At the Dalai Lama's urging, hundreds of Tibetans converge to discuss their future
The aging spiritual leader called on Tibetans to consider what direction their relationship with China will take.
Reporting from Dharmsala, India — China may be hundreds of miles away over a clear Himalayan horizon, but it is casting a huge shadow over this week's special meeting, as is the mortality of the Dalai Lama and the future of Tibet's several-decades struggle to preserve its culture and religion.
This tiny mountain town, home of the self-described Tibetan government in exile, has seen hundreds of Tibetans pour in from around the world for six days of meetings held at the request of the exiled spiritual leader to consider a fundamental question: Should Tibetans maintain the Dalai Lama's "middle way" approach, which acknowledges China's sovereignty over Tibet, in a bid to secure greater autonomy. Or should it adopt a more hard-line approach favored by many younger Tibetans advocating a struggle for outright independence.
At one level, the talks are meaningless. China can do what it wants, and it usually does. The government in exile has no jurisdiction, no country to govern and this week's meetings lack a formal agenda. Even if a conclusion is reached, the results are not binding.
"China holds all the cards," said Tsering Shakya, a historian and professor at the University of British Columbia. "At the same time there's an urgency among Tibetans to get an agreement before the Dalai Lama is no longer among them."
Chinese troops marched into Tibet in 1951 and since then Beijing has spent billions of dollars trying to integrate the vast, sparsely populated territory, which accounts for over a quarter of China's landmass. Over the past half-century, the region has seen a series of uprisings followed by harsh crackdowns, capped by widespread rioting in March. Beijing and representatives of the Dalai Lama have held periodic talks since 2001 without notable progress.
Like the drip, drip of water on rock, Tibetans hope being on what they consider the moral high ground helped by a steady application of international pressure can eventually persuade China to ease its iron grip. Given the lack of leverage, there's not much else the they can do.
China, not surprisingly, sees the equation differently. While it may not openly wish its nemesis, the Dalai Lama, were dead, many in the upper reaches of power are believed to be quietly counting the days.
"I don't think most ordinary Chinese care about the Dalai Lama's health situation," said Jia Qingguo, a professor at Peking University. "But if there are riots or Tibet tries to go independent, everyone cares."
