Dalai toughens stand on Tibet
The Times of India
March 15, 2008

As the Chinese media and the government of Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) poured vitriol on the Dalai Lama for “inciting riots” in Lhasa, the Tibetan leader, too, hardened his stand by condemning the use of “brute force” by China.

Calling the protest a manifestation of the “deep-rooted resentment of the Tibetan people under the present governance”, the Dalai Lama said, “It is unrealistic to expect unity and stability under such a rule and would therefore not be conducive to finding a peaceful and lasting solution.”

This is the strongest indication by the Dalai Lama in recent times that his peace efforts with the Chinese government are not working.

On Saturday, the Tibetan government-in-exile demanded the UN to intervene to end what it called “urgent human rights violations” by China in Tibet. The Dalai Lama’s statement followed by the government-in-exile’s demand for UN intervention clearly shows that the Tibetan leadership in India is under pressure from the exiled community to stand up to China.

“For the past two decades, the Dalai Lama has been talking of peace and dialogue with the Chinese, but we haven’t achieved anything. So, there is frustration,” said an official of the government-in-exile. “It’s after a long time that we have demanded direct UN intervention because the situation is now turning from bad to worse.” TNN