DHARAMSHALA: Meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibetans in exile gave me real understanding of the issue of Tibet, said a Chinese who is connected with a Sino-Tibetan friendship association in Australia. 

Speaking at the friendship association’s meeting in Sydney on 23 February, Mellech, the president of the association, said: “During my stay in China, I used to believe the Chinese government’s claims that old Tibet was a backward and cruel society and it has brought development and happiness to Tibetans. But I was fortunate to get an opportunity to meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and come into contact with exile Tibetans in Australia. I felt very happy as the meeting opened my mind, which was clouded by the Chinese government’s propaganda on Tibet. Now I have a clear understanding of the issue of Tibet.”

“It is now our responsibility to help the Chinese people, who are being misled by the Chinese government on the issue of Tibet, to know about the reality,” Mellech said. 

The representatives of the Tibetan community in Australia thanked the Chinese friends for their continued support on the issue of Tibet. They pledged to strengthen the Sino-Tibetan friendship association and make greater efforts to deal with the Chinese government’s propaganda on the issue of Tibet. The Chinese liaison officer at the Office of Tibet in Canberra, Ms Dadon, attended the meeting.

The association said it would launch a new website in Tibetan, Chinese and English languages on the occasion of Tibet New Year on 2 March. It aims to help the Chinese people know about different aspects of the issue of Tibet, including its culture, language and religion.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama yesterday said the Chinese people have the right to know the reality. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal in Los Angeles, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said: “The 1.3 billion Chinese people have a right to know what is really going on. They have the ability to judge right from wrong and the censorship is detrimental. Meanwhile, it is important that the Chinese judicial system be raised to international standards.”

When asked about the new Chinese leader Xi Jinping, His Holiness said that friends say he is more realistic. He cited the courageous stand he is taking against corruption and positive references in the recent 3rd plenum to improving the lot of poor farmers and improving the judicial system as grounds for hope.