New Delhi, September 16 – Undeterred by the heavy and continuous rain, as many as 200 Tibet supporters in New Delhi attended a seminar organised by the India Tibet Coordination Office on the " Middle Way Approach: The Solution for the Question of Tibet " at the India International Centre’s Auditorium. The objective of the seminar cum discussion was to create a better understanding of the Middle Way Approach Policy and to discuss the implications of the Policy on the Tibetans as well as the Chinese.
Welcoming a hall packed with keen listeners, Mr. Vijay Kranti, the moderator of the discussion, reiterated his steadfast support to the Tibetan struggle to which he has been an ardent observer for over 30 years. As a background to the topic of discussion he narrated the Five Point Peace Plan proposed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Mr.Thupten Samphel, Secretary, Department of Information and International Relations, Central Tibetan Administration was the keynote speaker. Highlighting the main issues and reasons behind the formulation of the Middle Way Policy, he said that the His Holiness’s Middle Way Policy is to "strike a balance between the demands of the Chinese Government and the aspirations of the Tibetans." Mr. Samphel provided a brief introduction to the Middle Way Policy and its history. "The Five Point Peace Plan proposed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his address to the Members of the United States Congress in Washington D.C. on 21 September 1987 and the Strasbourg Proposal made at the European Parliament at Strasbourg on 15 June 1988: both these document combined make up as the essence of the Middle Way Approach", he said. Delivering a succinct explanation to the policy formulated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and subsequently adopted democratically by the Central Tibetan Administration, he explained how the Middle Way Approach is not a policy that was taken arbitrarily. Rather it is the outcome of a series of discussions held over a long period of time.
Major Gen. Vinod Saighal (Retd.), Executive Director of Eco Monitor Society was another speaker at the occasion. Reading out a paragraph of his latest book "Global Security Paradoxes", he termed the Middle Way Approach as the best and only solution to the issue of Tibet . Emphasizing the need to put pressure on the Chinese Government, he said, "leaving the issue of Tibet unresolved during the lifetime of His Holiness the Dalai Lama would be the bitterest regret of the Chinese."
The last speaker, Prof. Anand Kumar, Professor and Chairperson, Center for Study of Social Systems, JNU, called Tibetans as "sufferers of Asian betrayals." He expressed his disappointment over the fact that the Tibetan sturggle has faced neglect from the Asian countries. Bringing out the strength and problems of the Middle Way Policy, he concluded by expressing his pessimism over a positive response from the Chinese Government. "The People’s Republic of China , is a country which is not promoting freedom and democracy anywhere in Asia ," he added.
After the speeches, the speakers fielded questions from the audience. Dr. N.K. Trikha concluded the seminar with this valedictory speech. Finally, educational materials on the Facts about Tibet and The Middle Way Approach were distributed amongst the audience.
