DHARAMSALA, India — The influx of Han Chinese and the growing restrictions on religious practice have become the biggest threats to Tibet, which faces “something like a death sentence” under Chinese rule, said the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
The only solution is to allow genuine autonomy for the six million Tibetans, he said. The regional authority would make policy on education, religious practice and the use of natural resources, while Beijing would retain the right to keep military forces in the region and oversee foreign affairs, he added.
An autonomous Tibetan government would not force out Han Chinese who had already settled in the vast Tibetan plateau in China’s west, but would place limits on any future migration. “Autonomous regions should be the native peoples’ majority,” the Dalai Lama said during an hourlong interview this week.
I'm sorry but this is kind of nonsensical given the historical relations of Tibet and the rest of China.
As I've mentioned, Tibet's thought to be ridiculously rich in resources such as copper and other metals, and despite what other bloggers might have written, HH the DL is making it quite plain that "genuine autonomy" would start from a position of "You Lose" when it comes to being able to develop the regions natural resources. Gee, that ought to go over well with the folks who wield ultimate control over this stuff.
Yes Tibetans are very poor, but is there not a way to have all prosper? Without making nasty on the environment?
And why should anyone be 2nd class citizens in their country, whether Tibetans or Han Chinese?
There was once a time when the ancestors of Tibetans and Han Chinese did not think of themselves as such, just as there was a time when my ancestors thought of themselves as Slovaks or Poles or Germans.
Isn't it the American thing to transcend such things?
At any rate, of course, as an American I find it reasonable to understand why one wants to adhere to cultural traditions, and do believe that there's certainly blame to go around when it comes to Tibet. But to truly have peace, all concerned are going to have to make concessions. Including the Dalai Lama and Tibetans.
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