Special meeting of Tibetan leaders to reconsider relationship with Beijing
Dharamsala (AsiaNews) - The new situation in Tibet, after the protests and repression in March, the line of action toward Beijing, possibly even the search for "political" leadership different from that of the Dalai Lama. Tsering Choedup, coordinator for southern Asia of the International Tibet Support Network, talks to AsiaNews about the meeting scheduled in Dharamsala from November 17-22, including hundreds of Tibetan leaders and the government and parliament in exile, which he maintains is "fundamental" for the destiny of the tormented region.
He observes that "for a long time, the Dalai Lama has sincerely sought a way of mediation in relations with China, but he has received no positive response from Beijing. Now this extraordinary meeting, established according to the content of article 59 of our charter, will gather our leaders, intellectuals, and private groups selected by the Tibetan parliament in exile."
There is general distrust in the peaceful dialogue that the Dalai Lama has always sought. "After the March uprising, Beijing falsely accused the Dalai Lama of fomenting riots and protests . Moreover, the rounds of talks between Chinese officials and envoys of the Dalai Lama are going nowhere. Now, it is the duty of the Tibetan people to sit down and discuss and strategise how best we should proceed. Many exiled Tibetans would like to go further than the conciliatory 'middle way' approach of the Dalai Lama, who seeks autonomy. Of course, our primary and only way is through non-violence."
"With this special meeting, the Dalai Lama wants to convey a message to the international community, world leaders and heads of government, that we are interested in the dialogue process, but it has not yielded any results. So maybe there is another way - non-violent, of course - to resolve the Tibetan issue."
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18/11/2008
