Author:
Publication: The Times of India
Date: March 15, 2008
As the Chinese media and the government of
Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) poured vitriol on the Dalai Lama for "inciting
riots" in Lhasa, the Tibetan leader, too, hardened his stand by condemning
the use of "brute force" by China.
Calling the protest a manifestation of the
"deep-rooted resentment of the Tibetan people under the present governance",
the Dalai Lama said, "It is unrealistic to expect unity and stability
under such a rule and would therefore not be conducive to finding a peaceful
and lasting solution."
This is the strongest indication by the Dalai
Lama in recent times that his peace efforts with the Chinese government are
not working.
On Saturday, the Tibetan government-in-exile
demanded the UN to intervene to end what it called "urgent human rights
violations" by China in Tibet. The Dalai Lama's statement followed by
the government-in-exile's demand for UN intervention clearly shows that the
Tibetan leadership in India is under pressure from the exiled community to
stand up to China.
"For the past two decades, the Dalai
Lama has been talking of peace and dialogue with the Chinese, but we haven't
achieved anything. So, there is frustration," said an official of the
government-in-exile. "It's after a long time that we have demanded direct
UN intervention because the situation is now turning from bad to worse."
TNN