Post by Shadow on Dec 29, 2005 15:49:54 GMT -5
Dalai Lama rejects Tibetan Buddhist praise of China
Reuters
By Terry Friel
DHARAMSALA, India (Reuters) - The Dalai Lama said on Wednesday the most senior Buddhist in Tibet had obviously wanted to please Chinese authorities by praising Tibet for its political stability and prosperity.
In an interview with Reuters, the 70-year-old Nobel Laureate painted a very different picture of Tibet saying that torture and human rights abuses were still the norm.
The Dalai Lama, the head of Tibetan Buddhism and its political struggle, said he was saddened by reports monks had been killed and tortured by Chinese authorities for refusing to denounce him as a "separator" bent on damaging China.
"I had stressed if they have to denounce me then please denounce me -- no problem," he said firmly in his palace beneath snow-tipped Himalayan peaks in northern India.
"Their safety is more important. Just please denounce me," he said, wearing traditional Buddhist purple robes.
The Beijing-sanctioned 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, now 16 and who along with his parents is under China's protection, said in a rare interview with China's Xinhua news agency a few days ago that Tibet was open and happy.
Reuters
By Terry Friel
DHARAMSALA, India (Reuters) - The Dalai Lama said on Wednesday the most senior Buddhist in Tibet had obviously wanted to please Chinese authorities by praising Tibet for its political stability and prosperity.
In an interview with Reuters, the 70-year-old Nobel Laureate painted a very different picture of Tibet saying that torture and human rights abuses were still the norm.
The Dalai Lama, the head of Tibetan Buddhism and its political struggle, said he was saddened by reports monks had been killed and tortured by Chinese authorities for refusing to denounce him as a "separator" bent on damaging China.
"I had stressed if they have to denounce me then please denounce me -- no problem," he said firmly in his palace beneath snow-tipped Himalayan peaks in northern India.
"Their safety is more important. Just please denounce me," he said, wearing traditional Buddhist purple robes.
The Beijing-sanctioned 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, now 16 and who along with his parents is under China's protection, said in a rare interview with China's Xinhua news agency a few days ago that Tibet was open and happy.