On Mar 28, 11:34=A0am, Crazyyak <crazy...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> http://dalailama.com/news.220.htm
>
> MARCH 28th 2008
> -------------------------------------------
>
> An Appeal to the Chinese People
>
> Today, I extend heartfelt greetings to my Chinese brothers and sisters
> around the world, particularly to those in the People's Republic of
> China. =A0In the light of the recent developments in Tibet, I would like
> to share with you my thoughts concerning relations between the Tibetan
> and Chinese peoples, and make a personal appeal to all of you.
>
> I am deeply saddened by the loss of life in the recent tragic events
> in Tibet. I am aware that some Chinese have also died. I feel for the
> victims and their families and pray for them. The recent unrest has
> clearly demonstrated the gravity of the situation in Tibet and the
> urgent need to seek a peaceful and mutually beneficial solution
> through dialogue. Even at this juncture I have expressed my
> willingness to the Chinese authorities to work together to bring about
> peace and stability.
>
> Chinese brothers and sisters, I assure you I have no desire to seek
> Tibet's separation. Nor do I have any wish to drive a wedge between
> the Tibetan and Chinese peoples. On the contrary my commitment has
> always been to find a genuine solution to the problem of Tibet that
> ensures the long-term interests of both Chinese and Tibetans. My
> primary concern, as I have repeated time and again, is to ensure the
> survival of the Tibetan people's distinctive culture, language and
> identity. As a simple monk who strives to live his daily life
> according to Buddhist precepts, I assure you of the sincerity of my
> personal motivation.
>
> I have appealed to the leader****p of the PRC to clearly understand my
> position and work to resolve these problems by "seeking truth from
> facts." I urge the Chinese leader****p to exercise wisdom and to
> initiate a meaningful dialogue with the Tibetan people. I also appeal
> to them to make sincere efforts to contribute to the stability and
> harmony of the PRC and avoid creating rifts between the nationalities.
> The state media's ****trayal of the recent events in Tibet, using
> deceit and distorted images, could sow the seeds of racial tension
> with unpredictable long-term consequences. This is of grave concern to
> me. =A0Similarly, despite my repeated sup****t for the Beijing Olympics,
> the Chinese authorities, with the intention of creating a rift between
> the Chinese people and myself, the Chinese authorities assert that I
> am trying to sabotage the games. I am encouraged, however, that
> several Chinese intellectuals and scholars have also expressed their
> strong concern about the Chinese leader****p's actions and the
> potential for adverse long-term consequences, particularly on
> relations among different nationalities.
>
> Since ancient times, Tibetan and Chinese peoples have lived as
> neighbors. In the two thousand year old recorded history of our
> peoples, we have at times developed friendly relations, even entering
> into matrimonial alliances, while at others we fought each other.
> However, since Buddhism flourished in China first before it arrived in
> Tibet from India, we Tibetans have historically accorded the Chinese
> people the respect and affection due to elder Dharma brothers and
> sisters. This is something well known to members of the Chinese
> community living outside China, some of whom have attended my Buddhist
> lectures, as well as pilgrims from mainland China, whom I have had the
> privilege to meet. I take heart from these meetings and feel they may
> contribute to a better understanding between our two peoples.
>
> The twentieth century witnessed enormous changes in many parts of the
> world and Tibet too was caught up in this turbulence. Soon after the
> founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the People's
> Liberation Army entered Tibet finally resulting in the 17-point
> Agreement concluded between China and Tibet in May 1951. When I was in
> Beijing in 1954/55, attending the National People's Congress, I had
> the op****tunity to meet and develop a personal friend****p with many
> senior leaders, including Chairman Mao himself. In fact, Chairman Mao
> gave me advice on numerous issues, as well as personal assurances with
> regard to the future of Tibet. Encouraged by these assurances, and
> inspired by the dedication of many of China's revolutionary leaders of
> the time, I returned to Tibet full of confidence and optimism. Some
> Tibetan members of the Chinese Communist Party also had such a hope.
> After my return to Lhasa, I made every possible effort to seek genuine
> regional autonomy for Tibet within the family of the People's Republic
> of China (PRC). I believed that this would best serve the long-term
> interests of both the Tibetan and Chinese peoples.
>
> Unfortunately, tensions, which began to escalate in Tibet from around
> 1956, eventually led to the peaceful uprising of March 10, 1959, in
> Lhasa and my eventual escape into exile. Although many positive
> developments have taken place in Tibet under the PRC's rule, these
> developments, as the previous Panchen Lama pointed out in January
> 1989, were overshadowed by immense suffering and extensive
> destruction. Tibetans were compelled to live in a state of constant
> fear, while the Chinese government remained suspicious of them.
> However, instead of cultivating enmity towards the Chinese leaders
> responsible for the ruthless suppression of the Tibetan people, I
> prayed for them to become friends, which I expressed in the following
> lines in a prayer I composed in 1960, a year after I arrived in India:
> "May they attain the wisdom eye discerning right and wrong, And may
> they abide in the glory of friend****p and love." Many Tibetans, school
> children among them, recite these lines in their daily prayers.
>
> In 1974, following serious discussions with my Kashag (cabinet), as
> well as the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the then Assembly of the
> Tibetan People's Deputies, we decided to find a Middle Way that would
> seek not to separate Tibet from China, but would facilitate the
> peaceful development of Tibet. Although we had no contact at the time
> with the PRC - which was in the midst of the Cultural Revolution - we
> had already recognized that, sooner or later, we would have to resolve
> the question of Tibet through negotiations. We also acknowledged that,
> at least with regard to modernization and economic development, it
> would greatly benefit Tibet if it remained within the PRC. Although
> Tibet has a rich and ancient cultural heritage, it is materially
> undeveloped.
>
> Situated on the roof of the world, Tibet is the source of many of
> Asia's major rivers; therefore, protection of the environment on the
> Tibetan plateau is of supreme im****tance. Since our utmost concern is
> to safeguard Tibetan Buddhist culture - rooted as it is in the values
> of universal compassion - as well as the Tibetan language and the
> unique Tibetan identity, we have worked whole-heartedly towards
> achieving meaningful self-rule for all Tibetans. The PRC's
> constitution provides the right for nationalities such as the Tibetans
> to do this.
>
> In 1979, the then Chinese paramount leader, Deng Xiaoping assured my
> personal emissary that "except for the independence of Tibet, all
> other questions can be negotiated." Since we had already formulated
> our approach to seeking a solution to the Tibetan issue within the
> constitution of the PRC, we found ourselves well placed to respond to
> this new op****tunity. My representatives met many times with officials
> of the PRC. Since renewing our contacts in 2002, we have had six
> rounds of talks. However, on the fundamental issue, there has been no
> concrete result at all. Nevertheless, as I have declared many times, I
> remain firmly committed to the Middle Way approach and reiterate here
> my willingness to continue to pursue the process of dialogue.
>
> This year, the Chinese people are proudly and eagerly awaiting the
> opening of the Olympic Games. I have, from the start, sup****ted
> Beijing's being awarded the op****tunity to host the Games. My position
> remains unchanged. China has the world's largest population, a long
> history and an extremely rich civilization. Today, due to her
> impressive economic progress, she is emerging as a great power. This
> is certainly to be welcomed. But China also needs to earn the respect
> and esteem of the global community through the establishment of an
> open and harmonious society based on the principles of transparency,
> freedom, and the rule of law. For example, to this day victims of the
> Tiananmen Square tragedy that adversely affected the lives of so many
> Chinese citizens have received neither just redress nor any official
> response. Similarly, when thousands of ordinary Chinese in rural areas
> suffer injustice at the hands of exploitative and corrupt local
> officials, their legitimate complaints are either ignored or met with
> aggression. I express these concerns both as a fellow human being and
> as someone who is prepared to consider himself a member of the large
> family that is the People's Republic of China. In this respect, I
> appreciate and sup****t President Hu Jintao's policy of creating a
> "harmonious society", but this can only arise on the basis of mutual
> trust and an atmosphere of freedom, including freedom of speech and
> the rule of law. I strongly believe that if these values are embraced,
> many im****tant problems relating to minority nationalities can be
> resolved, such as the issue of Tibet, as well as Eastern Turkistan,
> and Inner Mongolia, where the native people now constitute only 20% of
> a total population of 24 million.
>
> I had hoped President Hu Jintao's recent statement that the stability
> and safety of Tibet concerns the stability and safety of the country
> might herald the dawning of a new era for the resolution of the
> problem of Tibet. It is unfortunate that despite my sincere efforts
> not to separate Tibet from China, the leaders of the PRC continue to
> accuse me of being a "separatist". Similarly, when Tibetans in Lhasa
> and many other areas spontaneously protested to express their deep-
> rooted resentment, the Chinese authorities immediately accused me of
> having orchestrated their demonstrations. I have called for a thorough
> investigation by a respected body to look into this allegation.
>
> Chinese brothers and sisters - wherever you may be - with deep concern
> I appeal to you to help dispel the misunderstandings between our two
> communities. Moreover, I appeal to you to help us find a peaceful,
> lasting solution to the problem of Tibet through dialogue in the
> spirit of understanding and accommodation.
>
> With my prayers,
>
> The Dalai Lama
>
> March 28, 2008
Bloombeg ran an article yesterday describing the split betwen the DL
and the Tibetan Youth Congress. Is this the Dalai's bid to reestablish
leader****p?
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