By Kalsang Rinchen
Dharamsala, February 3 – The exile Tibetan government said that the Dalai Lama’s remarks that he is “a son of India” was taken out of context by China which accused the Tibetan leader of “pleasing his Indian masters” by describing himself as “a son of India”.
Thubten Samphel, the spokesperson for the exile Tibetan government based here said the Chinese government had taken the Tibetan leader’s statements out of context. The Dalai Lama considered himself to be “a citizen of the world”, and his ties to India were in the context of Buddhism’s ancient links to the country, Samphel told The Hindu. “China should be focussing on the larger and more pressing problems facing Tibet, rather than dwelling on such small issues,” he was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
At an event to mark 50 years of Indian hospitality to the Tibetans in New Delhi last year, the Tibetan leader said, “Tibetan Buddhist culture is from India. I am a son of India”. The Tibetan leader says at events attended by Indians that he considers himself a “son of India” having spent over 50 years in the country where Buddhism was born.
The Tibetan leader’s special envoy Lodi Gyari said he feels that China’s “baseless allegations” against the Tibetan leader such as calling him a “separatist” are “unbecoming” of a global power like China. The envoy, who was addressing a press conference yesterday on his return from China after the ninth round of talks with Chinese government officials, called Chinese government’s behavior “kiddish” and said China’s baseless allegations sometimes have boomerang effect.
Days before the envoys of the Tibetan leader visited China for ninth round of talks, China’s state media drew attention to the Tibetan leader’s links with India, where he has been living since 1959, to question his standing with Tibetans in Tibet. “People cannot help but ask that since the Dalai Lama deems himself an Indian rather than Chinese, then why is he entitled to represent the voice of the Tibetan people?” an article in The People’s Daily, said. It also accused the Dalai Lama of “betraying southern Tibet to India”.
Zhu Weiqun, Executive Vice-Minister of the Communist Party’s body that hosted His Holiness’ envoys recently, accused the Tibetan leader of meddling in India – China border dispute saying the Tibetan leader’s comments on Arunachal being part of India would worsen the Dalai Lama’s relations with the Central government.
Justifying the Tibetans leader’s comments on Arunachal, Mr. Samphel said areas south of the McMahon Line had been “legally ceded to India in 1914 under international law”.
China objected in November last year to the Indian government allowing the Tibetan leader to visit the Indian state claimed by China as its territory.
