Shoddy Reports May Have Caused Recent Rumors
Thursday, 21 July 2006, 2:40 p.m.
Dharamshala: Shoddy news posted on web, which were later published in some Tibetan newspapers may have sparked the recent spread of rumors on His Holiness the Dalai Lama being on a visit to Tibet, the secretary of the exile Security Department said.
“Besides, after His Holiness expressed his desire to visit China on a pilgrimage, his faithful followers have been eagerly waiting in hope, especially those inside Tibet, who have never had the opportunity to see him in person.”
Asked if the rumours were a deliberate construct of the Chinese authorities, to gauge the likely Tibetan response in case His Holiness visits Tibet, “We can not say for sure”, Mr Nogdup Dongchung was quoted as saying, in an interview to the Tibetan newspaper, Bod-Kyi-Dus-Bab.
“However, in order to prevent the mass assemblage of people and any social upheavals, the local authorities should have publicly dismissed the rumors as false. That, unfortunately, didn’t happen.”
Mr. Dongchung further said that the people are well advised to get their facts straight before believing what they hear on the grapevine.
When asked if His Holiness is seriously indisposed, Mr. Dongchung dismissed it, saying that, because of exhaustion after a hectic schedule, doctors have advised him complete rest. “His Holiness will rest up until mid-August, when he is expected to give teachings to a group of Koreans.”
(www.tibet.net is the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration.)