By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, March 8: The Chinese government’s mouthpiece Global Times in an article published yesterday vehemently accused the Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama of having “masterminded” and “instigated” the self immolations of Tibetans and the 2008 Lhasa uprising.
The issue of self immolation by Tibetans has once again captured global attention after two Tibetan teenagers on the either side of the Himalaya self immolated fatally the past week. Both Dorjee Tsering, aged 16 from India and Kalsang Wangdue, aged 18 from inside Tibet, self immolated on Feb. 29, 2016.
The article read, “Over 100 self-immolation attempts by Tibetans in China since then, most of which killed young monks, were proved to have been masterminded and instigated by the so-called “spiritual leader” and his followers,”
Days ahead of the Tibetan Uprising day which falls on the March 10, the article mentioned, “It’s common to see self-immolation cases hyped in March as part of the agenda by Tibetan separatists. Both cases were soon spread by Tibetan separatist groups, and picked up by Western media.”
The Dalai Lama has maintained that the ongoing self immolations are “desperate acts” against repressive and totalitarian policies implemented by the Chinese government.
Responding to China’s accusation of orchestrating the self Immolations and the Lhasa Uprising in 2008, the Tibetan leader in a television interview to Times Now channel earlier said, “Since the 2008 crisis (Lhasa Uprising), even the Chinese Prime Minister, now former Prime Minister Wen Jiabao who looks very nice and sensible, he also accused that the crisis started from India and also mentioned my name. Then immediately I responded now please some Chinese official and international media come to Dharamshala and thoroughly check our files and also the records of my talks with recently arrived Tibetans from Tibet. So we are ready, happy to show everything.”
“Now since several occasions, When Chinese (government) accuse us, then (they are) most welcome to come here instead of saying things from a distance. Come here and check everything,” the Tibetan leader said.
The Global Times article also equated the efforts of activists and organizations lobbying for international support for the self immolations as being stereotypes that “incite self-immolations, make an issue of them and solicit international support through media and political figures.”
It further read, “One day after Tsering set himself on fire, pictures featuring Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, holding up a black-and-white photo of Tsering and speaking with the president of the Tibetan National Congress, an advocacy group, were spread on Twitter.”
Speaking to Phayul, the President of the Tibetan National Congress Jigme Ugen who approached US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said, “These self-immolations calling for independence are a direct response to China’s illegal occupation of Tibet and its repressive policies. We reject the Chinese leadership’s propaganda and condemn all preposterous claims that His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibetans living in exile are “inciting” these immolations. The United Nations and the international community must hold China accountable. We applaud leaders like Hillary Clinton for their unwavering support of the Tibetan people, which is obviously sending a clear message to Beijing.”
