Honourable Chairman, Ladies & Gentlemen,
First, let me briefly present the outline picture of Tibet. Tibet consists of three main regions – Kham, Amdo and U-tsang covering a total area of 2.5 million sq. kilometers with a total population of 6 million. However, when the Chinese Government refers to Tibet, they mean only the TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region), excluding Kham and Amdo which are incorporated into Chinese provinces of Yunan, Gansu, Sichuan and Ganze.
Now to talk about the current situation of the Tibetan Buddhist and Buddhism in Tibet, we all know that in theory, PRC's constitution provides freedom of religious belief to all its 56 National Minorities, including the Tibetans. In reality, Tibetan people are deprived of their fundamental human rights, including their beliefs and their practice of centuries-old Tibetan Buddhism. In this regard, let me explain certain policies which are strictly implemented by the Chinese leadership in Tibet today.
In Tibet today, no Tibetan children below the age of 18 years old, are allowed to attend any religious discourse. There is a strict limit and condition in the number of monks & nuns to be admitted in Tibetan monasteries and nunneries. In each and every religious institution a so-called Patriotic Education Campaign is enforced, which is –
a) To undermine the tenet of Tibetan Buddhism;
b) To punish the monks and nuns who show their devotion to HHDL;
c) To stop the influence of HHDL in any religious institution; and
d) To tighten the overall control and regulation of religious practices by using harsh methods;
The Communist Party Secretary in TAR Zhang Qingli on May 16 2006, referred to their efforts to undermine HHDL's growing influence as the "Life & Death Struggle". Tibetans are not allowed to show any sign of devotion to His Holiness, nor to own and display His Holiness' photo either in public or even in private homes. Anyone who disobeys these orders is arrested, imprisoned and severely punished.
In this context, Rongyal Adrak, a Tibetan nomad, during the annual horse racing festival in Lithang on August 1st asked the following three questions of the Tibetan people who came for the festival :
1) whether the Tibetans want the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet;
2) whether the Tibetans want freedom in Tibet and
3) whether the Tibetans want all Tibetan prisoners to be released.
Most of the Tibetan nomads who were among more than one thousand Tibetans present at that time unanimously supported Rongyal Adrak's 3 points. But Adrak was immediately arrested by the armed police of Chinese Public Security Bureau and imprisoned for 3 months without trial. On 5 December 2007, the Chinese Intermediate Court in Dartsedo, Karze passed a judgment against Rgongyal Adrak and 3 other Tibetans as follows:
a) Rongyal Adrak was jailed for 8 years for "splitting the country";
b) Adruk Lopo & Jamyang Kunkyen were jailed for 10 years & 9 years respectively for sending so-called "sensitive photos" to overseas organisations;
c) Lothok was jailed for 3 years for providing information to foreign organisations.
These are but the latest cases of utter violation of fundamental rights of the Tibetans living in Tibet today.
If we go a little further, we all know that on 14th May 1995, HHDL recognized the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedun Choekyi Nyima, born on 25 April, 1989 in Lhari district Ngachu. On May 17th 1995, Gedun Choekyi Nyima and his parents were kidnapped by PRC and to this day nobody knows where the 11th Panchen Lama is, nor whether he is alive and well.
Another case is Tulku Tenzin Delek and his disciple, the late Lobsang, who were accused of planting a bomb in the Chendu area. Without having any proof to substantiate this accusation against Tulku Tenzin Delek and Lobsang, the latter was executed on New Year 2005 and Tulku Tenzin Delek is now serving a life imprisonment. So those who support fundamental human rights, democracy and individual liberty must raise their voice against the gross violation of inalienable rights of the Tibetan people by the Chinese leadership in Tibet today.
The Chinese leadership understands the Tibetan people's devotion to Tibetan Buddhism and their allegiance to HHDL, consequently one of their greatest problems is to win the confidence of Tibetan people to their policy in Tibet. Therefore, the Chinese leadership accuses HHDL for his every movement, calling His Holiness a "Separatist". The PRC's accusation does have an element of truth because, in spite having all the characteristics of a sovereign independent country, HHDL has been saying that Tibetans want a genuine autonomy, that is – in which Tibetans would have full power to handle their cultural, religious, economical, educational and environmental affairs.
It is in this connection that the Chinese leadership lately came out with a so-called Order No.5 which they said came into effect from 1 Sept. 2007. Under this document, all Tibetan Buddhist monasteries & religious institutions in Tibet, must get approval from the Chinese Government for a reincarnate lama. This is aimed at bringing the issue of reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism under the control of Atheist Chinese leadership, thereby having full authority over the reincarnation of next Dalai Lama.
In Tibetan Buddhism, reincarnation is a centuries-old fundamental concept of belief and practice. Control and approval of a reincarnate lama by an atheist regime will not be acceptable to the Tibetan Buddhist world. HHDL has always said that if the Institution of DL serves a useful purpose for the Tibetan people, and if the Tibetans want to maintain it, then the institution will continue : there will be a next DL and the concept of reincarnation will continue. One of the purposes of reincarnating a high ranking Lama is to continue the works started by his immediate predecessor, and HHDL had been saying that if the issue of Tibet is not resolved during his life time, his reincarnation will be born in a free country outside the control of Chinese leadership.
In this context, HHDL said during an interview to a Japanese newspaper on 19 Nov. 2007 "If China selected my successor after my death, the people of Tibet would not support him as there would be no Tibetan heart in him. In the same interview HHDL also reiterated his thought on how the next Dalai Lama might be selected and His Holiness has suggested the following options.
a) Electing a successor democratically from among the high ranking Tibetan Buddhist lamas in a similar manner as the Cardinals elect the Pope;
b) His Holiness may name a successor while he is alive; and
c) The traditional method of selecting a reincarnation may also follow.
What I have stated above are some of the latest developments relating to the issue of Tibet and His Holiness' thoughts concerning them. Now with the permission of the Chair, I would like to open the discussion to the audience for any feedback or questions that there may be.
Thank you Mr. Chairman for giving me this opportunity.
Jampal Chosang
Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
