Be careful on comments, govt tells the Dalai Lama

Chandigarh: Worried that the Dalai Lama’s remarks could play spoiler in the Indo-China talks, India is believed to have conveyed to the spiritual leader and the Tibetan government-in-exile not to go overboard while “making observations about China”.

Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, who called on the Dalai Lama and Somdang Rinpoche, prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile on Sunday, is learnt to have apprised them of the Indo-China talks. Sources said it was conveyed to the Tibetan leaders that they should be restrained in their comments so that Sino-Indian relations did not suffer.

Rao’s visit comes less than a week after India’s national security adviser (NSA) Shiv Shankar Menon met Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, foreign minister Yang Jiechi and state councillor Dai Binguo in Beijing. Sources said China criticised India for allowing Tibetan refugees to engage in political activities on its soil.

The Dalai Lama usually describes India’s position on Tibet as “over-cautious”. The Tibetan leader last year was given a go-ahead by the Indian government to visit Arunachal Pradesh, an
Indian state that China claims as its territory. Foreign minister SM Krishna has said the Centre had no objections to the Tibetan leader visiting any part of India provided he did not talk politics.

Officially, the foreign office of the Tibetan government described Rao’s visit “as a courtesy visit to the Dalai Lama”.

Officials said Tibetans in Dharamshala are struggling to reconcile their age-old antagonism and distrust of China with the recent shift in their government-in-exile's policy.

“We have been saying for many years that the issue of Tibet should be resolved within the framework of China. We are not asking for separation of Tibet from China,” said Sonam Norbu Tagpo of the Tibetan government-in-exile recently, adding, “We want to live within the framework of China but we Tibetans should have a high degree of autonomy within China itself.”