TIBET: EXILES LOOK HOMEWARDS AS DALAI LAMA TURNS 60

By Neena Bhandari Reprint | | Print |

NEENA BHANDARI

NEW DELHI, Jul 7 1995 (IPS) - CHINESE AND INDIAN PRESSURE HAS CONFINED THE 60TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS OF THE DALAI LAMA HERE TO METAPHYSICAL DEBATES AND PRAYERS, BUT THE 130,000 TIBETAN EXILES STILL CONSIDER IT AN OCCASION TO REMEMBER THEIR HOMELAND.

THE THREE-DAY CELEBRATIONS THAT CULMINATED THURSDAY SAW TIBETANS FROM THE WORLD OVER GATHER HERE TO FELICITATE THE MAN THEY LOOK UP TO AS THE SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL HEAD OF THEIR COUNTRY.

BUT THE DALAI LAMA, DESPITE MANY POINTED QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE, PREFERRED TO REMAIN SILENT ON TIBET’S STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE.

THIS DID NOT, HOWEVER, STOP THE EXILED TIBETANS FROM HOPING THAT THEIR LEADER WOULD FREE TIBET FROM CHINESE RULE.

“WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT THROUGH NON-VIOLENCE, THE DALAI LAMA WILL BE ABLE TO WIN OVER A POWERFUL NATION LIKE CHINA JUST AS INDIA WAS FREED FROM BRITISH IMPERIALISTS THROUGH MAHATMA GANDHI’S NON-VIOLENCE,” SAID TEMPA TSERING, INFORMATION AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SECRETARY OF THE TIBETAN GOVERNMENT-IN- EXILE.

INDIA, THOUGH IT PROVIDES ASYLUM TO THE DALAI LAMA AND A VAST MAJORITY OF TIBETAN EXILES, HAS FORBIDDEN POLITICAL ACTIVITY BY THEM SINCE 1991 WHEN CHINESE PREMIER LI PENG VISITED THE COUNTRY.

IN DEFERENCE TO THE SENTIMENTS OF HIS HOST COUNTRY, THE DALAI LAMA HAS NOT UTTERED A WORD ON HIS COUNTRY’S STRUGGLE OR THE PLIGHT OF THE SIX MILLION TIBETANS STILL LIVING THERE DURING THE THREE DAYS.

BUT, DESPITE NEW DELHI’S ABUNDANT CAUTION TO AVOID STEPPING ON CHINESE TOES, THE CHINESE REPRESENTATIVE HERE, PEI YUAN YING, INDICATED TO THE PRESS THAT HIS COUNTRY WAS MIFFED AT THE SCALE OF CELEBRATIONS AND THE FACT THAT EMINENT INDIANS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE TURNED UP TO WISH THE TIBETAN LEADER LONG LIFE.

AT LEAST 1.8 MILLION TIBETANS HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE HARSH CONDITIONS OF CHINESE RULE BETWEEN 1949, WHEN THE CHINESE OCCUPIED TIBET, AND 1983. ACCORDING TO A U.N. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP) REPORT, TIBET IS ONE OF THE POOREST COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD WHERE THE INDIGENOUS INHABITANTS ARE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST IN EVERY FIELD.

PEOPLE HAVE BARELY ENOUGH TO EAT, SCHOOLS ARE THERE ONLY IN NAME AND THERE ARE NO RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS FOR THE PEOPLE. ELECTRICITY IS ONLY PRESENT IN TOWNS WHERE CHINESE ARE SETTLED.

“THE POWER OF BULBS IS ALSO DIFFERENT FOR TIBETANS. IN LHASA, THE CAPITAL, TIBETANS CAN ONLY USE 20 WATT BULBS WHEREAS THE CHINESE USE 100 WATT BULBS. THE TIBETANS USE STREAM WATER AS THERE IS NO DRINKING WATER SUPPLY,” SAYS TEMPA TSERING.