- Title: JAPAN: Dalai Lama says he's loosing faith in Beijing as Tibetan nation dies
- Date: 3rd November 2008
- Summary: ***FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** (W1) TOKYO, JAPAN (NOVEMBER 3, 2008) (REUTERS) DALAI LAMA ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE AMID FLASHES OF CAMERAS DALAI LAMA SEATED AT NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 18th November 2008 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVA78UXER592DGYKXJ3HY98V5QEU
- Story Text: The Dalai Lama, who admitted his approach to the Chinese government has been a failure, says he is loosing his faith in Beijing as the Tibetan nation dies.
The Dalai Lama is losing faith in the Chinese government and he has been forced to admit failure with his approach to Beijing as "the Tibetan nation dies", he told reporters in Tokyo on Monday
(November 3).
"Now Tibet is passing through, almost like a death sentence. And this old nation, with old cultural heritage is now dying," the spiritual leader of Tibet told a packed news conference in Tokyo where he is visiting to give sermons to Buddhist monks in Japan.
Beijing vilifies the Dalai Lama as a traitor and earlier this year accused him of orchestrating a deadly wave of unrest in Tibet ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
"I feel my direct responsibility dealing with Chinese government, I feel now is very difficult. My trust towards the Chinese government is now thinner, thinner, thinner," he said.
The Tibetan spiritual leader has called for a special meeting of Tibetan exiles in the second week of November to discuss the future of the Tibetan movement.
His candour is seen as a vindication for the many exiled Tibetans who say his conciliatory "middle way" approach to seeking greater autonomy has not worked, something the Dalai Lama agrees with.
"Things are not improving inside Tibet. Our approach never sort of effect inside situation. Chinese suppression increasing. They remain very stubborn. Now morally I can not remain like this. Things not going well. I can not pretend something okay. No. I have got to accept failure," he told reporters in Tokyo.
The two sides have met to try to ease tension in Tibet since violent riots broke out there in March, but the Dalai Lama says he has seen no sign of China being in a conciliatory mood.
Many Tibetans, especially younger generations, see the talks as a Chinese ploy to delay progress on the question of either independence or regional autonomy for Tibet.
However a spell in a hospital, earlier in September, has raised the specter of the search for the Dalai Lama's reincarnated successor.
Tibetan Buddhism holds that the soul of a high monk or "living Buddha" is reborn after his death and the resulting "soul boy"
can be found through the interpretation of arcane signs.
The Dalai Lama who has been quoted as saying that in the next life he may not be reincarnated said, half-jokingly - that he was ready to go to hell instead.
"If something useful, something benefit, at least with some needy people or needy sentient beings in Hell, I am ready I will go there. If not much work there, then I will go to heaven. Oh leisure. Leisure time," he said laughing heartily.
The now 73-year-old Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since fleeing a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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