Vijayawada, April 8 – Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has lamented that the situation in Tibet was yet to improve though a good beginning had been made in resolving the vexed issue with the re-establishment of contacts with Beijing since September last year.
Two Tibetan delegations had visited China and Tibet and had talked with the leaders in these areas, the Dalai Lama pointed out in reply to a letter from veteran journalist and ‘Padmasri’ awardee T Kutumba Rao.
Re-establishment of contacts with the Chinese authorities would eventually lead to a serious discussion about the Tibet issue, he hoped in the letter, released to the press here last night by Mr Rao, a keen observor of Tibetan affairs.
”Although it has been about an year since we have re-established contacts with the Chinese authorities, the situation inside Tibet has not improved,” the Tibetan leader observed.
Mr Rao had sought the views of the Dalai Lama on Beijing’s stand that Tibet’s future could be discussed only if the region was accepted as an integral part of China. He had flagged off a Tibetan students’ rally from here to Hyderabad last year to crystalise international opinion in favour of freedom for Tibet.
Mr Rao was of the view that Tibetans should first concentrate on achieving spiritual and linguistic freedom and greater autonomy even while being within China.
