His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Call to Tibet Support Groups

Friday, November 05, 2010

Tibet.net
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama (R) and Shri Lal Krishna Advani, former deputy prime minister of India, light a lamp to inaugurate the 3 day International Conference of Tibet Support Groups at Surajkund, India, on 5 November 2010. (Photo: Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL)

Surajkund, India: The sixth International conference of Tibet Support Groups began in Surajkund, near New Delhi in India, on November 5, 2010, with a call from His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the international community to look at the Tibetan issue from three aspects rather than merely as a human rights issue.

His Holiness, despite being slightly indisposed (he joked that the mouth cover he was wearing made him look like a Jain monk), spent a considerable period of time explaining the three aspects of the Tibetan issue as being that of ecological, culture and human rights issues.  In terms of the ecological aspect of the issue, His Holiness said more than a billion people in the region may be depending on the water that comes from rivers that originate on the Tibetan plateau. He also cited Chinese scientists who have dubbed the Tibetan plateau as the Third Pole, indicating that its ecological status is as important as that of the North or the South poles. Therefore, His Holiness said people in the region who will be impacted by changes to the Tibetan environment have the right to express their concern at the future of Tibet. He added that this has nothing to do with politics.  His Holiness said that preservation of the Tibetan environment is also in the interest of mainland China. 

On the Tibetan issue also being a cultural one, His Holiness explained the distinction that he makes between Tibetan Buddhism as a religion and Tibetan Buddhist science and philosophy.  He said Tibetan Buddhism as a religion was the business of Buddhists alone. However, Tibetan Buddhist science and philosophy can contribute to the development of humanity beyond the Buddhist world. 

His Holiness said he regarded himself as a messenger of the ancient Indian thought of Ahimsa. He added that Ahimsa is action and that action is dependent on the motivation, for which the key factor is compassion.  

He termed the Tibetan Buddhist culture as a culture of peace and culture of compassion. His Holiness added that in recent times scientists have been showing interest and doing research on the impact of cultivating compassion on the individual, his mental state and to the community. He talked about the projects that the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Stanford University and Emory University have initiated on this.  He said initial results have indicated positive impact of cultivating compassion.  

His Holiness the Dalai Lama addresses the inaugural ceremony of the 3 day International Conference of Tibet Support  Groups at Surajkund, India, on 5 November 2010. (Photo: Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL)

His Holiness also said in recent years more and more Chinese have been paying attention to the Tibetan issue indicating that the struggle is a just and moral one.  He also said some people accuse the Tibetans of internationalizing the Tibetan issue.  Comparing the dialogue process with the Chinese government to the right hand and reaching out to the international community to the left hand, His Holiness said if there is a concrete result to the right hand the left hand does not need to do anything.

His Holiness said that a stumbling block to finding a solution to the Tibetan issue is the lack of transparency, existence of distorted propaganda and censorship in China.

Once these are not present and there is an independent judiciary, the Tibetan issue can be resolved quickly, he said. His Holiness said he advocated a gradual change in China rather than overnight transformation into a democracy.  He added that given the nature of the Chinese system any overnight change could result in a chaotic situation that will not be in the interest of China or the world. He suggested that just as he was thinking of retirement, the Communist Party in China should think of gradual retirement with grace and honour. 

His Holiness was the Guest of Honour at the ceremony.

In his inaugural address, Mr. Lal Krishna Advani, former Indian deputy prime minister, said the Tibet Support Groups were doing a great job for humanity.  He then related his interaction with Chinese President Hu Jintao when he visited India in 2006 in which he had asked the Chinese President to create conditions that would enable His Holiness the Dalai Lama to visit Tibet before the Olympics.  However, that did not happen and China missed an opportunity to resolve the Tibetan issue, he said.   Mr. Advani said that this was not the last opportunity and asked Beijing to reach out to His Holiness with the intention of sincere dialogue and recognize the legitimate aspirations of the Tibetan people.  Beijing cannot have a more reasonable and peace-loving interlocutor than this living embodiment of the teachings of the Buddha, he said. 

Mr. Advani talked about the challenges to the bilateral relations between India and China, including on the border issue.  However, he said the Indian support to the aspirations of the Tibetan people was independent of the unresolved boundary dispute with China. He said that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has chosen to seek autonomous status for Tibet and that there needs to be genuine autonomy for Tibet.

He added that the biggest hurdle in resolving the Tibetan issue is the ideology of Communism and the attitude of the regime in Beijing.  He recalled having told American leaders that just as they are passionate about nuclear non-proliferation they should be similarly passionate about non-proliferation of dictatorships.  He said a conscious effort needs to be made to change dictatorships into democracy and to strengthen democracy.  He added that it will be good for the people of Tibet and good for the people of China.   

He said just as the United States and the USSR were the key determinants of history in the 20th century, the bilateral relationship between India and China will be one of the key determinants of the course of world history in the 21st century.  He added that India and China are neighbours and two ancient civilisations with much in common. The commonness is imparted by civilisational Tibet, he said. 
He said his aspiration and hope was that a day will come when the Tibetans who are in India will be able to go back to Tibet with dignity, peace and honour.  

Earlier, the inaugural ceremony began with the Master of Ceremony Vijay Kranti inviting His Holiness the Dalai Lama and former Indian deputy prime minister L.K. Advani to light lamps on the occasion of the Indian festival of lights, Diwali. 
Thereafter, welcome remarks were made by Dr. Nand Kishore Trikha, National Convenor of the Core Group for Tibetan Cause, India.  He is a former editor of Navbharat Times, leading Indian national daily in Hindi.  He said the problem of Tibet is not just of Tibetans but of humanity and the international community therefore cares about Tibet.

Messages from Australia:

Peter Slipper, MP, Deputy Speaker, Australian Parliament, said: " ... I understand that the aims of the conference are to offer an opportunity and platform to all Tibet support groups to meet and exchange views and experiences with each other and with the Central Tibetan Administration in order to forge a more effective means of supporting the cause of Tibet. I would like to congratulate you on organising this conference so that supporters of Tibet can contribute towards a solution of the Tibet issue satisfactory to the both His Holiness and Tibetans at home and in exile ..." 

Bob Brown, Australian Greens Senator for Tasmania, said: " ... Please convey my support to the organisers and participants of the conference in their efforts to create a more unified campaign for greater recognition of Tibet and for their inclusion of Chinese supporters to their cause. Australian Greens members of parliament will continue to recognise His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the accepted spiritual leader of Tibetans around the world and to urge the leaders of other parties to meet with him and acknowledge the human rights and political situation in Tibet..."

Michael Danby, Federal Member of Parliament for Melbourne Ports and Chair, All-Party parliamentary Group for Tibet, said: "... Our group would have liked to send a representative to the conference, but due to parliamentary and other duties unfortunately this was not possible. In Australia, as I think is the case in other countries around the world, the Tibetan cause can at times be a lonely one. Due to Chinese Government pressure, support for Tibet tends to be narrow and limited. A large conference such as this one which brings together groups from around the world is a great affirmation of the true depth and breadth of support for Tibet ..."

Joan M Wilson, President, Tibetan Friendship Group Australia, said: "... I believe strongly, that all though horrific for the Tibetans themselves, their example of bravery and 'middle way approach' in the face of the aggression, cruelty and domination, is an example sorely needed today. If the world is to survive in an atmosphere of peace and happiness, many countries, races and creeds, must learn from the Tibetans. I am not talking of religion necessarily, but of their philosophy of compassion and tolerance - it is a most remarkable example and has I believe, already made an influence. The Tibetan Friendship Group Association (Inc.) believes that if the Tibetan culture and their peaceful philosophy, is to survive and spread, it will be through the Tibetans educated in India. There is a huge debt owed by the world to India for its hospitality. The Tibetans then flow out from there and on to other countries such as USA, Europe, Australia, and some bravely back to Tibet..."

Thereafter, an overview of activities since the last TSG conference was made by Mr. Dennis Cusack, Co-Chair of the International Tibet Support Network. He talked about new challenges and new opportunities. He mentioned activities to create a substantial increase in effective, coordinated, sustained activity by Tibet Groups as well as sustained pressure on governments and Chinese leaders.  He also explained the Tibet groups' work to monitor the next generation of Chinese leaders and reaching out to Chinese people.  

Dr. Yang Jianli, President of Initiatives for China, was invited to speak next.  He said that the extraordinary struggle of the Tibetan people have won respect.  He said that despite having undergone much suffering under a government that was predominantly Han Chinese, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has consistently reached out to the Chinese people.  He said His Holiness's passion was bearing fruit, he said, as Han Chinese are beginning to realize that the threat to the Tibetans are a threat to them, too. 

Referring to the recent attempts to stop the use of Tibetan as a medium of instruction in some Tibetan schools in Tibet, Dr. Jianli said that cultural genocide begins with linguistic genocide.  He said Tibetans have every right to preserve their culture. 
Major (Retd.) Vijay Singh Mankotia, former minister of Himachal Pradesh, in his remarks talked about Indian concern at China's policy of strategic encirclement.

Quoting an Indian poem why the Tibetans need support, he said, "All around us is a deadly silence, Speak up, this is the moment of test, this is the moment of truth."
Major Mankotia also said that the Chinese charges of His Holiness wanting to take away one fourth of Chinese territory is misleading and a gross distortion. 

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, Senate of Philippines, quoted at length from UN Charter and relevant conventions to say why the principle of non-discrimination needed to be applied to the Tibetan people.  

Mr. Rafael Gimalov, Member of Parliament from  Russia, there was growing interest in Russia on Tibetan religion, cultural heritage and tradition. He said as the Chairman of the Parliament's Environment Committee, he was concerned with the ecological catastrophe that is taking place on the Tibetan plateau.   He therefore said that the conference need to focus on the preservation of Tibetan language and environment.  He offered to provide whatever assistance that he can give to promote awareness on the situation in Tibet.

Kalon Tripa Samdhong Rinpoche shortened his remarks in the light of the session going way beyond schedule. He said the printed text of his statement has been circulated. He termed the coming five years as being most precious, critical and decisive moments for Tibet's future and called for the revitalization of the Tibet movement to meet the challenge. 

During the ceremony, Mr. Lal Krisha Advani released a book, "2008 Uprising in Tibet:  Chronology and Analysis," compiled by the Tibetan Department of Information & International Relations (DIIR).  

In the afternoon, the participants got an update on the Tibetan-Chinese dialogue process from Special Envoy Lodi Gyari and Envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen, who also answered some questions.  There was also an eye witness account by Mr. Tsewang Dhondup, who suffered injuries from a bullet shot by Chinese security force following a demonstration in Eastern Tibet in March 2008.  There was also a session on Tibetan environment with Mr. Gabriel Lafitte from Australia and Mr. Tenzin Norbu, head of Environment and Development desk of DIIR. The participants later started workshops on campaign strategies. 

The conference is being convened by the Core Group for Tibetan Cause, India.