Address of Kalon Tripa Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche at the 4th World Parliamentarians’ Convention on Tibet, Edinburgh, 18-19 November 2005
Dear friends,
On behalf of the Kashag of the Central Tibetan Administration of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, I would like to welcome and thank you all for
sparing your precious time to attend this convention.
This convention comes at a critical period in the history of
the Tibetan people. His Holiness the Dalai Lama often describes the
present period as the one that will make or break the spirit of the
Tibetan people and that of Tibets spiritual and cultural heritage.
This is because the Tibetan people are presented with new opportunities
and daunting new challenges.
On the bright side, since 2002 we have managed to re-establish
contacts with the Chinese authorities. On our part, we are making every
effort to maintain and expand these contacts in our sincere attempt to
resolve the issue of Tibet peacefully on the basis of His Holiness the
Dalai Lamas Middle-Way Approach.
The Middle-Way Approach recommends that the whole of Tibet be
granted genuine autonomy. In return the six million Tibetan people will
be happy to live within the constitutional framework of the Peoples
Republic of China (PRC). This is the position of His Holiness the Dalai
Lama and the aspiration of the vast majority of the Tibetan people.
In order to resolve the issue of Tibet on the basis of His
Holiness the Dalai Lamas Middle-Way Approach, the Central Tibetan
Administration has made every effort within our power to create a
conducive atmosphere for negotiations and taken a series of
confidence-building measures. We are pleased that the Chinese
authorities have taken note of these positive steps. We will continue
to take these steps till the issue of Tibet is resolved through a
negotiated settlement.
Though Mr. Kelsang Gyaltsen, a senior member of His Holiness
the Dalai Lamas delegation engaged with the PRC leaders, will brief
you in detail on our contacts with the PRC leadership, I would like to
acknowledge the open and frank attitude of the PRC representatives. We
especially appreciate the comments made by them during the last round
of talks held in Berne in Switzerland in July 2005 that the PRC central
leadership attached great importance to the contact with His Holiness
the Dalai Lama.
On our part, during the talks we have both in writing and
verbally explained to the PRC leadership all the concerns raised by
them. Much to the anger of the worldwide Tibet movement, the Kashag has
taken the extremely unpopular decision of requesting the Tibet Support
Groups, the Tibetan people in exile and NGOs to avoid provocative
actions and slogans and not to engage in personally confronting the
visiting Chinese leaders abroad with agitation. Much to the dismay of a
section of the Tibetan, at official functions, we have banned the
singing of songs that fuel nationalistic anger and anti-Chinese
sentiments. These are some of the measures that we have taken to create
a conducive atmosphere for negotiations. They are an indication of both
our seriousness and sincerity in peacefully resolving the protracted
issue of Tibet and in restoring to the long-suffering people of Tibet
the dignity and happiness they so richly deserve.
We believe PRC has an historic opportunity to grasp the hand of
friendship extended by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The ability of PRC
to view His Holiness the Dalai Lama as its most effective ally and a
trusted partner in its continuing search for social peace and
legitimacy in Tibet will rebound enormously in enhancing Chinas
international image. This will especially be true in the eyes of those
millions in Asia whose lives and the lives of their ancestors have been
enriched by Tibetan civilization and now in the eyes of millions around
the world who look to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for guidance and
inspiration.
We hope to accomplish this with the continuing support,
guidance and commitment of our friends in the legislative bodies around
the world. The fact that PRC has renewed its contacts with His Holiness
the Dalai Lama is due to the counsel offered to the PRC leaders by
government and legislative leaders around the world. We hope your
support and commitment on this critical area of our contacts with the
PRC leaders will continue.
We feel that the aspiration of the Tibetan people as
articulated in the Middle-Way Approach are most reasonable and within
the constitutional provision of the Peoples Republic of China. PRCs
willingness to settle the issue of Tibet on the basis of the Middle-Way
Approach will contribute to peace and stability and will enhance the
image of PRC.
At this point it is important for us to clarify one fundamental
nature of the Tibetan peoples struggle, which is a struggle for the
future of the six million Tibetan people. It is not a struggle for the
restoration of the lost privileges of His Holiness the Dalai Lama or
his traditional government.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has repeatedly stated that once he
returns to Tibet in a manner that meets the aspirations of the majority
of the Tibetan people, he would hand over his inherent powers to a duly
elected local government of Tibet. Once this happens, the Central
Tibetan Administration in exile would automatically be dissolved and
the affairs of Tibetan will be looked after by the same Tibetan
officials who are currently working in Tibet.
In his latest interview which appeared in an Indian national
daily, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, “When the day comes for our
return with a certain degree of freedom, then I will hand over all my
authority to the local Tibetan government. Hopefully, that local
government should eventually be an elected government.”
Friends, I must once again remind you in a nutshell the
objectives and the nature of our struggle. We do not perceive the
problem of Tibet as an isolated problem for the Tibetan people alone or
a struggle between just two nations, namely China and Tibet. The
Chinese and Tibetans lived as neighbors since time immemorial. Our
relations had been fluctuating all the time, as friends, as relatives,
as enemies, but at not time such deep problem as we are facing for the
last more than fifty years, had never happened. The present problem, as
we see it, is a symptom of a larger human malady which perpetuated in
the modern world. It is therefore we shall have to search the remedy
also at a larger plan, at the level of all human societies. Our
conflict is neither a conflict of political ideology nor for political
powers. It is neither fight for territory nor a struggle between
nationalities. The Tibetan people do not ask neither separation nor
larger share of political or economic p! ower. Our soul objective is to
retain the identity of Tibetan people as non-violent society in order
to preserve and promote the unique Tibetan cultural and spiritual
heritage in order to share it with all human beings. The essence of
Middle-Way Approach is to achieve the required basic freedom and human
dignity for all the Tibetan nationalities in order to enable them to
perform efficiently their universal responsibility which is impossible
under the present situation.
If PRC authorities have a political will, our above-mentioned
aspiration can be easily fulfilled by implementing the provision
enshrined in the Constitution of PRC for National Regional Autonomy
with all sincerity. By this the people of Tibet will able to contribute
their part for the humanity and emotionally integrated with PRC, by
which will make real unity and stability for the PRC.
To achieve this objective, we are fully committed to
non-violence means. The present major problems of humanity including
problems facing PRC are of ‘Violence’. Unless the violence is
eradicated, none of the human problems, national or international, can
be resolved on a sustainable basis. Keeping in view the objectives and
the methods mentioned above, our struggle is a struggle between truth
and falsehood, justice and injustice, violence and non-violence. The
world community has well recognized the nature of our movement and
therefore supported it voluntarily without any expectations. In spite
of that we are not yet able to convince the PRC leadership and they
always accuse us and His Holiness for being “Separatist”. In spite of
our consistent policy of Middle-Way adopted for last 26 years, PRC
continues to accuse us of being “Separatist”. Sometimes, we begin to
doubt that the PRC leadership wants us to remain “Separatist” and want
us to continue to work for “separation” in order to meet some of their
internal political requirements.
My one-pointed request to you all, Ladies and Gentlemen, is
that through your legislative bodies, through your government and
through the individual friends of PRC leadership, to kindly educate,
persuade and encourage to give up the unfounded doubts and suspicion
upon His Holiness and his administration. And to begin a meaningful
negotiation with His Holiness without losing any time.
The marginalisation of Tibetan inside Tibet, demographically,
economically and politically has endangered the very survival of the
Tibetan identity. Each passing day, the marginalisation increases by
leaps and bounds. Therefore, time is running out. Tibet must be saved
before its extinction.
In conclusion, my colleagues in the Kashag join me in
expressing our deep appreciation to your presence and participation in
this convention. It is an indication of your support to and solidarity
with the just and non-violent struggle of the Tibetan people.
I am particulary encouraged by the strong Indian delegation
from All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet. In fact, the inception of
WPCT is brainchild of the All Parliamentary Group of Indian Parliament
in 1994. Today, when I am in your midst, the memory of the late Shri
Madhu Limay comes to my mind again and over again. He took great
personal interest in organising All Party Parliamentary Group in the
Indian Parliament and also in convening the first WPCT in New Delhi. I
also remember the hard work done by Shri George Fernandes and Shri
Mohan Singh, who were conveners of WPCT at that time.
In fact, the issue of Tibet as well as the cultural heritage of
Tibet still survived in exile is mainly due to generous and continued
support of government and the people of India. I would urge all the
participants of this Convention as well as all the sympathisers of
Tibet all over the world to recognise and acknowledge it.
I would also like to thank the Assembly of the Tibetan Peoples
Deputies for initiating this fourth World Parliamentarians Convention
on Tibet. The Central Tibetan Administration would like to express our
deep appreciation to the Government of United Kingdom for permitting us
to hold this convention. We would also like to express our gratitude to
both the Scottish Cross Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet and the UK
Parliamentary Group for Tibet for stepping in to actually organise this
convention at such a short time.