Dalai Lama: Tibet's language, customs fading away

[Harold Schiffman]

Tibet's language, customs fading away: Dalai Lama
Sun Mar 9, 2008 5:21am EDT
By Benjamin Kang Lim

BEIJING (Reuters) - Tibet's language, customs and traditions are
fading away and Tibetans live in fear as they become an insignificant
minority in their Himalayan homeland, the Dalai Lama will say in a
speech on Monday.The Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, will
urge the international community to call on China to respect freedom
of expression during the Beijing Olympics, according to an advance
copy of his statement obtained by Reuters. Monday marks the 49th
anniversary of an uprising crushed by the Chinese People's Liberation
Army, driving the Dalai Lama, now 72, into exile in India.

"The language, customs and traditions of Tibet ... are gradually
fading away," the Dalai Lama will say in the speech from Dharamsala,
the north Indian hill station where he lives. Tibetans "have had to
live in a state of constant fear, intimidation and suspicion under
Chinese repression", he will say. "Repression continues to increase
with numerous, unimaginable and gross violations of human rights,
denial of religious freedom and the politicization of religious
issues." As a result of China's policy of population transfer, the
non-Tibetan population has increased many times, reducing Tibetans to
an "insignificant minority in their own country ... I urge the Chinese
government to bring an immediate halt to such policies," the Dalai
Lama will say.

The atheist Communist Party has competed against the Dalai Lama for
the loyalty of his people but the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner
remains the single most important figure in Tibetan life. China has
defended itself saying it ended centuries of serfdom and has poured
billions of dollars to develop Tibet and raise the living standards of
the impoverished, predominantly Buddhist region. Turning to the
Olympics, the Dalai Lama will say he has supported Beijing hosting the
Games from the very beginning, dismissing an accusation by China's top
official in Tibet, Zhang Qingli, that he was trying to "sabotage and
cause trouble."

The Dalai Lama will urge the international community to urge China to
prove itself a good host by respecting freedom of expression during
the Games. "The world should ... explore ways of investing their
collective energies in producing a continuous positive change inside
China after the Olympics have come to an end," he will say. The Dalai
Lama will have no harsh words for Chinese President Hu Jintao, who
said last week stability in occasionally restive Tibet had a bearing
on the stability of China as a whole.

The Dalai Lama will welcome China's emergence as a powerful country
thanks to its economic progress, but he will prod China to improve
observance of the rule of law, transparency, the right to information
and freedom of speech.Despite "no concrete result" in talks between
China and the Dalai Lama's envoys, the Dalai Lama will say his
"determination to pursue the middle-way policy and to continue our
dialogue with the Chinese government remain unchanged."

(Editing by David Fogarty)


(c) Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution
of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is
expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.
Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and
trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

Reuters journalists are subject to the Reuters Editorial Handbook
which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSPEK22413920080309

-- 
**************************************
N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to
its members
and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner
or sponsor of
the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who
disagree with a
message are encouraged to post a rebuttal. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)
*******************************************