On this occasion of the 16th anniversary of the conferment of the Nobel Peace Prize on His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the World Human Rights Day and the Himalayan Festival, the Kashag extends its warm greetings and Tashi Deleg to all Tibetans and the peace-loving people of the world.
As a mark of genuine appreciation and respect for his great service to the benefit of the humanity as a whole, and in particular for his singular efforts to transform the Tibetan freedom movement into a total non-violent endeavour, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was awarded the world’s renowned Nobel Prize for peace. Therefore,the Kashag takes this opportunity to express–on behalf of the Tibetan people inside and outside Tibet–our heart-felt gratitude to His Holiness by offering our deepest respect, and beseech him to remain as the sole protector and saviour of all sentient beings so long as there is suffering in this samsaric world.
The Kashag also extends its greetings to the office bearers of the Indo-Tibetan Friendship Association, the organisers of the Himalayan Festival, and to all the local residents who are participating in this event. Through all of you, we would like to relay our deep sense of gratitude and sincere thanks to the union and state governments, as well as the general Indian public at large, for the kind hospitality and great care rendered to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and to about 100,000 Tibetan refugees throughout these long years.
We have already entered into the 21st century. Yet we have not been able to fully safeguard human rights on this planet. Today, incidents of human rights violations are being reported in every nook and corner of the world. Particularly, the gross rights violation taking place in Tibet is extremely disappointing, and has become an issue that requires serious thinking and attention from the whole humanity.
As a result of the Chinese government’s recent emphasis on the so-called “patriotic re-education” campaigns, there has been lack of peace and stability in the major monasteries of Tibet, including Drepung. Since this is a matter of abiding concern to us, the Kashag would like to urge the concerned officials of the Chinese government to halt these actions immediately and ensure that such things do not occur again. Similarly, we appeal to the Tibetan people inside Tibet that it is very important to avoid disturbances by developing forbearance and inner strength as advised by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, while continuing to perform their bounden duty of striving for the spiritual and political cause of the Tibetan people.
We have been making every possible efforts to resolve the issue of Tibet through negotiations based on the mutually-beneficial Middle-Way policy, adopted by the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies in accordance with His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s guidance and the wishes of the Tibetan people inside and outside Tibet. Moreover, we are able to make some progress during the last couple of years. Notwithstanding all this, some sections of the Tibetan community have continued to initiate activities that impede the creation of conducive environment, thereby leaving us in an uncertain situation of not being able to ascertain the future prospects of our negotiations. This, we feel, is due to the non-fruition of our collective karma.
In a democratic society, there can be–and should be–differences in ideologies and standpoints. However, deliberate attempts to harm the process of conducting an important cause of a nation or nationality simply on the grounds of having a different viewpoint is neither patriotic nor concurrent with democratic principles. Irrespective of these internal and external obstacles, the Kashag will continue to engage in a process of dialogue with China to resolve the issue of Tibet by consistently embracing the mutually beneficial Middle-Way policy. In this regard, there is no change whatsoever in our determination to create an environment conducive for dialogue. Needless to say that whether our efforts will bear fruits would depend upon the support of the Tibetan people and our ability to create a conducive environment.
Finally, I pray for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the spontaneous fulfillment of his wishes. I also pray that the truth of the issue of Tibet prevail soon.
The Kashag
10 December 2005
NB. This is only a rough translation of the original statement in Tibetan. If there are differences between this and the Tibetan version, please treat the Tibetan rendering as authoritative and final.