The Statement of the Kashag on the Fifty-First Anniversary
of the Tibetan National Uprising Day
10 March 2010
 |
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Speaker Penpa Tsering (C) and Kalon Tripa Samdong Rinpoche
observe a minute's silence in memory of Tibetan martyrs on the 51st Anniversary of the
Tibetan National Uprising Day, in Dharamsala, on 10 March 2010/
Photo:Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
| Today
— 10 March 2010 — marks the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan people's
peaceful uprising against the Chinese authorities. On this momentous
day, the Kashag pays homage to the brave men and women of Tibet who
have laid down their lives for our spiritual and temporal cause. The
Kashag also, in solidarity with those Tibetan compatriots who are
presently undergoing torture inside Tibet, extends its best greetings
and commiserations to all of them.
As
detailed in the Kashag's 10 March Statement of the previous year, we
have witnessed both positive and negative developments during the last
over 50 years. On the one hand, all Tibetans living inside and outside
Tibet have endured tremendous hardships and our spirituality, polity
and race have suffered irreparable damages. However, on the other hand,
Tibetans inside Tibet of all ages have, without losing heart and inner
strength, kept alive our struggle for truth all these years. In exile
also, we have made great spiritual and political accomplishments,
particularly in the fields of the preservation and promotion of Tibetan
spirituality and culture. Today, while remembering all these things,
the Kashag would especially like to express our deep sense of gratitude
to His Holiness the Dalai Lama because all the positive results that we
have been able to accomplish during these years is due to His Holiness
the Dalai Lama's leadership.
From
the last 10 March anniversary until now, the Tibetans in exile and
their administration have been organising numerous programmes, or
commemorative events, to mark the 50 years of their life in exile and
to express their heartfelt "Thank You" to their host countries. As a
part of this programme, an informal meeting of the employees of Central
Tibetan administration (CTA) was held recently to reflect upon the past
experiences and to propose ideas regarding our future plans. A summary
of what transpired in this meeting, which has already been brought to
the attention of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, includes, among other
things, the CTA employees re-pledging themselves to the path of peace
and non-violence in carrying forward our struggle for truth until the
eventual resolution of the Tibet issue. It is our firm belief that the
larger Tibetan population inside and outside Tibet will join in this
solemn pledge.
Of
abiding concern to us is that no positive developments have taken place
in Tibet since a new crisis developed on 10 March 2008. Therefore, the
Kashag would like to urge the People's Republic of China (PRC) to put
an immediate halt to their inhuman and unlawful actions, including
repression and violations of human rights in Tibet, as well as handing
down death and long-term prison sentences to the Tibetan people without
due process of law. The Kashag would also like to make an emphatic
appeal to them to release all the innocent Tibetan prisoners, including
the young Panchen Lama — Gendun Choekyi Nyima. Furthermore, the Kashag
would like to appeal to the Tibetans inside Tibet to exercise utmost
restraint and caution.
In
the on-going dialogue process, we have presented to the concerned
officials of the PRC the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan
People on 31 October 2008. In this memorandum, we have, besides
articulating the fundamental aspirations of the Tibetan people inside
and outside Tibet, requested for the full implementation of the
National Regional Autonomy provisions as enshrined in the constitution.
The Chinese side has, however, sought to distort or misrepresent the
requests we have made in it. In order to offer clarifications to these,
as well as to make a fresh request of two points, the envoys of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Beijing this year and conducted ninth
round of talks with their Chinese counterparts on 30 and 31 January. In
this latest round of talks, the envoys, as advised by His Holiness the
Dalai Lama, put forward these two points for the Chinese government's
consideration:
1)
The ultimate concern of His Holiness is only the welfare of the
six-million Tibetan people. Regarding this, the Chinese central
government contends that the Tibetan people in Tibet are leading a
happy life to their satisfaction and that there is no such issue as the
Tibet issue that needs to be resolved. We believe, however, that most
of the Tibetans in Tibet face tremendous hardships. There is, among
them, a strong feeling of dissatisfaction or discontentment in every
respect — be it religion, politics, economy, language, culture or
social conditions. In the light of such divergent views between the two
sides, there is a need for us to collectively undertake a careful
investigation of the situation on the ground so as to understand what
the reality is. We would like to, therefore, request the Chinese
government to undertake the proposed investigation in a manner that
affords all Tibetans the real opportunity to express their true
feelings without any fear and doubts in their minds. If, as a result of
such an investigation, it is found that most of the Tibetan people do
not believe there is a problem in Tibet and that they are completely
satisfied with their lot, then this is what His Holiness the Dalai Lama
is calling for. There is, then, no need for both sides to argue about
the issue of Tibet in the future. Whereas if we find that most of the
Tibetans are dissatisfied, then the Chinese central government should
also — treading the path of "seeking truth from facts" — acknowledge
that there is a problem in Tibet and start discussions to collectively
find the ways and means of solving the problem.
2)
The allegation that His Holiness the Dalai Lama or his exile
organisation has instigated the spontaneous and peaceful uprising that
rocked the whole of the Tibetan areas since 10 March 2008 is not true.
Hence, this allegation is not acceptable to us. This has been put
across to the Chinese leadership during the informal discussion that
took place in Shenzhen. As a result, during the seventh round of talks,
the Chinese central government accepted the reality by changing its
stance from the "Three Stops" to "Four Not-to-Supports". Of late,
however, it has begun to make the same kind of allegations against us.
A need has, therefore, arisen for the Chinese central government to
clarify now as to whether its viewpoint is same as it was during the
seventh round of talks, or has it changed since then. If it has indeed
changed, then the Chinese central government should undertake an
in-depth investigation — both inside and outside Tibet — to determine
scientifically the truth of these accusations. The verdict of such an
investigation should be accepted by both the parties concerned.
Moreover, we should make amends if we are found to be wrong. If we are
not found to be wrong, then the Chinese central government must stop
spreading lies, or making such baseless allegations, both domestically
and internationally, and issue a clarification to this effect.
The
Chinese government didn't provide any clear answers to these two points
and they also failed to exactly communicate our requests in its
subsequent press briefings or statements. As for us, we will continue
to press ahead with these two requests we made in a sincere and honest
manner. If the views held by the Chinese central government — and what
they say — have any truth in them, then it should not hesitate to
subject these to investigation. All of us can vouch for the fact that
once a proper investigation is undertaken, it will help clear things
for the future, thus making it easier for all to see the reality.
During
the past nine rounds of talks, the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai
Lama have stated categorically to the Chinese government that they have
nothing to talk about the personal issue of His Holiness or about the
issue of a few people surrounding him. The sole agenda of the dialogue
process was to discuss about the welfare of the six-million Tibetan
people. In none of these exchanges had they raised the personal issue
of His Holiness. We have made this amply clear earlier and we would
like to reiterate this today. Therefore, the Chinese government's
saying, through its official statements, that their purpose of engaging
in dialogue with us is only to talk about the personal issue of His
Holiness and not about the welfare of the Tibetan people is not true.
This is simply irrelevant. Although there is no change whatsoever in
our determination to engage in dialogue with the PRC until the issue of
Tibet is resolved once and for all, the Kashag would like to
emphatically state that the agenda of the dialogue process should be
only about the welfare of six-million Tibetans and nothing else.
Therefore we reiterate that there is nothing to discuss about the
personal welfare of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Considering
the Tibet problem to be a domestic issue that has to be resolved within
the framework of the PRC, we are always engaging with the Chinese
central government. However, the Chinese side continues to talk about
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the issue of Tibet and exert enormous
pressure in connection with these issues everywhere — be it in their
bilateral relations with other countries or in various international
forums. It is clear to all of us that this is what actually drives the
issue of Tibet towards becoming an internationalised issue.
Our
struggle is based on truth and non-violence. We have no doubt that if
all Tibetans living inside and outside Tibet put their complete faith
in the non-violent path that we have chosen and practise, then the
truth of the issue of Tibet will prevail sooner rather than later.
Today, there are an increasing number of justice-loving countries,
peoples as well as religious and political leaders, showing great
concern and support to the issue of Tibet. A significantly large number
of Chinese intellectuals from Mainland China and from abroad are now
beginning to appreciate and support His Holiness the Dalai Lama's
Middle-Way policy. Moreover, the truth about the Chinese government's
wrong policies in Tibet is becoming ever more evident these days.
Particularly, the mutually beneficial Middle-Way policy does not
envisage victory for oneself and defeat for others. Envied by all the
people of the world, it has the strong support of the USA and many
other like-minded countries. Tibetan intellectuals inside Tibet, across
three regions of Tibet, also admire and support it. Hence, the issue of
Tibet has achieved — and is continuing to achieve — great results that
have both the short- and long-term benefits. While expressing our
immense gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for formulating such a
genuine policy, the Kashag would like to pledge before Your Holiness
that we will continue to uphold this policy without any doubt in our
minds in the future.
Unimaginable
atrocities and cruelty of the past about 60 years have not been able to
shake the spirit and determination of the Tibetan people. The Chinese
government is now further sharpening its strategy of employing deceit
and money to destroy the spirit and unity of the Tibetan people. The
Kashag believes that the Tibetan people will not fall prey to these
Chinese deceptions. The unity among all the Tibetan people, which has
remained intact for a long time now, has been strengthened after the
popular uprising of 2008. The Kashag would like to urge all Tibetans to
make efforts to further strengthen this bond of unity and to stay clear
from the incitements or machinations of the other side to drive a wedge
between us Tibetans. The Kashag would like to also urge that we
Tibetans should caution by refraining from indulging in internal
squabbles over petty matters.
Two
important issues that the Tibetans inside Tibet must give a serious
thought to are: 1) Tibetan youths should be encouraged to broaden their
educational horizon by concentrating on both traditional and modern
education and by acquiring professional and specialised skills in their
chosen fields of study; and 2) explore all possible ways and means to
save the delicate environment of the Tibetan plateau from further
degradation. These are non-political issues that have a strong bearing
on the short- and long-term benefits of both the Tibetan and Chinese
peoples. Therefore, it is very important for both sides to make
collective efforts towards these ends. Similarly, everyone should make
best efforts to put into practice the advices His Holiness the Dalai
Lama give to the people of world in general and to the people of Tibet
in particular, the advices of both spiritual and temporal aspect that
have huge bearing not just in this life but also in many lives to come.
If
the Tibetans, who are currently divided into many administrative units,
could be brought under a single autonomous administration, it will be
more helpful in devising a uniform policy to bring about all-round
development in the fields of education, culture, health, etc. It will,
in particular, help protect the unique culture and identity of Tibet.
The request to bring all Tibetans under a single administration has now
and again been made to the Chinese government since 1951. As such,
during the recent Fifth Work Forum on Tibet, delegates from all Tibetan
areas were summoned to deliberate upon a uniform development plan for
all Tibetans. The Forum has also identified the fact that the Tibetans
in general, and the Tibetan farmers and herders in particular, are
lagging behind as far as the standard of living is concerned. We must
take note of these developments indeed. We await the Chinese government
to actually implement a uniform development programme for all the
Tibetan-inhabited areas.
His
Holiness the Dalai Lama will turn 75 on 6 July 2010. The Kashag plans
to celebrate his coming birthday more elaborately than the previous
ones with major spiritual activities. Similarly, our exile democracy
will complete 50 years on 2 September, this year. Therefore, we are
planning to commemorate this day as well. We hope that all Tibetans
will bear these upcoming events in mind. Although it is very difficult
for the Tibetans inside Tibet to openly come out and celebrate these
upcoming events, we believe they will be able to join us Tibetan exiles
in their hearts and minds.
To
conclude, the Kashag prays for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai
Lama and the spontaneous fulfilment of all his wishes. May the truth of
the issue of Tibet prevail soon!
The Kashag
N.B. This
has been translated from the original statement issued in Tibetan. If
there is any discrepancy between the two, please treat the Tibetan
version as authoritative and final.
|
