kvLin
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Tawang is part of India: Dalai Lama -India-The Times of India
NEW DELHI: For the first-time, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has said that Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, a territory that's still claimed by China, is part of India.
Acknowledging the validity of the MacMohan Line as per the 1914 Simla Agreement in an interview to Navbharat Times , he said that Arunchal Pradesh was a part of India under the agreement signed by Tibetan and British representatives.
In 2003, while touring Tawang, the Dalai Lama had been asked to comment on the issue, but had refused to give a direct answer, saying that Arunachal was actually part of Tibet. China doesn't recognize the MacMohan Line and claims that Tawang and Arunachal Pradesh are part of its territory.
The statement is bound to impact the India-China dialogue, as Beijing has already stated that if Tawang is handed to it, it will rescind claim on the rest of Arunachal Pradesh. The Chinese proposal is strategically unacceptable to India, as Tawang is close not just to the northeastern states but also to Bhutan. Tawang is also a key Buddhist pilgrimage site as it was the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama.
Commenting on the largescale resettlement of Hans in Tibet, the Tibetan leader said two-third of Lhasa's population is now Han, but Tibetans are still a majority in the region. He also expressed astonishment at the fact that the Chinese government disputes his claims on his country, adding, "The entire world knows we do not want separation from China. We only want to retain our cutural and spiritual identity. Tibet must be recognized as a special territory, that is all we ask."
I guess the Dalai Lama must be lonesome over recent nights coz all China involved news coverage has concentrated in positive way onto the Wenchuan earthquake and relieving efforts by the Chinese people,the government and the whole international community, which seems to make the Free Tibet activities a series of frustration.
Few days ago, Indian police arrested a protesting group of exiled Tibetans including 6 heads of five Free Tibet groups who had organized 300 people to hoof it northward to the Sino-indu border, in call of a "Walking back to Tibet" movement as shown below.
The Dalai Lama, though has for several times drawn the line between himself and the violent Free Tibet roiters, is apparently eager to maintain the breathing space for the latter.
Hereby we need to give our sincere thanks to India coz those people are really trouble makers to both China and the discreetly developing Sino-Indu relationship. the Arunachal Pradesh was established in 1987 by India's massive immigrations of Hindus, which is never recognized by China from the north side. and for over 50 years the Tawang issue has posed a chief obstacle of the Sino-Indu relationship. only wits and time count in the whole complex history and status quo.
Generally, Indians,along with their government, are quite confient about their sovereignty in Arunachal Pradesh, which makes the Dalai Lama's support more like a spone of spare salt adding to the well pickled bacon. although he's fully aware that the Arunachal Pradesh used to be an unquestionable Tibetan area dominated by Kaggu,one of the oldest sects of Tibetan Buddhism as well as a chief rival of his Gulug,and Tawang is even the birth place of the sixth Dalai Lama, he may have to make up to the Indian government by risking acute conflicts from inside the Tibetan Buddhism.
By giving his comments on Tawang, The Dalai Lama is neigher on behalf of China, nor of the international community. to say the least, he's even NOT really a spiritual leader of all Tibetans, instead he is merely a leader of yellow hat people who has adopted Gulug, the former regnal religionary sect which has been suppressing other sects (e.g. Kaggu and Saga) for hundreds of years. Two weeks ago nearly one hundred Tibetans (of a small sect) protested against the Dalai Lama in Brandenburg, Germany for being cast away from freedom of religion. I believe this episode would have added quite a few to the complex circumstance of Tibetan Buddhism, rather than simply supprised those simplehearted western people.