In his sharpest comments yet, the Dalai Lama compared China’s actions in Tibet to the regime of Cambodian dictator Pol Pot, who was held responsible for the death of more than a million Cambodians in the 1970s.
Speaking at the Tawang Monastery, where he arrived on Friday, the Tibetan leader and spiritual guru said that despite atrocities in Tibet “similar to Pol Pot’s in Cambodia”, he had decided to “forgive China” and was even willing to follow the “One China” policy. “Tibet has had very good relations with China for thousands of years. I have no issues with the “One China” policy ensuring economic benefit to Tibet provided we have the right to preserve our culture and language,” he said at the monastery.
Chinese concern
In the run-up to his visit, the Chinese government issued several direct threats to India. In a statement on Friday, issued even as the Dalai Lama drove to Tawang, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had “lodged representations with the Indian Ambassador to China in Beijing, and the relevant official of the Indian Foreign Ministry in New Delhi” against the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which it says is “damaging” India-China ties.
The Dalai Lama also accused China of spreading wrong information about his trip to Arunachal Pradesh, saying it is normal for Beijing to give “political colour” to his spiritual visits. The Dalai Lama also slammed China for making a bid to name his successor. “The Chinese people were being fed wrong information [by China] about me,” he said.
“The Chinese people have every right to know the reality, but totalitarianism had done a great damage,” he observed, after addressing devotees at the monastery. “I wish Chinese officials accompanied me on my visits,” he added.
(With PTI inputs)
