FW: [WTNN] World Tibet Network News -- December 19, 2010
Alex Bunjes
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Issue ID: 2010/12/19Compiled by Nima Dorjee
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Contents
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1. Government of Canada to facilitate the immigration of up to 1,000
Tibetan refugees living in Arunachal Pradesh in India
2. Tibetans Ask: ³Free Tibet Wen?², Police Say: ³Not Now²
3. 85,000 Tibetans reach India since 1980: US cable
4. WikiLeaks cables: the Dalai Lama is right to put climate change first
5. WikiLeaks cables: Dalai Lama called for focus on climate, not
politics, in Tibet
6. US embassy cables: 'Widening generational divide' between Tibet's
leaders and youth
7. US embassy cables: Tibet protests put India in awkward spot
8. US embassy cables: Dalai Lama made desperate plea to US for help
during 2008 unrest
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1. Government of Canada to facilitate the immigration of up to 1,000
Tibetan refugees living in Arunachal Pradesh in India
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ottawa, December 18, 2010 ‹ The Government of Canada intends to
facilitate the immigration of up to 1,000 Tibetan refugees living in the
state of Arunachal Pradesh in India over a five-year period,
Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney
announced today.
³Our government¹s openness to Tibetan refugees is in keeping with
Canada¹s best humanitarian traditions,² said Minister Kenney. ³We look
forward to working with the Government of India and the Tibetan-Canadian
community on the implementation of this program, and on welcoming these
individuals to Canada.²
Special immigration measures will be developed in response to a request
by the Tibetan community and will focus on individuals who meet specific
criteria. These measures aim to maximize the involvement of communities
in Canada by focusing on individuals who have secured the support of the
Canadian-Tibetan community or other interested supporters.
Canada has a long-standing tradition of facilitating immigration for
various groups around the world by matching prospective immigrants to
community sponsors in Canada through private sponsorships. This is done
at no additional cost to Canadians because initial settlement costs,
including housing, are guaranteed by sponsors.
This humanitarian initiative will assist Tibetan refugees in Arunachal
Pradesh, who live in remote and isolated settlements.
³I would like to recognize India¹s long-standing support for the
Tibetans in India,² added Minister Kenney. ³This is Canada¹s opportunity
to complement India¹s support for this vulnerable population.²
This is not the first time Canada has assisted Tibetans. In 1972, Canada
established the Tibetan Refugee Program and resettled approximately 230
Tibetans in Canada who had been living in Northern India. This new
initiative, which will bring in up to 1,000 Tibetans, is another example
of Canada¹s efforts to reach out to the Tibetan community.
Persons entering Canada under these special measures would be required
to meet Canada¹s requirements for immigration, including security,
criminal, medical and background checks.
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2. Tibetans Ask: ³Free Tibet Wen?², Police Say: ³Not Now²
------------------------------------------------------------------------
December 16, 2010, Wall Street Journal
By Shruti Chakraborty
A visit by a Chinese premier isn?t complete unless the obligatory
protest by Tibetan refugees has taken place?and been all but ignored.
India¹s home to a large Tibetan refugee population, as well as to
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who fled to India after a
Chinese crackdown in the Himalayan region in 1951.
On Wednesday, Tibetans who still hope for an independent homeland even
after a fruitless five-decade struggle, were all ready for Chinese
Premier Wen Jiabao, who arrived in New Delhi Wednesday. But they
received little notice from anyone except for the police.
Seven demonstrators from the Tibetan Youth Congress, a group that
demands full sovereignty for the southwestern province, shouted the
slogan ³Free Tibet² outside the Taj Palace hotel, where Mr. Wen and his
delegation are staying. The demonstrators were taken away by police and
detained at the local police station.
Also protesting on Wednesday were a group of Tibetans who marched from
Raj Ghat, Mahatma Gandhi¹s memorial, to a designated protest area in
Connaught Place.
On Thursday, protesters from the Tibetan Youth Congress attempted to
enter the media entry gate of Hyderabad House, the venue where Mr. Wen
was meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The protesters
waved a poster that read ³Free Tibet Wen, Free Tibet Now.² They too were
taken away and detained by the police.
But Tibet Youth Congress president Tsewang Rigzin said that they were
undeterred and will continue to press Mr. Wen until he departs for
Pakistan Friday.
³Till China doesn¹t stop its illegal occupation of Tibet, Chinese
leaders should not be treated as world leaders,² he said.
Beijing maintains that Tibet is an integral part of China, and India
providing a home to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan parliament-in-exile
in the hill town of Dharamshala has sometimes been awkward for relations
between the two countries.
At the protest on Wednesday, 28-year-old demonstrator Tenzing Namsal
said that ³because India wants trade with China they probably won¹t talk
about freeing Tibet, so it¹s very important for us to come here and make
sure that the issue gets attention.²
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3. 85,000 Tibetans reach India since 1980: US cable
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IANS, Dec 18, 2010, 05.56pm IST
NEW DELHI/LONDON: More than 85,000 Tibetans have arrived in India in the
past 30 years and 46,000 of them returned to Tibet, says a US cable put
out by WikiLeaks.
The New Delhi American embassy cable of Feb 22 this year and reproduced
by The Guardian said that "an average of 2,500-3,500 refugees from Tibet
typically arrive in Dharamsala each year".
It said that most return to Tibet "after receiving an audience with the
Dalai Lama", the Tibetan spiritual leader who is based in the Indian
hill town of Dharamsala.
In a bid to hide its source, the cable says: "XXXXXXXXXXXX confirmed
that from 1980 to November 2009, 87,096 refugees were processed by the
Dharamsala reception center and 46,620 returned to Tibet after a short
pilgrimage in India. Most of those who do stay in India are children who
then attend schools run by Tibetan Children's Villages."
The cable said that following the March 2008 uprising in Tibet, "the
number of Tibetan refugees markedly decreased, with only about 650
arriving from April 2008 to March 2009.
"XXXXXXXXXXXX was optimistic that (the) flow of refugees will soon go
back to normal levels because admission statistics for 2010 are
surpassing those from an equivalent period in 2009."
India is home to the the Dalai Lama and about 100,000 Tibetan exiles.
Many of them fled to India with the Dalai Lama in 1959 after the failure
of an anti-Communist uprising.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. WikiLeaks cables: the Dalai Lama is right to put climate change first
------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Tibet, climate change is a far more urgent issue than independence
its very survival is at stake
Isabel Hilton
guardian.co.uk, Friday 17 December 2010 19.00 GMT
The Dalai Lama, according to the latest release of WikiLeaks cables,
told US diplomats that, for Tibet, climate change is a more urgent issue
than a political settlement. This will certainly dismay some of the more
radical elements of the region's independence movement. Many of the
younger Tibetans in exile are already frustrated with their spiritual
leader's moderate and non-violent approach. For them, independence will
always trump the environment.
But if the concern is the survival of the nomadic peoples of the Tibetan
plateau, the Dalai Lama is right. Exile activists, with a familiar cast
of celebrities and sympathisers, have done much to define western
perceptions of Tibet as primarily a political issue. But the Dalai
Lama's efforts to secure a meaningful autonomy for Tibetans have not
flourished. Nor has any pressure applied by the US measurably improved
Tibetans' freedom; and today, with an increasingly confident and
nationalist China, the prospects for progress are in retreat.
Meanwhile, beyond the Himalayas, the profound and irreversible impacts
of dramatic environmental changes are overtaking politics as a threat to
the Tibetan way of life. The signs are everywhere: in melting
permafrost; changes in surface water on the grasslands; disrupted
rainfall patterns; and the retreat of most of the Himalayan glaciers
the largest store of ice outside the north and south poles.
Beijing has invoked climate change as the final argument for the forced
settlement of about 100,000 Tibetan nomads, blaming them for damaging
the vulnerable grasslands by overgrazing. The nomads' new homes are
bleak and isolated housing settlements, where they cannot keep their
animals and where there are few other ways to make a living. The
programme heralds the death of a way of life that has been maintained,
sustainably, for centuries.
And, further, China's ambition to integrate Tibet with the pressure of
inward migration by Han Chinese; rapid infrastructure development; and a
push to exploit Tibet's rich timber and mineral resources to fuel
China's economic growth is putting heavy pressure on a rich but
fragile environment.
The push for hydro-power development, part of China's climate mitigation
strategy, is leading to the world's biggest programme of dam
construction in the Himalayas in a region highly prone to earthquakes
and mostly built with scant regard to the interests of those downstream,
or of the people whose homes and lands are drowned.
These are urgent threats to the habitat on which all Tibetans depend.
Even in the unlikely event of an imminent political settlement, the
impacts of damaging models of development and of climate change would
continue. And while China's policies are an important cause of the
developing environmental crisis, so as the Dalai Lama pointed out is
the lack of US action on climate change. The effects of rising
temperatures on the plateau, already painfully evident, will continue
for decades. But any hope of slowing or reversing those impacts depends
on action taken now.
The Dalai Lama is 75 and the end of his leadership of the Tibetan people
is in sight. He has announced his retirement and is unlikely to see a
political settlement in his lifetime. Without him, Beijing calculates
that the exile effort will falter and the last impediments to its Tibet
policies will disappear. But Beijing would also do well to understand
that, unless the Dalai Lama's environmental warnings are heeded, theirs
will be a hollow victory. And the US should see that to support Tibet's
political cause while doing nothing to prevent the climate change that
risks devastating lives across the Himalayas amounts to little more than
gesture politics.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. WikiLeaks cables: Dalai Lama called for focus on climate, not
politics, in Tibet
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exiled Buddhist leader told US ambassador to India that 'political
agenda should be sidelined' in favour of climate issues
Jason Burke in Delhi
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 16 December 2010 21.30 GMT
The Dalai Lama told US diplomats last year that the international
community should focus on climate change rather than politics in Tibet
because environmental problems were more urgent, secret American cables
reveal.
The exiled Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader told Timothy Roemer, the US
ambassador to India, that the "political agenda should be sidelined for
five to 10 years and the international community should shift its focus
to climate change on the Tibetan plateau" during a meeting in Delhi last
August.
"Melting glaciers, deforestation and increasingly polluted water from
mining projects were problems that 'cannot wait', but the Tibetans could
wait five to 10 years for a political solution," he was reported as saying.
Though the Dalai Lama has frequently raised environmental issues, he has
never publicly suggested that political questions take second place, nor
spoken of any timescale with such precision.
Roemer speculated, in his cable to Washington reporting the meeting,
that "the Dalai Lama's message may signal a broader shift in strategy to
reframe the Tibet issue as an environmental concern".
In their meeting, the ambassador reported, the Dalai Lama criticised
China's energy policy, saying dam construction in Tibet had displaced
thousands of people and left temples and monasteries underwater.
He recommended that the Chinese authorities compensate Tibetans for
disrupting their nomadic lifestyle with vocational training, such as
weaving, and said there were "three poles" in danger of melting ? the
north pole, the south pole, and "the glaciers at the pole of Tibet".
The cables also reveal the desperate appeals made by the Dalai Lama for
intervention by the US during unrest in Tibet during spring 2008.
As a heavy crackdown followed demonstrations and rioting, he pleaded
with US officials to take action that would "make an impact" in Beijing.
At the end of one 30-minute meeting, a cable reports that the Dalai Lama
embraced the embassy's officials and "made a final plea".
"Tibet is a dying nation. We need America's help," he was reported as
saying.
Other cables reveal US fears that the influence of the 75-year-old Dalai
Lama over the Tibetan community in exile might be waning or that a
succession to his leadership could pose problems.
In June 2008, officials reported that their visit to six Tibetan refugee
settlements across north and north-eastern India "underscores concerns
that frustrated and dissatisfied Tibetan youth ... could pose serious
problems".
"A widening generational divide finds Tibetan leaders unable to resolve
growing dissatisfaction among younger Tibetans," the officials said.
In February, following the ninth round of talks in Beijing between the
Tibetan government in exile, known as the Central Tibetan
Administration (CTA), and Chinese officials, US diplomats predicted that
"the Chinese government's international credibility on human rights will
continue to decline as Tibetans gain further access to media tools".
In a section of the cable entitled "A militant Shangri-La?", a reference
to the fictional mythical Himalayan kingdom, the officials explained:
"Their frustration's effect on the Tibetan movement could be exacerbated
by the passage of time, as the Dalai Lama's increasing age inevitably
slows down his gruelling travel schedule and his potential ability to
continue to capture the world's attention on his people's plight."
A final point, made repeatedly by officials, is that the Indian
government's policy towards the Tibetans in exile is likely to be
decided by public sentiment.
In one confidential cable of March 2008, an official told Washington
that Shiv Shankar Menon, the current Indian national security adviser
and then India's top diplomat, had explained to the US ambassador that
though "the Tibetan movement has the sympathy of the Indian public, and
India has been a generally supportive home to tens of thousands of
Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama, for nearly 50 years ... the tacit
agreement that Tibetans are welcome in India as long as they don't cause
problems is being challenged at a time when India's complex relationship
with Beijing is churning with border issues, rivalry for regional
influence, a growing economic interdependence, the nascent stages of
joint military exercises, and numerous other priorities".
The US officials concluded that "while the [government of India] will
never admit it", New Delhi's "balancing act with India's Tibetans
[would] continue for the foreseeable future, with the caveat that a rise
in violence ? either by Tibetans here or by the Chinese security forces
in Tibet ? could quickly tip the balance in favour of the side with
greater public support".
------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. US embassy cables: 'Widening generational divide' between Tibet's
leaders and youth
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 16 December 2010 21.30 GMT
Monday, 30 June 2008, 10:26
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 001795
SIPDIS
EO 12958 DECL: 06/30/2018
TAGS PGOV, PREL, PREF, PHUM, SOCI, CH, IN
SUBJECT: TIBETAN YOUTH SEE POTHOLES IN THE MIDDLE PATH -
PART 1 OF A STATUS REPORT ON TIBETAN REFUGEES IN INDIA
REF: A. NEW DELHI 1483 B. NEW DELHI 3617 C. NEW DELHI 1476
NEW DELHI 00001795 001.2 OF 003
Classified By: Acting PolCouns Joel Ehrendreich for Reasons 1.4 (B and D).
1. (C) Summary. A May visit to six Tibetan settlements across north and
northeastern India underscores concerns that frustrated and dissatisfied
Tibetan youth and concurrent Indian separatist movements could pose
serious problems for the future viability of Tibetan settlements. A
widening generational divide finds Tibetan leaders unable to resolve
growing dissatisfaction among younger Tibetans, led by the influential
Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC). Settlement leaders in West Bengal
reluctantly discussed intimidation and extortion of Tibetans by Indian
separatist movements, feebly dismissing the threats as "neighborly"
interactions. Tibetan participation in events organized by pro-Gorkaland
radicals -- whether forced or not -- could jeopardize relations between
the Tibetan community and their Indian hosts. The Central Tibetan
Administration (CTA) will need to address these issues or the Government
of India (GOI) may address them instead. End Summary.
2. (SBU) This is the first in a three-part series assessing the Tibetan
refugee situation in India. Kathmandu's Regional Refugee Coordinator,
New Delhi PolOff and Kolkata POL FSN visited New Delhi, Dharamsala and
remote Tibetan settlements in West Bengal, Sikkim, and Arunachal
Pradesh. These reports distill two weeks of meetings with the Central
Tibetan Administration (CTA), refugee reception centers, GOI and CTA
administered schools, settlement officers, monastery officials, health
workers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the Tibetan Youth
Congress (TYC), and GOI liaisons with the Tibetan settlements. New Delhi
PolOffs subsequently met with Delhi-based human rights activists. The
first cable of this series, Part I, details increasing dissatisfaction
among Tibetan youth and the potential consequences for the Tibetan
community in India; Part II examines the settlements' relations with
neighboring local populations and Indian separatist movements in West
Bengal and the Northeast; and Part III assesses the settlements'
socio-economic situation. This three-part series reflects collaboration
between Embassy New Delhi, Consulate Kolkata and Embassy Kathmandu.
TYC's "Imprudent" Strategy
--------------------------
3. (SBU) With few professional opportunities and growing impatience with
the Dalai Lama's "Middle Way," young Tibetans expressed frustration with
their future prospects. These frustrations are articulated regularly by
the TYC, which advocates complete independence from People's Republic
ofChina (PRC). The TYC has 30,000 members in 83 chapters worldwide. The
chapters vary widely in their degrees of organization and activism, with
the chapters in New Delhi, Kathmandu, and some western capitals
constituting a well-organized and influential force. The TYC's mission
statement (posted online) declares that one of its main objectives is
"to struggle for the rightful independence of Tibet even at the cost of
one's life." Accordingly, while the group pledges support to the Dalai
Lama, its published objectives conflict with the Dalai Lama's Middle
Way, which promotes Tibetan autonomy within the PRC. The TYC has
coordinated the most dramatic anti-China protests, including scaling the
walls of the Chinese embassy in New Delhi four times in the past eight
months (October 12,2007 and March 12, March 21, and April 21 in 2008)
and mobilizing over 25,000 protesters to converge upon the capital in
August 2007 (Reftels). XXXXXXXXXXXX emphasized that the group's handbook
instructs members "never to raise a fist" and explained that the
activities are designed only to embarrass India's northern neighbor. The
TYC is proud that it has succeeded in attracting Chinese ire --
revealing that China feels threatened by the TYC. XXXXXXXXXXXX also
emphasized the TYC's other role -- that of a "CTA watchdog," promoting
democratization, monitoring the socio-economic situation in the
settlements, and directing CTA attention to vulnerable communities. With
evident self-satisfaction, he noted that over the past decade, the TYC
had parted ways with the CTA, comparing the relationship to a parent
(CTA) who cannot come to terms with the child's (TYC) maturation.
4. (C) Older Tibetan leaders regard the TYC's activities as
NEW DELHI 00001795 002.2 OF 003
imprudent. XXXXXXXXXXXX worries that if Tibet's status is not resolved
during the Dalai Lama's lifetime, the youth movement could become "more
radical and dangerous" and predicted that "the debate over future
strategy could fracture the Tibetan community." XXXXXXXXXXXX fears that
the TYC is escalating radicalization of the Tibetan youth and that TYC
leadership XXXXXXXXXXXX is purposefully antagonizing the GOI in an
effort to garner international media attention. After the
TYC-coordinated storming of the Chinese embassy in New Delhi, the PRC
has increased pressure on the GOI to control the Tibetan refugee
population. The GOI responded by restricting settlement activity in
several states and increasing the rates of arrests and detentions of
Tibetan activists (Reftels). (Comment: XXXXXXXXXXXX End Comment.)
5. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX dismissed the potential consequences of irritating
the GOI, which has tolerated most demonstrations, arguing that
supporters praise the TYC's measures. XXXXXXXXXXXX noted that the Dalai
Lama's moderate strategy has failed to produce results over the past
five decades. (Note: Independent of these site visits, human rights
activist XXXXXXXXXXXX told PolOffs that the Indian Ministry of Defense
unofficially backs the TYC and is pleased with the opportunity to
humiliate the Chinese government. XXXXXXXXXXXX disclosed that TYC
leaders XXXXXXXXXXXX "camped out" in his NGO's office during the
protests in August 2007. He also expressed concern that the TYC may push
the GOI too far and advised CENTREX members to use caution. End Note.)
Few Options Open
----------------
6. (SBU) Unfortunately, life in the settlements offers relatively few
options for making a living. Older Tibetans in every settlement visited
consistently complained that the younger generation will move to urban
areas or the west, leaving Tibetan communities populated by children and
the elderly. Programs in the settlements focus principally on
traditional Tibetan handicrafts, organic farming, and tailoring -
options that offer relatively low wages and little possibility for a
brighter future. Tibetan students complete high school in India and look
towards higher education, but funding is scarce and employment prospects
are grim. While Tibetans enjoy a relatively privileged refugee status,
Indian law bars them from most employment opportunities and from
purchasing property. Even top graduates who find a placement in the CTA
only eke out a living. One young professional confided that her CTA
salary is a paltry 1,400 USD per year. Several settlement officers
complained that the young, educated Tibetans prefer emigrating to
learning the traditional crafts, leading elders to fear that Tibetan
culture may die out with this generation. (Comment: Embassy Kathmandu
Refcoord spoke to the Dalai Lama's special envoy Lodi Gyari on June 16
about the frustrating lack of opportunities for youth in the
settlements. He readily acknowledged that this was one of the most
serious concerns facing the CTA. He said that the CTA has been actively
seeking alternatives and would welcome international assistance to that
end. End Comment)
7. (C) In Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, Tibetan youth take advantage of
one career option - the Special Frontier Force (SFF). Seven SFF units,
based in Chakrata, Uttarkhand form a special division of the Indian army
composed solely of Tibetans. The GOI entrusts SFF to protect its
borders, stationing Tibetans along the border with China and in Ladakh.
The Tibetans can only attain the rank of junior officer and earn a
meager salary compared to their Indian counterparts. Yet, most Tibetan
men in northeastern India join the SFF. In Gangtok, the Welfare Officer
noted that the majority of Tibetan men work for the SFF; and in
Ravangla, 90% of the Tibetan families have at least one family member
serving. In Miao, about 350 of the settlement's youth serve in the SFF.
8. (SBU) Tibetan leaders expressed concern over future
NEW DELHI 00001795 003.2 OF 003
options for the youth, but have yet to successfully formulate a
strategy. XXXXXXXXXXXX stated that the CTA plans to educate and empower
the youth, yet neither he (nor any other community leader) could specify
any new programs to achieve this goal. Miao's settlement officer,
incidentally the most dynamic leader among those interviewed, reported
that the sole takeaway from a conference dedicated to the generational
divide was that the CTA organize more "tea parties" to speak informally
with younger Tibetans. The leaders are genuinely distressed about the
younger generation and recognize that they must concentrate on
alternative income strategies; however, they may need -- and have said
they would welcome -- outside assistance to create more diverse
opportunities beyond traditional Tibetan crafts and agriculture.
Comment - Tibetans Concerned, but No New Strategies
--------------------------------------------- ------
9. (C) Tibetan leaders in India understand the gravity of the youths'
growing frustration, yet thus far they have not been able to produce a
strategy to counter the youth's growing impatience politically, with
Middle Way moderates, and limited economic prospects. Many Tibetans
interviewed expressed concern that if there is no movement to resolve
the Tibetans' long exile and if economic opportunities likewise remain
stagnant, frustration could propel Tibetan youths toward more radical
actions. End Comment. DAVISON
------------------------------------------------------------------------
US embassy cables: Tibetan frustration with the 'Middle Way'
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 16 December 2010 21.30 GMT
Thursday, 11 February 2010, 15:57
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 NEW DELHI 000290
SIPDIS
EO 12958 DECL: 09/05/2016
TAGS PGOV, KDEM, PREF, PHUM, CH, IN, PINR, PREL
SUBJECT: TIBET: GROWING FRUSTRATION AFTER LATEST ROUND OF
TALKS BETWEEN BEIJING AND THE DALAI LAMA'S ENVOYS
Classified By: MIN/COUNS ZEYA for reasons 1.4 (b,d)
1. (C) SUMMARY: PolOff visited Dharamsala February 3-7 to meet a cross
section of the Tibetan community upon the conclusion of the ninth round
of dialogue in Beijing between the Tibetan government-in-exile, known as
the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), and Chinese officials. During
meetings with members of CTA's Parliament, the NGO community,
journalists and activists, Poloff detected growing Tibetan frustrations
over the lack of progress through the dialogue and with the Middle Way
approach. Many interlocutors pointed to the widely-anticipated meeting
between the Dalai Lama and President Barack Obama with excitement but
also expected few, if any, tangible outcomes. They argued that the
international community, particularly the United States and India, needs
to engage more on the Tibetan movement to curb rising frustration after
over 50 years in exile. END SUMMARY.
TIBET TALKS: POSITIVE SIGNS, OR EXERCISES IN FUTILITY?
-----
2. (SBU) PolOff visited Dharamsala to gauge the Tibetan community's
reaction to outcomes from the ninth round of dialogue between the Dalai
Lama's special emissaries and the Chinese government, held Jan 26-31 in
Beijing. Interlocutors expressed mild hope mixed with intense concern
for the future of the Tibetan movement. The emergence of this dialogue
in 2002 was taken as a positive sign by NGOs, such as the Tibetan
Women,s Association (TWA), which works with the CTA government. Most
interlocutors argued that the talks, though producing no substantive
change in relations between Chinese and Tibetan officials, convey to
those residing in Tibet that ''something is happening.''
3. (SBU) Tibetan envoy Lodi Gyari's February 2 statement pointed out
that the Chinese delegation provided a detailed briefing on results of
the January 18-20 Fifth Tibet Work Forum, an internal Chinese
government-run discussion ofChina,s Tibet policy. Gyari noted that many
of the issues the Forum prioritized (such as the focus on rural
livelihood development projects and China,s shift in verbiage from the
''Tibet Autonomous Region'' to the geographically-larger ''greater
Tibet'') are also mentioned in the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for
All Tibetans, a document submitted by the envoys during the eighth round
of the dialogue in 2008 and resubmitted during the latest round.
4. (SBU) Yet prominent members of the CTA, including Speaker of
Parliament Penpa Tsering and Minister of the Department of Information
and International Relations Kesang Takla, expressed frustration to
PolOff with what they termed as the ''arrogant'' display by the Chinese
officials who listed the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet as the sole issue
on the dialogue's agenda. Tibetan envoys attempted, but were
unsuccessful, in pushing substantive discussion on guidelines within
Tibet that would precipitate the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet, namely a
guarantee of the autonomy of the rights and welfare needs of the Tibetan
people, as stated in the Memorandum. Takla argued that China's recent
economic boom has negatively impacted the international community's
ability to pressure the regime on its human rights record.
5. (SBU) Deputy Speaker of Parliament Gyari Dolma highlighted to PolOff
four key human rights issues that CTA would like resolved in Tibet.
First, Chinese accusations that the Dalai Lama is engaging in separatism
must stop. Dolma contended such accusations cause Tibetans to lose
confidence in the Chinese delegation, which ought to bring ''real''
issues to the talk. Second, China must allow Tibetans living in China to
freely meet the Dalai Lama, so that he understands their thinking (NOTE:
Dolma mentioned that CTA currently has little access to the opinions of
those living in Tibet due to Chinese controls on telecommunications and
the media censorship; most of their information comes from refugees. END
NOTE); China should also allow a delegation from Parliament to visit
Tibet with neutral observers (i.e., from the UN, US Embassy in Beijing,
the media, or other impartial organizations) and guarantee the safety of
those who speak with observers as
NEW DELHI 00000290 002 OF 004
they examine the internal situation and make recommendations for solving
the Tibetan issue. Third, China should allow Amnesty International or
another credible human rights organization access to the
Tibetan-recognized Panchen Lama, who has been missing from the public
eye since shortly after being named the Panchen Lama by the Dalai Lama
in 1995. Finally, on the issue of both political prisoners and prisoners
in general, China should allow greater transparency of its judicial
processes (NOTE: Dolma contends that Tibetans receive no legal
representation and have no clear trial dates, making it very difficult
to monitor trial outcomes. She noted a recent positive change on this
issue stemming from international pressure on China's ''punishment to
death'' sentence, stating that now the Chinese government follows clear
procedures to officially record trials in the law book, with only the
High Court, upon review of the Supreme Court, holding the power to
deliver a death sentence, which has reduced the number of executions
imposed. END NOTE).
6. (SBU) XXXXXXXXXXXX suggested to PolOff that Tibetans have little hope
for the dialogue as it currently exists, stating that talks are ''still
at the zero point.'' He suggested two reforms to the dialogue process.
First, Tibetans with Mandarin language skills should be included in the
delegation along with neutral observers to record the discussion between
both sides. Second, the location for talks should alternate within and
outside China (NOTE: Even when discussions were held in Geneva, both
sides met at the Chinese Embassy. END NOTE). Both XXXXXXXXXXXX and
XXXXXXXXXXXX noted that ''hope is always there'' amongst the Tibetan
exile community. XXXXXXXXXXXX stated that as Tibetans become more adept
in using the Internet, they must use their own hopes to inspire activism
over the Tibetan movement within Tibet and the international community
at large.
A MILITANT SHANGRILA?
-----
7. (C) Although Western journalists often ask who the face of the
Tibetan movement would be after the Dalai Lama passes away, Tibetans
seemed remarkably unconcerned because they see a clear succession path.
Speaker Tsering noted to PolOff that the democratically-elected Kalon
Tripa (Prime Minister) of CTA's Parliament would serve as a figurehead
for the movement while officials search for the reincarnated 15th Dalai
Lama. CTA,s Charter also provides for the election of a three-person
regency to be chosen by members of Parliament in the event of the Dalai
Lama's death or inability to take political charge of Parliament. (Note:
The Dalai Lama continues to sit in Parliament meetings, despite
statements that he is a spiritual, not political, leader of the
Tibetans. END NOTE). Tsering contends that, depending on the strength of
the three members of the regency, this body could also serve as the
voice of the Tibetan movement. The issue that interlocutors disagreed on
was the future actions of Tibetans when faced with a movement no longer
headed by the Dalai Lama.
8. (SBU) PolOff's discussions with most interlocutors gravitated towards
mention of the March 2008 uprising in Tibet, noting, as representatives
from TWA did, that it projected a united Tibetan front against Chinese
rule to the world. All remarked that conditions inside Tibet have gone
from bad to worse in recent years. Deputy Speaker Dolma noted that faith
in the Dalai Lama's leadership had led many Tibetans to believe in the
Middle Way, yet there is a growing skepticism of this approach. Dolma
said that many view the Dalai Lama's and CTA,s demand for autonomy
within, and not total independence from, China as too great a compromise.
9. (SBU) XXXXXXXXXXXX pointed out that protestors in both the 1997 and
2008 uprisings within Tibet were typically young, had never lived in
exile, and - most importantly - had never met the Dalai Lama. (NOTE:
Interestingly, according to statistics obtained from the Dharamsala
Refugee Reception Center, of the 87,096 refugees that were taken in by
Center from 1980 to November 2009, over half -
NEW DELHI 00000290 003 OF 004
46,620 people - returned to Tibet after a short pilgrimage in India and
audience with the Dalai Lama. END NOTE). XXXXXXXXXXXX affirmed to PolOff
that the presence of the Dalai Lama has provided the Tibetan community
at large with peace while soothing unrest among the Tibetan youth. TYC
is the Tibetan community-in-exile's largest NGO, comprising members
whose primary aim is achieving an independent, not merely an autonomous,
Tibet. ''Tibetans would rise up if the time comes,'' stated
XXXXXXXXXXXX, while noting that the large assemblies of Tibetan youth,
outside of audiences with the Dalai Lama, gather together when the TYC
discusses independence. Minister Takla also bluntly informed PolOff that
if the international community fails to adequately support the Tibetan
people in their struggle against China, people residing inside Tibet
could become desperate enough to desert the Tibetan movement,s
historically non-violent path. Takia said that ''we in the free world
would be responsible for the resulting violence'' and all would fail as
human rights authorities should Tibetans become militant.
10. (C) In this context, XXXXXXXXXXXX noted approximately 6,000 Tibetans
now serve, and over 30,000 Tibetans have been trained, in Establishment
22, a joint Tibetan-Nepali border force within the Indian Army that
reportedly emerged in 1962 following a failed Tibetan uprising in China.
Membership in Establishment 22 was compulsory for Tibetan students
graduating from Tibetan Children,s Village (TCV) schools until the late
1980s, according to XXXXXXXXXXXX. XXXXXXXXXXXX noted that Tibetans have
never been given an opportunity to fight the Chinese, despite begging
for the opportunity; they fought in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 that
created Bangladesh and in Operation Meghdoot during the 1999
Indo-Pakistan fighting in Kargil.
THE AUDACITY OF HOPE
-----
11. (C) The widely-anticipated meeting between the Dalai Lama and
President Obama in Washington was a frequent topic of conversation among
Dharamsala residents. There appeared to be reasonable consensus that the
Dalai Lama is not traveling to the US with a specific agenda for this
meeting. Dolma noted that this will be a meeting between fellow Nobel
Laureates who believe in non-violence, stating that the ''U.S.
government already knows our need,'' and the Dalai Lama understands that
there is no need to pressure or embarrass the President into action.
Minister Takla, noting President Obama's recent stronger statements
about China's trade practices, articulated that there is already
international awareness about Tibet - ''everyone knows that Tibetans and
the Dalai Lama want genuine autonomy for Tibetans in Tibet'' - but the
question now is how do we put this desire into action and pressure China
to act on the dialogue? Takla believed that failing to hold a meeting
between President Obama and the Dalai Lama would ''increase China,s
arrogance,'' while XXXXXXXXXXXX noted China's pressures on the United
States and the Dalai Lama, stressing that the latter faced possible
threats of executions of political prisoners in Tibet should the meeting
proceed.
12. (SBU) Dolma and Takla both argued that other members of the
international community, particularly India, must take a more proactive
role on the Tibet issue. Takla stated that Tibet has historically served
as a peaceful buffer zone between China and India, noting that India now
has to spend large amount of money on defense and be wary of Chinese
activities that may adversely affect rivers flowing downstream into
India. Dolma commented that India and CTA are natural allies, noting
that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has a clear understanding of the
Tibetan problem, and now appreciates the Middle Way approach, versus the
opinion intimated through many of the government's earlier statements to
''go back or get independence already.''
COMMENT: FRUSTRATION LIKELY TO GROW ABSENT ANY REAL PROGRESS IN DIALOGUE
-----
NEW DELHI 00000290 004 OF 004
13. (C) Growing frustration among Tibetans, displayed during the March
2008 uprising, is likely to lead to future outbursts so long as the
dialogue fails to progress. The Chinese government,s international
credibility on human rights will continue to decline as Tibetans gain
further access to media tools to disseminate this growing frustration.
Their frustration's effect on the Tibetan movement could be exacerbated
by the passage of time, as the Dalai Lama's increasing age inevitably
slows down his grueling travel schedule and his potential ability to
continue to capture the world's attention on his people's plight. END
COMMENT. ROEMER
------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. US embassy cables: Tibet protests put India in awkward spot
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 16 December 2010 21.30 GMT
Wednesday, 26 March 2008, 12:45
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 000882
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
EO 12958 DECL: 03/25/2028
TAGS PREL, PREF, PHUM, CH, IN
SUBJECT: TIBET CLAMP DOWN AND PROTESTS PUT INDIA IN
DIFFICULT POSITION
REF: NEW DELHI 850
Classified By: Acting Political Counselor Atul Keshap for reasons 1.4 (
b and d)
Summary
1. The New Delhi government performs a delicate balancing act in the
aftermath of the Tibet riots. Key passage highlighted in yellow.
2. Read related article
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Tibet remains a front-burner challenge in New Delhi
more than 10 days after protests at the Chinese Embassy and a protest
march out of Dharamsala led to the arrest of over 200 Tibetans. After
another protest at the Chinese Embassy led to more arrests on March 21,
the Indian press reported that Chinese Foreign Ministry warnings led the
Indian government to back out of a "tentative" meeting between
Vice-President Ansari and the Dalai Lama. The BJP and RSS smell blood as
a result of the government's caution, while the normally meddlesome Left
has kept a stony silence on China's actions in Tibet. Tibetan sources
report that 70 of 140 protesters arrested in Delhi remain in detention
as of March 26, despite an assurance from Foreign Secretary Menon to the
Ambassador on March 19 that all those arrested before then would be
released that day. The Dalai Lama's Special Envoy told Poloff that the
Tibetan Government-in-Exile was satisfied with the Indian government's
statements to date on the situation, and suggested that the USG
positively acknowledge India's statement rather than press the GOI to be
more forceful. He said that he hoped that President Bush will issue a
statement "sooner rather than later," and added that the Dalai Lama had
sent a personal letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao. Responding to
criticism that the U.S. was applying pressure, External Affairs Minister
Mukherjee said "They (the U.S.) have expressed their views. They are not
putting pressure (on India)." India continues to walk the razor's edge
between Beijing and Dharamsala. It cannot afford to antagonize the
former, but it has a sacred obligation to the latter. END SUMMARY
----- Protesters scale perimeter wall at Chinese Embassy -----
2. (SBU) Five members of a group of Tibetan demonstrators breached the
perimeter wall of the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi on the night of March
21. The report said that the five protesters were detained along with
thirty-three others before any untoward incidents occurred. The Dalai
Lama's Representative in New Delhi, Tempa Tsering, told Poloff on March
26 that seventy of the 140 Tibetans held in Delhi since March 14 have
been released to date, noting that several of the March 21 protesters
were injured. According to "The Indian Express," the Chinese Foreign
Ministry summoned Ambassador Rao in Beijing to voice their concern for
the safety and security of its diplomatic personnel in Delhi and handed
over a list of Tibetan protests likely to take place in India prior to
the Olympics, which the Chinese asked India to act upon. "The Hindustan
Times" quoted the Chinese Ambassador to India Zhang Yan as saying, "I
hope Indian friends see through the nature of his (the Dalai Lama's)
intentions and not be misled and make correct statements based on facts
and deeds, not words." Zhang added that, "He (the Dalai Lama) used
non-violence to cheat the international community."
----- Indian Vice-President not to meet with Dalai Lama -----
4. (SBU) "The Indian Express" citQsources in a March 22 report as
stating that Vice-President Hamid Ansari's meeting with the Dalai Lama,
scheduled two months previously, was canceled after Chinese pressure
precipitated the GOI to advise Ansari's office to cancel the meeting,
although the news item quotedGOI sources as saying that the meeting was
"only tentatively scheduled." Referring to the Dalai Lama-Ansari
meeting, the "Zee News" portal quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman
Qin Gang as declaring that, "The Indian side has clarified to China on
the relevant rumor, saying that there is no such plan."
----- Tibetan government-in-exile satisfied with GOIstatements -----
5. (C) Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari
expressed satisfaction with GOI official statements to date, noting that
"They have their own understandable compulsions, and it's better than
the past when no statements were issued." He expressed his belief that
it would be beneficial for the USG to positively acknowledge India's
March 15 statement that, "We are
NEW DELHI 00000882 002 OF 002
distressed by reports of the unsettled situation and violence in Lhasa,
and by the deaths of innocent people. We would hope that all those
involved will work to improve the situation and remove the causes of
such trouble in Tibet, which is an autonomous region of China, through
dialogue and non-violent means." Gyari speculated that positive
reinforcement may motivate the GOI to issue further statements in
support of the Tibetans. He revealed that a private communication from
the Dalai Lama to Chinese President Hu Jintao was received by the
Chinese on 20 March, and the Tibetan government-in-exile was waiting for
a response. Gyari stated that he had shared the letter with
Undersecretary Dobriansky, contacts at the NSC, and Indian Foreign
Secretary ShivShankar Menon. He commented that he planned to meet with
Indian National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan on 24 March but did not
disclose the agenda for the discussion. Gyari opined that a statement
from President Bush would give the Chinese reason for pause and
emphasized that, if forthcoming, the statement would be "most beneficial
sooner rather than later."
----- BJP blames Nehru for current Tibet morass -----
6. (SBU) Tibet has become a domestic political issue again in recent
days, as posturing for the upcoming general elections continues. On
March 25, India's Zee New portal reported that the Bharatiya Janata
Party prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani blamed former Congress
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for adopting a "weak stance" on Tibet in
the 1950s, stating that, "the Nehru government's failure to focus on
India's diplomatic efforts, while simultaneously strengthening its
military capabilities, to deftly resolve the boundary issue with China,"
directly contributed to the current state of affairs in Tibet. He hailed
the BJP's Vajpayee administration as engineers of the current progress
in India-China relations, adding that he urged Chinese President Hu
during his November 2006 India visit to arrange for the Dalai Lama to
visit Tibet prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Assailing the Congress
Party's passive reaction to China's repression in Tibet, Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief K.S. Sudershan condemned the "atrocities
perpetrated on the peaceful protesters" in Tibet and proclaimed that,
"these demonstrations have completely betrayed the hollowness of Chinese
claims that under her occupation Tibet has witnessed all-around
development and that the people are happy with the regime." Broadsiding
the Congress Party, Sudershan pledged the RSS's full support for the
Tibetan cause and urged the world to "exert such pressure over the
Government of China that it is forced to come to the negotiating table
to find a peaceful solution to the Tibetan crisis." Meanwhile, the Left,
ready at all times to comment negatively on anything relating to
America, remains absolutely silent on the Tibet issue, preferring to
stand by CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury's hypocritical March 17 statement
that the CPI-M was unable to comment as Tibet was an "internal matter"
for China.
----- India keeps a finger to the wind -----
7. (C) COMMENT: The words "tightrope" and "balancing act" are constantly
repeated in Delhi regarding the Indian government's handling of Tibetan
protests. As Foreign Secretary Menon explained to the Ambassador, the
Tibetan
SIPDIS movement has the sympathy of the Indian public, and India has
been a generally supportive home to tens of thousands of Tibetans,
including the Dalai Lama, for nearly 50 years. However, the tacit
agreement that Tibetans are welcome in India as long as they don't cause
problems is being challenged at a time when India's complex relationship
with Beijing is churning with border issues, rivalry for regional
influence, a growing economic interdependence, the nascent stages of
joint military exercises, and numerous other priorities. While the GOI
will never admit it, we expect New Delhi's Balancing Act with India's
Tibetans to continue for the foreseeable future, with the caveat that a
rise in violence -- either by Tibetans here or by the Chinese security
forces in Tibet - could quickly tip the balance in favor of the side
with greater public support. END COMMENT MULFORD
------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. US embassy cables: Dalai Lama made desperate plea to US for help
during 2008 unrest
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 16 December 2010 21.30 GMT
Thursday, 10 April 2008, 11:51
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 001035
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR TIBET COORDINATOR DOBRIANSKY
NSC FOR HADLEY/ABRAMS
H PASS TO SPEAKER PELOSI, REPRESENTATIVES MARKEY,
MCDERMOTT, MILLER, SENSENBRENNER, INSLEE, HOLMES-NORTON,
SOLIS, ESHOO AND HOLT
EO 12958 DECL: 04/10/2018
TAGS PREL, PHUM, IN, CH
SUBJECT: DALAI LAMA PLEADS FOR U.S. TO PERSUADE CHINESE TO
TALK
REF: NEW DELHI 906
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires George Deikun for Reasons 1.4 (b and d )
Summary
1. As Chinese authorities cracked down after unrest and rioting in
Tibet, the Dalai Lama literally embraced US diplomats telling them
"Tibet is a dying nation. We need America's help." The embassy forwarded
his request for aid to the president and others. Key passages
highlighted in yellow.
2. Read related article
1. Action request in para. 7.
2. (C/REL UK, CANADA, AUSTRALIA) Summary: Hours before his April 9
departure for the U.S., the Dalai Lama summoned PolCouns to convey a
message: please use all effective means to persuade the PRC to engage in
dialogue with him. He said recent events had left him increasingly
concerned about the future of the Tibetan people. Reaffirming his
commitment to the "Middle Way", i.e. not to seek independence as long as
the Chinese government respects the distinctive character of the Tibetan
people and permits them to enjoy genuine regional autonomy, the Dalai
Lama stated that he sought a breakthrough with Beijing. The Dalai Lama
recalled his conversation with Ambassador Mulford (reftel), where he had
explained that the PRC only respects strength, and he exhorted the U.S.
to take action that will "make an impact" in Beijing.At the end of the
thirty-minute meeting, the Dalai Lama embraced PolCouns and made a final
plea: "Tibet is a dying nation. We need America's help." End Summary.
3. (C/REL UK, CANADA, AUSTRALIA) The Dalai Lama related an earlier
conversation with a Chinese scholar that convinced him the "positive
scenario" he outlined on March 28 -- where the PRC agrees to dialogue
and permits a degree of Tibetan autonomy -- was a possibility. The Dalai
Lama described this unnamed scholar as interpreting the regular use of
the Dalai Lama's name by Chinese leaders and references to 'the Dalai
clique' as signs they were prepared to engage with him. If PRC leaders
ignored the Dalai Lama and focused instead on the Tibetan Youth Congress
and Tibet-based leaders of the uprising, that would indicate the PRC
planned to bypass him, according to this scholar.
4. (C/REL UK, CANADA, AUSTRALIA) Immediately prior to meeting with
PolCouns, the Dalai Lama met with XXXXXXXXXXXX. The Dalai Lama said
XXXXXXXXXXXX had been in touch with Chinese interlocutors who convinced
XXXXXXXXXXXX that a deal could be made: if the Dalai Lama supported
peaceful transit of the Olympic torch through Tibet, then the PRC would
simultaneously release Tibetans who had been detained since March 10.
Comment: XXXXXXXXXXXX. End comment.
5. (C/REL UK, CANADA, AUSTRALIA) The Indian media continues to headline
plans for the April 17 Olympic torch transit through New Delhi, with
much speculation about which celebrities and leaders will choose to
carry the torch, thereby pleasing the Chinese. India's first female
director-general of police, Kiran Bedi, has declined the honor, stating
that protection of the torch by China's Special Police Force guards has
robbed it of its desired symbolism. Indian football captain Bhaichung
Bhatia has also pulled out, expressing solidarity with Tibetan
activists. China's defense attache in New Delhi informed the Indian
Army's director of foreign liaison that planned Army-to-Army exercises
will be cancelled if New Delhi fails to protect the torch during its
2.5-kilometer sprint through the capital.
6. (C/REL UK, CANADA, AUSTRALIA) Comment: While Indian observers believe
that pressure on the PRC to engage with the Dalai Lama is growing, his
candid comment that "Tibet is a dying nation" indicates increasing
desperation as a result of his ability to affect events in his homeland.
The President's comments that dialogue provides the only way forward
have resonated here, and Tibet Coordinator Dobriansky's April 24 visit
to New Delhi gives the U.S. an opportunity to reinforce the President's
message. The Dalai Lama, who has studied China for most of his 73 years,
appears
NEW DELHI 00001035 002 OF 002
to be persuaded that a united show of strength will nudge Beijing in his
direction, and that by vilifying him, China's leaders may have laid the
ground work for engagement. End comment.
7. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST: Post emailed and pouched letters from the Dalai
Lama to President George Bush, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice,
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senator Harry Reid requesting that
the USG appeal to China to end the current crackdown on Tibetans
immediately; release all Tibetans arrested and ensure they receive
proper medical attention; and, asked for assistance in facilitating a
group of international observers and media to affected areas in the TAR
to ensure compliance. Post requests guidance/reply on who should assume
the lead coordination in the reply to the Dalai Lama. DEIKUN
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