In some ways, the Dalai Lama is caught between the Chinese government, which accuses him of fanning the flames of independence, and many Tibetans who would push him to do more to support the goals of the protests. On Wednesday, he met with activists determined to march from India to Lhasa, the Tibetan capital.
"His holiness believes it's not realistic," said Tsering Tashi, the London-based representative of the Tibetan government in exile. "Even if they reach Tibet, they will be shot at and killed. He is worried about their lives.
"We live in a free world," Tashi said. "His role is to advise his people. Whether they listen to him or not is up to them."
China's state media reported that authorities had arrested 24 suspects and charged them with endangering state security and other "grave crimes." In addition, Beijing vowed to keep plans to include the Mt. Everest summit and Tibet on the Olympic torch relay route despite the riots and government crackdown.
Students for a Free Tibet, however, has called for a boycott of the Tibetan leg of the race "unless the International Olympics Committee wants the Olympic torch to become a symbol of bloodshed and oppression."
Despite China's harsh rhetoric, some Tibetans contend that the Dalai Lama offers Beijing its best hope of easing the conflict over Tibet.
"China is one of the most powerful countries in the world, yet it is afraid of one person, and that's the Dalai Lama," said Dalha Tsering, campaign coordinator for the Tibetan Community in Britain. "He is the only person holding Tibetans from turning violent and confrontational. When his holiness goes, nobody can predict where the situation will go."
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chingching.ni@latimes.com
