TIBETAN INDEPENDENCE IS HARMFUL TO THE NATION AND A MENACE TO THE STATE

4. The Separatist Conspiracy behind Religion – From Armed Attacks to the Middle Way

 

Even after the Dalai Lama defected to India, he did not abandon the use of force to gain “Tibetan independence”. With the support of the United States, India, and other foreign powers, the Dalai Lama clique established a “government in exile” from the town of Mussoorie in India in early 1960. Shortly afterwards, the government in exile was moved to Dharamsala. Dharamsala, which sits in the shadows of the perennially snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas in northern India, became the headquarters of the “Tibetan independence” movement and the camp from which “Tibetan independence” activities were launched. It also became the base from which the Dalai Lama clique carried out armed attacks on China’s border.

Over the past 50 years or so, the Dalai Lama clique’s separatist activities have mainly taken the following forms:

(1) Openly calling “Tibet an independent country”.

“Tibetan independence” has always been the Dalai Lama clique’s political pursuit, though this has been at times explicit and at others obscure. In June 1956, while in Mussoorie, the Dalai Lama issued a statement in which he declared, “Tibet has actually always been independent”. Between 1960 and 1977, the Dalai Lama repeatedly used the slogan “pursuing Tibetan independence” and adhered to the story that, “Historically and culturally Tibet has always been an independent country”. As China’s international standing improved and the international environment changed during the 1970s and early 1980s, and having realized that their dream of using violence to split Tibet from the mainland was over, the Dalai Lama was forced to change tack and began to play down talk on Tibetan independence and advocating the deceptive “middle way” and “non-violence”.

In September 1987, at the US Congressional Subcommittee on Human Rights, the Dalai Lama issued the “Five-Point Plan” for solving the so-called “Tibet issue”, which proposed, “……making the whole of Tibet a zone of peace; requesting China to abandon its population transfer policy; requesting respect for the Tibetan people’s fundamental human rights and democratic rights; requesting the restoration and protection of Tibet’s natural environment and China to abandon plans to build nuclear weapons and store nuclear waste in Tibet; and requesting cordial negotiations on Tibet’s future status and issues between the Tibetan and Chinese people”. In June 1988, while in Strasbourg, the Dalai Lama put forward the so-called “Seven-Point Proposal” for solving the Tibet issue. The key points of which were as follows:①Tibet should become a self-governing democratic political entity and remain in an alliance with the People’s Republic of China;②The Chinese government should be responsible for Tibet’s foreign affairs but the Tibetan government should be allowed to establish diplomatic offices abroad for religious and cultural affairs;③The Tibetan government should become a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;④The Tibetan government should include a head of state elected by the people, a bicameral legislature, and an independent judiciary, with the seat of government in Lhasa;⑤The Tibetan economic and social system should be based on the wishes of the Tibetan people;⑥Tibet forbids the manufacturing、testing、stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons;⑦A regional peace conference should be held to ensure Tibet is demilitarized and becomes a sacred place of peace, and prior to such a meeting and Tibet’s militarization and denuclearization, China should have the right to limited military facilities in Tibet for defensive purposes. Despite claims from the Dalai Lama clique that “the Seven-Point Proposal” included major concessions from “the Five-Point Pla” and bore no mention of “Tibetan independenc”e and that the tone of the proposals was “somehow different”, “the Five-Point Plan” and “the Seven-Point Proposal” both still are an attempt to split China, both still deny that Tibet is part of China, and both still deny that the Chinese government holds sacred sovereignty over Tibet. Moreover, they aim to change the affiliation between the Chinese central government and Tibet to that of a suzerain and dependant state or a protector and protected state similar to those in the West in order to alter Tibet’s legal status, which is simply a disguised form of Tibetan independence or semi-independence.

In February 1989, in an interview with a reporter from the Hindustan Times, the Dalai Lama again mentioned the so-called “middle way” and suggested, “I would like to find a middle way that does not involve complete independence for Tibet but will change Tibet’s current situation”. But at the core of this “middle way” is the intention of recognizing China’s sovereignty over Tibet in exchange for the right to rule Tibet and other Tibetan areas and establish a semi-political entity that covers a quarter of China and is governed by the Dalai Lama in order to ultimately pave the way for the independence of “greater Tibet”.

In 1989, on the international stage the Soviet Union was dissolved and dramatic changes occurred in Eastern Europe, while serious political turmoil swept through China. Certain international forces awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to the Dalai Lama in support of his separatist stance. However, the Dalai Lama clique misjudged the situation and thought that the opportunity to achieve “Tibetan independence” had arrived. Talk of “the middle way” stopped and they renewed their calls for “Tibetan independence” instead. In 1990 during his “March 10th Statement”, the Dalai Lama said, “These changes, which have set an economic and political example, are also changing the world”. He went on to say, “Every Tibetan desires complete independence”. In August 1991, at an event in Mongolia, the Dalai Lama went so far as to say, “We will declare Tibet’s complete independence from China.”

Since the Central Committee’s important decision to wage a tit-for-tat struggle with the Dalai Lama clique, a turning point has been reached in its Tibetan work during the new period, and the Tibet situation has increasingly improved. The Dalai Lama clique has also realized that its blatant tactics for achieving “Tibetan independence” are unlikely to succeed. For this reason, they have changed tack again and revived calls for “the middle way”. They have also expressed hopes of holding talks with the Chinese central government and promoting friendship between the Tibetan and Han peoples. On top of this, they have stated that they are “willing to solve problems within the framework of the Chinese Constitution, specifically the sticking points of “Greater Tibet” and Tibet having a “high degree of autonomy” or “genuine autonomy”, in order to “better protect Tibet’s unique language religion and cultural traditions”. In 2005, the Dalai Lama clique published a pamphlet on “the middle way”, and released the “Memorandum on Achieving Genuine Autonomy for all Tibetans” in November in 2008, which they called the “standard version” of “the middle way”. But the core content of both versions of “the middle way” can be summarized in the following five points: First, they both still deny that Tibet is a part of China, and the Dalai Lama repeatedly claims that, “Tibet is a completely independent country, and Tibet is still an illegally occupied independent country”; Second, they both seek to establish a “Greater Tibet” that historically never existed and would account for one quarter of Chinese territory, made up of Tibet, most of Qinghai Province, the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province, Ganzi and the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province, and the Deqen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan; Third, they both seek to attain a “high degree of autonomy” for Tibet by overthrowing the existing social and political system, and have all other political、economic、cultural、educational and religious affairs managed by Tibetans; Fourth, they both demand the central government to withdraw the PLA from “Greater Tibet”, hold “an international peace conference” and designate one quarter of China an “international zone of peace”; Fifth, they both demand all non-Tibetans to leave “Greater Tibet”, “an end to immigration to Tibet and for Han immigrants in Tibet to return to China”. It can be seen from these demands that the Dalai Lama has not abandoned his separatist stance and that “the middle way” is not simply “national autonomy”, as the Dalai Lama has claimed, but rather a barefaced attempt to achieve “Tibetan independence” built on the erroneous premise of the existence of a “Greater Tibet”.

(2) Establishing a tight-knit political group in exile.

The Dalai Lama clique has established a whole “theocratic government in exile” in the city of Dharamsala, which has been carrying out long-term activities aimed at “Tibetan independence”.

In September 1960, the Dalai Lama clique convened the first so-called “Tibetan People’s Representative Conference” in Dharamsala attended by escaped Tibetan nobles、former local government officials and other hereditary headmen from Tibetan areas, senior monks and rebel leaders, at which they officially announced the establishment of “the Tibetan Kashag Government”, which was later renamed “the Government of the Great Snow Land” or the so-called “Tibetan government in exile”. At the conference, a draft “Tibetan Constitution” was released and the Dalai Lama was made “the head” of government. The conference marked the official betrayal of the motherland and formation of a separatist clique headed by the Dalai Lama. In October 1963, the Dalai Lama clique officially released “the Tibetan Constitution”, which was revised to become “the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile” in 1991, both of which confirmed the Dalai Lama’s supreme status within the clique. In addition, the Dalai Lama clique creatively combined Buddhist sermons and their “Tibetan independence” fantasy to create a “national anthem”, combined a Tibetan religious flag with the flag of the old Tibetan Army to make a “national flag” known as the “snow lion flag”, and created a so-called map of “Tibetan territory”, which they also refer to as “Greater Tibet”, with an are of 2.4 million square kilometers.

The Dalai Lama clique’s so-called “government in exile” is divided into three main parts: the Secretariat of the Dalai Lama, “the Kashag government”, and “the Tibetan People’s Assembly”. “The Secretariat” of the Dalai Lama is directly under the leadership and command of the Dalai Lama, and it is an important organ of authority and decision making. Important matters of “the Kashag” must be reported to the Dalai Lama through “the Secretariat”, and important documents and decrees must be first be approved and stamped by “the Secretariat”. “The Secretariat” of the Dalai Lama is also responsible for handling the Dalai Lama’s personal affairs such as writing his speeches, planning his day-to-day activities, and releasing statements and meeting with journalists on his behalf. “Kashag” is the administrative hub or “cabinet” of the Dalai Lama clique’s “government in exile”. According to “the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile”, “the Kashag” is responsible for arranging the democratic election of “Kalon”, with each “Kalo” serving for five years. “The government in exile” consists of more than 20 departments and units, including “the Ministry of the Interior”、 “Ministry of Finance”、“Ministry of Security”、“Ministry of Foreign Affairs and News”、“Ministry of Education” and “Ministry of Health”, among others. “The Tibetan People’s Assembly” is the so-called “legislative body”, and it provides the Dalai Lama clique with a Western parliamentary “democracy”, which it needs to win over Tibetan exiles from Sichuan、Qinghai、Gansu and Yunnan, and cater to the demands of Western countries. “The Tibetan People’s Assembly” currently has 46 delegates, three of which were personally chosen by the Dalai Lama. The rest were elected, with deputy numbers allocated to different regions and the five main religious sects.

The Dalai Lama clique have also set up Tibetan settlements in India and Bhutan; established Tibetan schools to strengthen education on “Tibetan independence”, at which students raise the Tibetan “national flag” and sing the Tibetan “national anthem”; built a clone of “the Drepung Monastery” and other temples, which house a total of 17,000 monks; and published newspapers and books to mould public opinion on “Tibetan independence”.

It is particularly worth mentioning that in order to tie more Tibetans in exile to the cause of “Tibetan independence” the Dalai Lama clique has learned from or copied Chinese and foreign social organizations and formed youth and women’s organizations such as “the Tibetan Youth Congress” and “the Tibetan Women’s Association”, maintained contact with Tibetans residing in these countries, and increased support to them in order to strengthen separatist activities. “The Kashag” has included payments to these two aforementioned organizations in the government budget to provide them with regular financial assistance. In recent years, “the Tibetan Youth Congres” has gradually expanded and its forces have penetrated the Dalai Lama clique, as high as “the Kashag and the Kalon”, and down to authorities in every area inhabited by Tibetans. It has even infiltrated “the Secretariat” of the Dalai Lama. Indeed, 80 percent of officials at all levels, including those in “the Kashag”, and other government staff are current or former members of “the Tibetan Youth Congress”. In the Dalai Lama clique, support for “Tibetan independence” is strongest among “Tibetan Youth Congress” members. They are often responsible for instigating trouble by Tibetan exiles, stirring up “Tibetan independence” sentiments and organizing “the Tibetan People’s Uprising Movement”, and they have become the most stubborn、most intense and most outspoken “Tibetan independence” advocates and conspirators. The Dalai Lama holds “the Tibetan Youth Congress” in high regard, and he attends and delivers a speech at each session of the Congress.

(3) Actively Promoting the Internationalization of “the Tibet Issue”.

After their defection, the Dalai Lama clique became a loyal tool of foreign anti-China forces and actively helped them in their quest to contain China by vigorously promoting the internationalization of “the Tibet issue”.

The Dalai Lama clique has actively set up so-called representative offices and liaison offices in some countries. At their height, there were 18 such offices, with ten remaining, along with two special representatives to Washington and the EU. The Dalai Lama clique have established various channels through these offices and special representatives which they use to mold public opinion on “the Tibet issue”, strengthen ties with groups and individuals that advocate “Tibetan independence”, and seek support from the United Nations and their host countries for their views and actions. This is particularly true of the special representative to Washington, who is a Kalon appointed by the Dalai Lama clique. The special representative’s office is responsible for maintaining relations with the US Congress, manufacturing public opinion on “the Tibet issue” with the help of anti-China forces in the US Congress, and putting pressure on the US government. For many years, the special representative’s office has arranged for Tibetans to make “complaints” against China regarding “the Tibet issue” at annual hearings of the US Congress.

The Dalai Lama also makes frequent visits abroad, hoping to win the support of Western society. In the 1960s, the Dalai Lama’s activities were mainly restricted to South Asia. In the 1970s, the Dalai Lama began increasing his foreign visits, traveling to both Europe and America for the first time. Though these visits had strong political overtones, they were said to be primarily undertaken for religious reasons. By the 1980s, Western countries led by the US launched a powerful offensive of “peaceful evolution” against socialist countries. In line with this, in order to pander to the needs of Western countries, the Dalai Lama clique revived its activities aimed at “Tibetan independence”, and the Dalai Lama began visiting a dozen countries each year, 80 percent of which were countries in Europe and the Americas. Wearing the chougu robes of a Buddhist monk and calling himself a “messenger of peace”, the Dalai Lama advocated “using peaceful and non-violent means” to resolve “the Tibet issue”. In addition to the Dalai Lama, other important members of the Dalai Lama clique traveled to countries across the globe establishing contact with human rights organizations、environmental organizations and the media, and creating ties with people in Europe and America who were interested in “the Tibet issue”. They particularly tried to win over the sympathies and support of members of European and American parliaments with an anti-China bias, and use them to affect their countries’ policies toward China.

The Dalai Lama clique also used various “movements” to mislead Western public opinion, including launching “a signature campaign”, which they used to petition the United Nations and the countries they were based in; holding “the International Year of Tibet”; and organizing a series of lectures、seminars、press conferences、an exhibition on Tibetan culture and “the Tibetan Film Festival” to rally support for “Tibetan independence”. Through these various forms of misleading propaganda, the Dalai Lama’s activities not only attracted the attention of Western anti-China and anti-communist forces, but also gained the sympathy and support of people around the world who were ignorant of the truth.

(4) Preparing an Armed Rebellion.

After the Dalai Lama defected to India, he did not abandon the idea of using force to achieve “Tibetan independence”. One of the two main groups of armed rebel forces was “the Four Rivers and Six Ranges Religious Guard”, which was re-established in Darjeeling in March 1960. The guard was named after another group that launched a local rebellion in Tibet in 1958. It had more than 3,200 members and 13 companies under its command, and its weapons and funding came mainly from the US. In 1961, the CIA airdropped weapons and ammunition to the group, and the US continued to provide assistance to them until the early 1970s. To ensure the group received the support it needed, the US built an airport in Nepal especially. For a long time, they carried out harassment and sabotage activities along the Sino-Nepalese border, and not only harmed the livelihood of the people there, but seized pasture and land from Nepal, extorted money, and endangered the local people, all of which angered the Nepali people at all levels of society. After the mid-1960s, following the political collapse and military struggle waged by China’s Tibet border guards, internal differences led to the gradual erosion of the power of “the Four Rivers and Six Ranges Religious Guard”. By the start of 1972, the US had stopped publicly assisting the group. By 1974, the group had less than 1,000 members. That same year, the Nepali government dispatched troops who disarmed the Religious Guard in one fell swoop, finally putting an end to the activities of this reactionary armed group.

The other main armed group is “the Indo-Tibetan Border Special Forces”. This force was set up by India、the US and the Dalai Lama clique in 1962 to engage in a military struggle along the border with Tibet following India’s previous failures to provoke China along the Sino-Indian border. The force is made up of Tibetan personnel, with US financing and materials and Indian instructors and barracks. India has constantly attached great importance to this force, and it is now part of the Ministry of the Interior’s Security Bureau of the Indian government. It is led by a Major General from the Indian Army, with Tibetan soldiers and junior officers and Indian senior officers. The force has approximately 10,000 members, the equivalent of one army division. The force’s headquarters are in New Delhi, while the troops are stationed in the border areas of northern India. When the force was first established, the Dalai Lama clique’s “Ministry of Security” was responsible for mobilizing troops、educating the officers and men, and training the Tibetan officers. It was alleged that “the special border force” was set up in “the interests of the Tibetan people”, to “defend Tibetan independence” and “defend the Dalai Lama and religious belief”. On every holiday, the force’s camps raise the Indian national flag and “the Tibetan national flag” at the same time. At the end of the 1970s, in an effort to weaken the Dalai Lama clique’s influence over “the Indo-Tibetan Border Special Forces”, the Indian government increasingly restricted the number of personnel sent to join the special border force by the Dalai Lama clique and stopped “guaranteeing Tibetan military school graduates appointments as officers” and secretly providing young Tibetan officers and soldiers with Indian citizenship so that they could serve in the Indian Army. The command of this special border force now rests firmly in the hands of Indians. However, it is still the Dalai Lama clique’s main base for training military personnel for the cause of “Tibetan independence”.

(5) Plotting to Incite Violence.

During the 1970s, after the plan to return to carry out armed attacks in Tibet came to nothing, the Dalai Lama clique turned to plans to incite violence to infiltrate and destroy Tibet. Its main methods included fabricating lies to improve the Dalai Lama’s public image and strengthen support for “Tibetan independence”; sending members of the religious elite back to Tibet to promote religious fanaticism; holding large-scale religious meetings to advocate “Tibetan independence”; fomenting ethnic tensions to undermine national unity and manufacture ethnic conflicts; stepping up intelligence and subversive activities; encouraging young Tibetans to leave the country; and establishing a team of intelligent agents to work in China.

Over the years, the Dalai Lama clique has dispatched personnel to Tibetan towns and villages under the guises of trips to visit relatives、travel、pilgrimages and business trips in order to transmit instructions from the Dalai Lama clique, as well as to contact and train people for the cause of “Tibetan independence”, set up underground organizations、stir up trouble and organize riots. The riots that took place in Lhasa between September 1987 and March 1989 were planned and organized by rebels sent back to Tibet by the Dalai Lama clique. The riots resulted in serious losses and damage to the Tibetan people’s lives and property. This is especially true of the large-scale riots that occurred in Lhasa on March 5, 1989, when a group of separatists led by eight Buddhist nuns and three Lamas held a demonstration on Balang Street at which they carried the “snow lion flag”, shouted “Tibetan independence” slogans, attacked Lhasa’s Chengguan District People’s Government and besieged the offices of the Tibet Daily newspaper. During the two days of rioting, 11 people died, 100 people were injured, 900 state-owned and privately owned shops were looted and ransacked, 24 government agencies、businesses and schools were attacked, and more than 20 cars were destroyed, all of which seriously affected people’s daily lives and business output, and caused direct economic losses of more than 10 million yuan.

At the start of the 21st century, following Beijing’s successful bid for the 2008 Olympics, the Dalai Lama clique proposed holding a “decisive battle” during the Olympic Games in an attempt to promote “Tibetan independence”. On January 1, 2008, “the Tibetan Youth Congress”、“Tibetan Women’s Association”、“Students for a Free Tibet” and “National Democratic Party of Tibet” officially announced the implementation of the “Tibetan people’s uprising”, claiming that the movement would be “a great turning point in the struggle for freedom in Tibet”. They also announced the formation of an interim preparatory group, led by the Chairman of “the Tibetan Youth Congress” Tsewang Rigzin, responsible for coordinating the movement and raising funds. On March 10, 2008, the Dalai Lama clique held activities in Dharamsala to commemorate “the 49th anniversary of the Tibet uprising”. During the event, the Dalai Lama claimed that “the Chinese government’s oppression of the Tibetan people in recent years had intensified and had led to people’s human rights being trampled on and restrictions on religious freedoms”, and he praised “the sincerity、courage and determination of the people of Tibet”. Under the instigation of the Dalai Lama clique, on the afternoon of March 10, 2008, in complete disregard for relevant state laws and monastery management systems, approximately 300 monks from the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa attempted to enter the center of Lhasa to create trouble. A few days later, another group of monks attempted to take to the streets to cause trouble and deliberately aggravate simmering tensions. Due to the civilized law enforcement efforts of government staff, the unscrupulous monks were unable to escalate the situation. In this case, violence eventually erupted on March 14 when a number of rioters began vandalizing and burning property. This is how the violence of “the March 14 incident” that shocked the world began. The rioters attacked property along Lhasa’s main roads setting fire to passing vehicles, attacking innocent bystanders, and damaging shops、telecommunication service outlets and government agencies, all of which resulted in significant damage to the lives and property of the local population and severely disrupted local social order. An investigation after the incident discovered that the rioters had set fire to over 300 buildings; damaged 908 shops、seven schools、120 homes and five hospitals; smashed 10 ATMs; razed at least 20 buildings to the ground; destroyed 84 cars; burned or hacked 18 innocent people to death; and injured 382 people, of which 58 were seriously injured. The direct cost of loss of property in Lhasa came to almost 245 million yuan.

After the incident, the Dalai Lama clique, on the one hand, tried to distort the truth of the violence and distance themselves from the “violent incident”. On March 14, the Dalai Lama issued a statement through his private secretariat in which he tried to dress-up the violence in Lhasa as a “peaceful protest”. On the same day, “the Tibetan government in exile” released a statement in which they claimed that the violent incident in Lhasa was “a peaceful protest by Tibetans to express their dissatisfaction with Chinese policies”. On the other hand, the Dalai Lama clique continually attempted to exaggerate the effect of the incident. On the day violence erupted, the Dalai Lama clique held an emergency meeting to consider how to further expand the “achievements of the revolution”. At the meeting it was decided that over 100 Lamas in Tibet (mainly from the Gelugpa Sect) should take to the street in demonstration to encourage Tibetans to participate in the protests, successive protests would be launched in various regions of Tibet, and “the Ministry of Finance of the government in exile” would provide adequate financial support for the “decisive battle with the Chinese government”. The Dalai Lama clique’s organizations, including “the Tibetan Youth Congress” and “Tibetan Women’s Association”, “quickly mobilized” their forces in Tibetan settlements in India and Nepal as well as encouraging exiled Tibetans to contact relatives and friends still in Tibet to urge them to participate in protests in Lhasa “in the name of the Dalai Lama”. Following the Lhasa incident, a few unscrupulous Lamas and lawless elements in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province and Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province began smashing、looting and burning property. At the same time, the Dalai Lama clique extended their violent activities outside China by organizing violent attacks against ten Chinese embassies and consulates in countries including the US、UK、France and India. “Tibetan independence” supporters burned the Chinese national flag、tore down walls surrounding embassies and consulates、and stormed embassies and consulates destroying facilities, thereby posing a serious threat to personnel and property of Chinese diplomatic institutions. These violent activities exposed the lies of the Dalai Lama clique’s claims to advocate “peace and non-violence” and tore the veil off the clique’s use of religion to carry out separatist activities.

 

5. New Trends in “Tibetan Independence” Activities – From Encouraging Self-immolation to “Advocating Retirement”

 

After “the March 14 incident” in 2008, the Dalai Lama clique’s “separatist practices of organizing activities in Tibet, engaging in speculation abroad and applying pressure inside and outside Tibet” had come to nothing. After their evil intentions had failed, they again adjusted their strategy and changed tactics to the following:

(1) Encouraging self-immolation.

Since March 2009, a number of self-immolations have occurred in Tibet and Tibetan areas of Sichuan、Qinghai and Gansu provinces, the youngest victim of which was only 16 years old. The majority of people who have self-immolated have been encouraged by others and many of them have shouted “Tibetan independence” slogans prior to self-immolation. Some have even sent their photos to “Tibetan independence” organizations abroad before carrying out the deed, and the websites of foreign “Tibetan independence” organizations have provided live footage of self-immolations taking place. After these incidents, the Dalai Lama, on the one hand, has made “ambiguous excuses” about the behavior, while duplicitously claiming to the Western media that they are a “very very delicate political issue”, that he “does not encourage self-immolations”, that the “best thing [for him] to do is remain neutral”, and for people not to forget that the reason for the self-immolations can be traced back to the “high-handed policies” of the Chinese government. On the other hand, the Dalai Lama clique has labeled these unfortunate young people “heroes” and “martyrs”, expressed “admiration” for them, and “awarded” their behavior and “erected monuments” to them. The Dalai Lama even dedicated a Buddhist lecture to them and did not eat for a day to commemorate them, praising their “great courage”. At the Dalai Lama’s behest, “the government in exile” and some “Tibetan independence” organizations have not only encouraged self-immolation, but also established a specific amount of compensation for self-immolators, began immediately releasing photos of the person self-immolating and of them in their everyday life together with other information, wantonly engaged in speculation contrary to the apparent facts, and even tricked some religious believers into gathering and causing trouble. It has been proved once again that in order to achieve their separatist ambitions, the Dalai Lama clique is willing to sacrifice the lives of these people, which they then exploit to create the illusion of “tension in Tibet” and attract the attention of the international community, thereby obtaining greater support from Western anti-China forces.

(2) Accelerating “the Transfer of Political Power”.

Another of the latest moves of the Dalai Lama separatist group is, as the Dalai Lama announced, to “withdraw from politics” and advocate the so-called “separation of religion from politics” in a vain attempt to carry out separatist activities in the name of the “religious leader”.

The Dalai Lama’s retirement is a “powerful weapon” and simply the customary tactic of retreating to advance. After “the March 14 incident” in 2008, the Dalai Lama announced that he had already “semi-retired” and was preparing to “fully retire”, which would involve handing over power to “a government elected by the people”, and he stated that he had held a “special meeting” in India to this end. Unsurprisingly, at the meeting a resolution was passed that, “agreed the Dalai Lama is the highest spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people inside and outside Tibet”, and “strongly urge[d] the Dalai Lama not to retire or semi-retire”. However, it seems the Dalai Lama’s will to retire is more resolute this time. On March 11, 2011, he sent a letter to his pseudo parliament asking it to amend “the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile” canceling “all political or administrative work produced bearing the Dalai Lama’s name”. On May 31, 2011, after repeatedly demonstrating his sincere wish to retire, a spokesman of “the Tibetan government in exile” announced that the government had held “a General Assembly” at the end of May in Dharamsala, at which it had passed a so-called “Constitutional Amendment” and that the Fourteenth Dalai Lama had formally surrendered his political and administrative authority and transferred his political responsibilities to the recently elected “Tibetan government in exile’s Kalon Tripa” (Prime Minister).

The Dalai Lama has also cooked up a so-called “reincarnation statement” that runs counter to the religious rituals and historical conventions that have governed the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama for hundreds of years, and that claims only he may decide “where and how he will be reincarnated” and even makes the sensational claim that he is “considering new ways” including emulating “the Vatican’s practice”, and having a conclave elect the next Dalai Lama. However, the objective of the Dalai Lama’s absurd behavior is not to fully retire from politics or achieve the separation of religion from politics, but rather the following three things: first, to hand over power in order to avoid confusion or the collapse of “the Tibetan government in exile” after he is gone; second, to transfer contradictions, oppose the central government’s authority, and achieve “Tibetan independence”; third, to expand his international activities as a religious leader.

After the Dalai Lama announced his retirement, he did not surrender his powers entirely, but rather moved from the front of the stage to behind the scenes, where he is performing a “retirement farce”. In the “amended Charter” of the Dalai Lama clique, it is made clear at the outset that, “The Fourteenth Dalai Lama is the supreme leader and mentor of the Tibetan people”. It also stipulates that after he retires the Dalai Lama still has three “constitutional” powers: to be responsible for providing guidance、teachings and encouragement on the so-called pursuit of “Tibetan autonomy” and the “Tibet issue”; to provide “the Tibetan government in exile” with guidance and help on nationality and social issues as well as on issues relating to government and religion; and to appoint “representatives and envoys to serve in overseas offices”. Since the Dalai Lama has retired, he has upheld his separatist stance in all of his speeches, and there has been no let up in his enthusiasm for attempting to sow the seeds of discontent and cause disturbances in Tibet. His “retirement” and religious propaganda are therefore simply an act of deception.

(3) Seeking Foreign Assistance and Increasing Cooperation with Other Separatists.

In recent years, the Dalai Lama has continued his frequent visits to countries in all four corners of the world. US President Obama has received the Dalai Lama at the Whitehouse twice. This year, the Dalai Lama first went to Canada to recruit a number of anti-China ministers for the convening of “the World Parliamentary Convention on Tibet”. He then traveled to Los Angeles in the United States, where he further attacked the Chinese government for “strictly managing Tibetan monasteries, forcibly carrying out patriotic education campaigns, and violating the Tibetan people’s right to be educated in their own language”. Between May and June, the Dalai Lama also visited Austria and the United Kingdom, where he met with Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann and British Prime Minister David Cameron respectively. These engagements sufficiently prove that, although the Dalai Lama claims to “have retired”, he still relies on Western anti-China forces and continues to carry out separatist activities.

Another sign that the Dalai Lama clique is trying to rouse international interest in “the Tibet issue” is their increased attempts to intensify collaboration with “Taiwan independence” separatists, “pro-democracy” activists who have fled abroad, Falun Gong practitioners, and Xinjiang and Inner Mongolian separatists abroad in order to create a “united front” to oppose the Chinese government and split the motherland. In 2009, following visits in 1997 and 2001, the Dalai Lama visited Taiwan for the third time at the invitation of the Democratic Progressive Party under the pretence of “praying for victims” of the typhoon, in an attempt to seek the support of “Taiwan independence” forces and undermine the hard-won improvements in cross-Strait relations. The Dalai Lama clique have also been trying to manufacture the conspiracy that “Han Chinese also support Tibetan independence” together with pro-democracy activists abroad. In September 2006, “the Tibetan Youth Congress” under the Dalai Lama’s leadership and other organizations together with Rebiya Kadeer and the Chairman of “the Inner Mongolia People’s Party” Xi Haiming, Chairman of “the Overseas Chinese Democracy Coalition” Wei Jingsheng, and representatives from Taiwanese and Japanese organizations held a joint meeting in the US Capitol, where they co-founded “the League for Democracy in Asia”, and openly set up an anti-China and anti-communist community and called on the United Nations and the United States and other countries to support their fight for “independence、freedom and democracy”. After “the March 14 incident” in 2008, in order to manipulate the sympathies of the international community, particularly the Chinese community, the Dalai Lama met frequently with a number of overseas troublemakers under the banner of “Tibetan-Han friendship”, and encouraged them to set up “Tibetan-Han friendship associations” together with members of the “Tibetan independence” movement. In August 2009, the Dalai Lama clique, together with overseas pro-democracy forces, held the so-called “inaugural International Sino-Tibetan Conference” in Geneva in order to find accomplices for their attempts to split the motherland. The Dalai Lama and the separatist Rebiya Kadeer have been colluding for a number of years. As early as November 30, 2005, the Dalai Lama met Kadeer in the United States and invited her to attend the Dalai Lama’s speech in Washington that day. Following the violent incidents in Xinjiang on July 5, 2009, the Dalai Lama personally wrote a preface to Kadeer’s book, in which he referred to Xinjiang as “East Turkestan” and announced that he is a “friend” of Kadeer’s. From these acts it is easy to see that the fundamental goal of the Dalai Lama clique’s collusion with supporters of “Taiwanese independence”、Rebiya Kadeer and “pro-democracy activists” is to split China and to gain independence or independence in a disguised form. Behind all of this is manipulation and control by Western anti-China forces, and their so-called cooperation is nothing more than both sides taking advantage of and using the other. History has proven that “internationalization of the Tibet issue” will not save “the Tibetan separatist dream”, regardless of the type of separatist activities they adopt. All are futile, and all are destined to end in shameful failure.

(4) Feigning Cordiality and Being Capricious in Dealings and Negotiations with the Central Government.

Since 2002, according to the changing situation, the Dalai Lama has from time to time expressed a willingness to hold discussions with the central government. The people in charge of relevant central government departments have met with private representatives of the Dalai Lama, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, on ten occasions, when it has been arranged for them to visit various parts of Tibet and the national situation, the central government’s policies on the Dalai Lama have been carefully explained, and the Dalai Lama’s erroneous words and actions have been pointed out. But the Dalai Lama interprets the central government’s goodwill as bullying and not only stubbornly adheres to his separatist discourse of “Greater Tibet” and a “high degree of autonomy”, but frequently tries to unsettle Tibet in a vain attempt to force the central government to make major concessions. During the ninth meeting with his representatives in 2008, the Dalai Lama’s personal representative carefully prepared and handed out “the Memorandum on the Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People”, which arrogantly claimed that “the Tibetan government in exile” represents the Tibetan people and demanded the central government to change the country’s basic political system. After the memorandum was completely dismissed by the central government’s representative, the Dalai Lama clique convened a “special meeting on Tibet’s future”, at which they publicly announced the cessation of discussions with the central government.

On June 3, 2012, after the new session of the Dalai Lama clique’s “government in exile” came to power, they made an announcement stating, “It is with regret that the Kalon Tripa accepts the resignation of the Dalai Lama’s special envoy Lodi Gyari and representative Kelsang Gyaltsen”. They also arrogantly stated that “the Kashag had urged the Chinese government to accept the middle way policy”, and “were ready to hold meaningful talks”. On June 6, “the government in exile” also stated that it would send a “special envoy” to China whenever talks resumed. These statements obviously stand in stark opposition to the basic stance of the Chinese government, which has stated it will “only meet and conduct negotiations with a special representative of the Dalai Lama, only discuss how to get the Dalai Lama and the people around him to abandon their separatist stance and consider their political future in meetings and negotiations, and that a fundamental political foundation of meetings and negotiations is recognizing that Tibet has been an inseparable part of Chinese territory since ancient times”. The statements by “the government in exile” are obviously intended to create insurmountable obstacles to resuming negotiations, with the result that they have been caught in their own trap and completely prevented a future political resolution to the situation for the Dalai Lama clique. (To be continued)

(孙显辉 译)