers of Tibet until China’s annexation. China forcibly occupied Tibet taking advantage of its non-violent culture,” he said.
“India should abandon its timid policy towards Tibet and strongly call for restoration of self-rule by Tibetans [. . .] on the same principles that apply to Bhutan, a sovereign country, whose defence and foreign policy are under the tutelage of India. Tibet too could enjoy a Bhutan-like sovereign status.”
Yogi Aditayanath, a well-known Hindu monk, added that "India-Tibet relations go back for thousands of years. Mount Kailash, where Lord Shiva lives, is located in Tibet and has been an important Hindu pilgrimage site. This alone should convince India to demand Tibet’s liberation from Chinese tentacles. Instead, India has been brutally silent.”
“Tibet,” he noted, “has been the cradle of Buddhism which is actually part and parcel of the greater Hindu religion. The destruction of the Buddhist culture in Tibet is the destruction of our Hindu heritage there.”
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