Dalai Lama Tells Tibetans From China That He Does Not Seek Independence

The Dalai Lama told approximately 9,000 Tibetans who traveled from Tibetan areas of China to southern India to attend a Buddhist event that education, not guns and knives, would enable them to fight for the rights [that] are enshrined in the Chinese Constitution, according to a January 17 report by the Tibetan government-in-exile. In closing remarks at the 11-day religious teaching, known as the Kalachakra, the Dalai Lama said that he is not seeking Tibetan independence, and that he is working for a solution to the issue of Tibet based on the Middle Way Approach and within the constitutional framework of the People's Republic of China.

Tibetans who travel from China to India without official papers and then return to China can face detention or imprisonment. According to the February 2005 U.S. Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2004, Tibetans who wish to travel to India for religious purposes faced difficulty obtaining the required travel documents, but thousands did so anyway. Tibetans who returned home by hiking from Nepal into the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) sometimes faced detention by Chinese officials that "generally lasted for several months" and resulted in release without charge, according to the State Department report. Tibetans who bring religious material featuring the Dalai Lama with them when they return to China may face prison terms, according to remarks made in September 2005 by an official of the Shigatse (Rikaze) Prefecture Intermediate People's Court to Radio Free Asia (RFA). "Any document that relates to Tibetan independence, Dalai Lama photos, or any other documents or literature containing reactionary themes or subjects are punishable," said the official. He added that the maximum penalty for carrying materials relating to the Dalai Lama or other separatist activities was five years imprisonment. Inciting others to "split the State or undermine unity of the country" is a crime under article 103 of China's Criminal Law.

The Dalai Lama began the Kalachakra teachings with remarks aimed at travelers from China, according to a January 11 report by the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT). If informers from China are present, he told the crowd, they should pay attention to his religious teachings and also learn about his Middle Way Approach, which calls for "genuine autonomy" within China. ICT described the Dalai Lama's opening remarks as "a powerful statement urging Tibetans from inside Tibet to tell Tibetans when they return about the importance of the 'Middle Path' approach." At a meeting with Chinese followers, the Dalai Lama reiterated his willingness to stay within the constitutional framework of [China] without seeking independence, according to a January 10 report by the Tibetan government-in-exile.

The U.S. Department of State "Report on Tibet Negotiations," published in April 2005, states, "The United States encourages China and the Dalai Lama to hold direct and substantive discussions aimed at resolution of differences at an early date, without preconditions." The report notes, "The Dalai Lama can be a constructive partner as China deals with the difficult challenges of regional and national stability." The fourth, and most recent, round of talks between Chinese officials and the Dalai Lama's envoys took place in Bern, Switzerland in late June and early July 2005. The envoys visited China in September 2002, May 2003, and September 2004.

See Section VI - "Tibet," The Status of Discussion Between China and the Dalai Lama, of the CECC 2005 Annual Report for more information.