B.RAMAN
Tibetans, both in the occupied Tibetan areas of
China and in the diaspora, are increasingly frustrated by what they perceive as
the ambivalent attitude of President Barack Obama on the continued unrest in the
Tibetan areas of China and the violations of the human rights of the Tibetans
by Beijing.
2.The Obama Administration, like its predecessor
administrations, treats His Holiness the Dalai Lama with due courtesies during
his periodic visits to Washington DC. These courtesies include unofficial
meetings between the President and His Holiness.
3. The Obama Administration has also been
periodically voicing its unhappiness and concern over the continued violations
of the human rights of the Tibetans by Beijing and urging it to resume the now-stalled talks with the representatives of His
Holiness.
4. But the Tibetans expected a greater activism by the US in view of the
increasingly grim situation prevailing in the Tibetan areas since March 2011
following the protests of the monks of the Kirti monastery in Sichuan against
the continued Han colonisation of the Tibetan areas. The monks have also been
demanding the return of His Holiness to Lhasa to take over the religious
leadership of his people.
5. This grim situation has been marked by nearly 40
self-immolation attempts by both Tibetan men and women, detention without trial
of defiant monks of the Kirti monastery in a military camp of Sichuan and
forcibly subjecting many monks and others to what the Chinese call
re-education. During these re-education classes, they are forced to denounce
His Holiness and swear loyalty to the Chinese Government and Communist Party.
6. This grim situation, which initially started in
Sichuan, subsequently spread to Qinghai and Gansi and is recently showing signs
of spreading to Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) bordering on India
and Nepal. Lhasa saw two self-immolation attempts on May 27 by monks who had
come from outside the TAG.
7. Sources say that following the incidents in
Lhasa, nearly about 3000 members of the Chinese security forces have undertaken
house-to-house enquiries to locate and arrest Tibetans who had come to
Lhasa from outside the TAG and send them
back to their provinces. About 600 local monks and others have reportedly been
rounded up and shifted to a military camp of Lhasa for so-called re-education.
8. The details of the grim situation are well known
to international human rights organisations, including the Human Rights Watch
of the US. They have been highlighting these violations and demanding for over
a year that international human rights observers should be allowed to visit the
detention camp set up by Beijing in Sichuan, but the Chinese authorities have
ignored these demands with contempt.
9. They have also been ignoring with contempt the
periodic exhortations from Washington DC to resume talks with the representatives
of His Holiness. The Chinese have repeatedly made it clear that any talks with
the representatives of His Holiness will be on the personal future of His Holiness
and not on the future of the Tibetan areas under Chinese occupation. They do
not recognise the right of His Holiness to negotiate on behalf of the Tibetan
people.
10. In the face of this political deadlock and
deteriorating human rights situation, Tibetan hopes that during her recent
visit to Beijing Mrs. Hillary Clinton,
the US Secretary of State, would take up vigorously the grim human rights
situation in the Tibetan areas were belied.
11. It is this disappointment and frustration that
are reflected in the decision on May 31,2012, of two senior advisers of His
Holiness ---- Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen--- to resign from leadership
positions in the team constituted by His Holiness to hold talks with the
authorities of the Chinese Communist Party from time to time.
12.In an announcement, they "expressed their utter frustration over
the lack of positive response from the Chinese side.” While they have
attributed their resignations, which have been accepted by the Tibetan
Government-in-exile, to their frustration over the negative Chinese attitude,
it is reliably understood that the hesitation of the Obama Administration to
vigorously take up with Beijing the grim human rights situation has also
contributed to their frustration, but they have not mentioned so in public.
13.His Holiness, who is no longer involved in the
day-to-day running of the Government-in-exile, has not so far commented on the
resignations, but it is unlikely that the two would have taken the decision
without informally consulting His Holiness beforehand. Beijing is unlikely to
be moved by their resignations. It is to be seen what impact it has on the
Obama Administration.
14.A statement issued by the Government-in-exile
after accepting their resignations urged
Beijing to accept the Dalai Lama's "middle-way" approach, which seeks
genuine autonomy for Tibetans within China and within the framework of the
Chinese constitution. It said: "This is a win-win proposition, which
contributes to PRC’s unity, stability, harmony and its peaceful rise in the
world."
15.The Tibetan task force on the negotiations with
Beijing will be expanded and will meet again in December to discuss the Chinese
leadership transition with the hope of continuing a dialogue with the new
Chinese leaders to peacefully resolve the issue of Tibet, the statement said.
16. The Tibetans see no likelihood of any forward
movement in addressing the grievances of the Tibetans in view of the
forthcoming leadership transition in Beijing and the US Presidential elections.
The Government-in-exile has, therefore, decided to wait till the end of the
year. What impact this will have on the grim ground situation in the Tibetan
areas remains to be seen.(5-6-12)
( The writer is Additional Secretary (retd),
Cabinet Secretariat, Govt of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director,
Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, and Associate, Chennai Centre For China
Studies. E-Mail: seventyone2@gmail.com . Twitter: @SORBONNE75 )
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