Dalai Lama asks Tibetan officials in China to visit exiles

Mar 10, 2010, 6:15 GMT

New Delhi - Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Wednesday marked the 51st anniversary of a Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule by inviting Tibetan officials serving in China to visit exiled communities to understand their situation.

Many Tibetans in Tibetan areas work for the Chinese Communist Party, the government and military.

'We recognize the positive contribution that many of them have made up to now, and obviously when Tibet achieves meaningful autonomy in the future, they will have to continue to fulfil such responsibilities,' the Dalai Lama said.

'To understand the situation of the Tibetans in exile and their aspirations, I invite Tibetan officials serving in various Tibetan autonomous areas to visit Tibetan communities living in the free world, either officially or in a private capacity, to observe the situation for themselves,' he said from the northern Indian hill town of Dharamsala, where he lives in exile.

He said the Tibetan exiled communities had managed to preserve their culture, traditions and religion unlike in Tibet, where Chinese authorities were following policies intended to wipe out Tibetan Buddhism.

The Dalai Lama expressed disappointment with negotiations between his representatives and Chinese officials for greater autonomy for Tibet.

'Judging by the attitude of the present Chinese leadership, there is little hope that a result will be achieved soon,' he said. 'Nevertheless, our stand to continue with the dialogue remains unchanged.'

He said that although the present Chinese authorities clung to their hard-line stance, given the political changes taking place on the international stage and changing views of the Chinese people, 'There will be a time when truth will prevail. Therefore, it is important that everyone be patient and not give up.'

The Dalai Lama said neither he nor members of the Tibetan administration in exile would hold any political or government positions once the Tibet issue was resolved.

The Dalai Lama was addressing a gathering at Dharamsala that included the Tibetan community and leaders, people invited from China, members of the European Union's Social and Economic Committee and individuals from the Russian Buddhist republic of Kalmykia, Japan, Germany and other countries.

Tibetan Uprising Day, marked on March 10 by those who support Tibetan autonomy, commemorates an unsuccessful Tibetan rebellion against Chinese rule in 1959. A violent Chinese crackdown and the Dalai Lama's flight into exile followed.