India’s confidential memo on the Tibetans leaked

On the left is Indian Foreign Secretary the Honorable Vijay Gokhale and on the right, Indian Cabinet Secretary the Honorable Pradeep Kumar Sinha. It was Mr Gokhale who issued a directive to Mr Sinha, who then issued a memo to various government officials advising them against attending events hosted by the Tibetan leadership. It was this very memo that was leaked to the press, that revealed India’s new shifting stance towards the exiled Tibetan leadership in India.

Sino-Indian relations span back in time to ancient history. However, modern bilateral relations began in 1950 when India was amongst the first countries to recognize the People’s Republic of China as a legitimate nation state. Today, India and China are two of the most populous nations and the fastest growing economies in the world. Although the relationship between these two countries have generally been cordial, it has become strained at times due to unresolved border issues and high economic competition. Nonetheless, diplomatic and common economic interests continue to heavily influence the ties between these two Asian giants.

 

Separatists and Splittists

Map indicating the location of Pakistan, India and China. Politics in the region have always been highly charged, thanks to territorial disputes and economic competition between India and China.

To fully understand the present dynamics in the region, one must first receive a short history of the relationship between these two nations. In 1947, India became independent with the end of British colonial rule. Shortly after her independence, India’s Muslims opted to secede from India, forming instead a new nation by the name of Pakistan. This traumatic event, now known as the Partition, saw millions of people displaced from their homes, as Hindus from newly-formed Pakistan fled to India, and Muslims from India left for Pakistan. Since that time, India and Pakistan have been at odds over many issues, including the respective nations’ nuclear armaments as well as territorial disputes over the border region of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in North West India.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama with the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. It was under Nehru’s leadership that India first extended assistance to the Tibetans. In the last 60 years, this assistance has since waned as the Indian government has gradually realized that supporting the Tibetans does not bring any tangible benefits to the 1.2 billion Indian citizens who have their own domestic issues to contend with.

In the J&K issue especially, India considers Pakistan to be separatists because they actively encourage the secession of the state. India has also previously accused China of covertly supporting Pakistan’s interests in the matter, deeming it to be an affront to India’s sovereignty that China might attempt to influence their domestic issues.

Conversely, China has previously accused India of interfering with Chinese domestic issues through Indian support for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA; Tibetan leadership based in Dharamsala). China considers the Dalai Lama a ‘splittist’, and they cite the CTA’s encouragement of independence protests as evidence of their intention to destabilize the Tibet Autonomous Region. On repeated occasions, China has also expressed their displeasure at the Dalai Lama being a guest of India.

 

High Stakes Tit-for-Tat

So despite their shared political, cultural and economic prowess, India and China have had to contend with many factors creating friction in their relationship. Ties between these two Eastern giants further deteriorated in 2017, sometimes nearly bordering on open conflict.

In 2017, China accused the Indian leadership of allowing the Dalai Lama to visit the disputed border region of Arunachal Pradesh in North East India. The visit to the Indian state, which borders with China, was viewed by Beijing as being deliberately provocative. The Chinese leadership also took issue with the fact His Holiness was received by the highest state authorities there, the Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Minister of State Kiren Rijiju. This followed an incident in 2016, when His Holiness shared the stage with the then-Indian President Pranab Mukherjee. In all of these meetings, India insisted that it was merely a meeting with a religious leader; China, on the other hand, viewed the meetings as official support for the Dalai Lama’s stance.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama with the then-Indian President Pranab Mukherjee. This incident put a strain on China-India relations, as China viewed the meeting as official support for the Dalai Lama’s stance.

In response, China cancelled their Foreign Minister’s visit to India and stopped sharing hydrological data on the Brahmaputra. Relations after this failed to normalize, instead continuing to further deteriorate until the Doklam issue, when both nations became engaged in a border standoff that nearly came to blows. The world held its breath as they watched both Asian tigers decide instead to stand down, for the wider benefit of political stability in the region.

 

Encouraging 2018

Given the strained Sino-India relations as of late, 2018 has begun with some encouraging signs that both Asian giants are reaching out to one another in the spirit of cooperation and compromise.

First, despite initial objections, China finally lent their support towards Pakistan’s designation as a ‘terrorist state’. Now on the ‘grey list’ of the Financial Action Task Force, it has opened the door for Pakistan to be penalized for their failure to halt financial transactions by terrorist groups. It will make it more difficult for Pakistan to access international financing, and perhaps embolden nations to levy economic sanctions against them. China has also signaled that they will no longer unconditionally support Pakistan, a move which has been met with delight from India. It was India who strongly lobbied China and the United Nations for all of this to happen, and for China to agree to support India in these initiatives was a great concession from Beijing to India.

Also in February, foreign secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who was in Beijing for bilateral strategic dialogue, told Indian media that China was “open” to India joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group but there were “procedures and processes” to be completed. Traditionally, China has blocked India’s admission into this elite group. Therefore, this was another great concession from China to India, and a clear sign of the thawing relations between the two great economic giants. India, being very pleased with the two ‘favors’ from China, has been set to reciprocate.

Following all of this news, a leaked memo has come to light suggesting that the Indian government is interested in a reciprocal relationship with the Chinese. On 26th February 2018, a classified directive from Indian Cabinet Secretary the Honorable Pradeep Kumar Sinha was leaked to the press. Addressed to various senior leaders and government officials, the directive detailed his discouragement of Indian officials attending events held by the Tibetan leadership in India, especially those marking their 60 years of exile in the country.

As it turns out, this directive was in response to a note Sinha received from the Indian Foreign Secretary, the Honorable Vijay Gokhale, just four days earlier. The note stated that it is now a “sensitive time” for bilateral relations between the two Asian giants – India and China. A day after his note to Sinha, Gokhale left for Beijing for talks with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou and meetings with his Chinese counterparts. It had been nearly a year since such a standalone visit had taken place.

Despite initial objections, China allowed Pakistan to be put on the ‘grey list’ of the Financial Action Task Force…[Alka] Acharya believed that given that the foreign secretary’s note to the cabinet secretary went out a day before he left for Bejing, “there seems to be a prima facie case for a quid pro quo having occurred”. Source: thewire.in

 

What does this mean for Tibetans and Dharamsala?

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. As time goes on, the relationship between the two leaders as well as their respective nations continues to improve, for the benefit of their people and the region.

The message to the Tibetans is clear: ultimately, India considers Tibet to be a political pawn and while they might respect His Holiness as a spiritual teacher, their interests in Tibet do not extend beyond religion. It is worth keeping in mind that:

  1. India has not denied the leaked memo. Instead of an outright denial, and embarrassed by the leak of this confidential information, the Indian leadership scrambled to cover their bases by reinforcing their stance on the Dalai Lama as a religious personage. So the Indian leadership instead chose to reaffirm their stance of respect and reverence for the Dalai Lama as a religious leader, and remained silent on their stance regarding the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and on the circular’s contents itself.
  2. If the memo is a fake, they would say so. But they did not. If the leaked memo was a forgery, India would have immediately issued a statement to that effect. They would not have any qualms about denying it. The fact they did not invalidate calling the memo a fake, and the fact they did not deny the memo’s existence means the memo is real. Denying it would send a confusing message to their ministries and to China, because it actually really is their policy now.
  3. The CTA’s willingness to be used as a thorn in China’s side has backfired on them. Though an effective short-term policy, ultimately the CTA has no power of their own, relying on India’s support to uphold any provocative statements that they make. It is like a small child in a playground going to poke the bigger child; they rely on their parents to support their behavior, and it is their parents’ support that emboldens them. One day however, when the parents lay down the gauntlet and refuse to continue supporting their child’s disruptive ways, the child is forced to become meek and quiet, the wind taken out of his sails. In the same way, India appears to be rescinding their support for their errant Tibetan child and is instead choosing to prioritize the greater interests of their 1.2 billion citizens. At the end of the day, all the CTA has to look forward to is a very upset Chinese leadership whom they have spent 60 years antagonizing, with no results to show for it at all.
  4. India has never willingly fought a conflict on behalf of the Tibetans. If India’s support was real and complete, it would extend beyond financial and social assistance. Given that no country, including India, has ever gone to war with China over Tibet, this speaks volumes of the lack of genuine support for the Tibetan cause. For example, in order to topple the corrupt regime of Saddam Hussein, various military forces from around the world invaded the country to oust him. If Tibet was such an important issue for India, or indeed anyone else, they would have done the same for the Tibetans. Clearly everyone, including India, cares more for amicable relations with China than the Tibetan cause.
  5. Both public and political favor is moving against the Tibetans. Domestically, 2017 saw public anti-Tibetan protests organized by large bodies of students in Arunachal Pradesh in North India. Indian members of parliament also began questioning the Dalai Lama’s silence over Indian domestic issues, whilst the Indian government made it easier for Tibetan refugees to become Indian citizens. Now, international political tides are shifting towards better relations with China. Is this the beginning of the end for the Central Tibetan Administration’s (CTA) support in India? Internationally, the USA has dramatically lessened their funding for the CTA, and country by country are rejecting the Tibetans in one way or another. As India, historically the CTA’s biggest supporter, shifts its focus to China, the Tibetans-in-exile will soon lose their support altogether, leaving them nowhere else to turn to.

If the Tibetans continue to protest, make demands of India and provoke China, India may be compelled to intervene so as to avoid further strain on the Sino-Indian relationship.

Some might argue that the memo is premature. Events marking the 60th anniversary of the Tibetans’ exile are yet to take place, so they could still be attended by Indian officials and dignitaries. If the officials do end up attending, it will only be because the Indian government is incredibly politically astute. Since the memo has been leaked and in order to counter any public discontent, it would not be surprising if some officials end up attending the events. They would not want to be seen as caving in to Chinese demands.

Ultimately however, there is no benefit to either China nor India to support the Tibetan cause; as the United States loses favor globally, a vacuum of influence is left behind that is just waiting for these two powerhouses to fill. Thus, cooperation between China and India would be mutually beneficial, and result in political and economic stability for one third of the earth’s population. By comparison, the Tibetan cause is too small of an issue for any country to derail their political and economic interests.

But nevertheless, it does mark a significant shift in India’s stance. ~ Nidhi Razdan (NDTV Executive Editor), on the changing relations between India and China

It is time the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) realizes that they gain nothing by criticizing the Chinese leadership and their policies, but in fact only make things worse for themselves. Traditionally, the CTA has allocated a significant budget for social media, aimed at destroying the reputation of those they label their opponents. Clearly however, their efforts have been in vain and the reputation of their targets, instead of degenerating, continues to improve. And so, for example, if it transpires that the Dalai Lama’s travels continue to disrupt Indian foreign policy, the leadership in Delhi may see it fit to limit his movements within India or even rescind funding. Making further demands of the Indian government, therefore would only serve to add to the litany of reasons why India should no longer support the Tibetan leadership, and maybe even hasten the process.

Faced with this inevitability, it would instead be more logical for the CTA to formulate alternative plans if they are serious about preserving Tibetan religion, culture and traditions, as they have declared to do for 60 years. The fact is that Tibetans are not Indian, and they are not American, Canadian, Swiss, Italian, etc. Returning to Tibet would give them the best chance of succeeding. To do this, they would have to undo six decades of damage and instead start to befriend China, to make their passage back to Tibet possible. The longer they remain in exile, the faster the loss of their culture and traditions as more and more Tibetans assimilate into their host nations. With the reducing Indian support, it is time the Tibetan leadership seriously takes on a different approach, before it is too late and they have nowhere to go.

 

Media Coverage of the
Indian Government’s Memo

 

[WORLD IS ONE NEWS] India: Dalai Lama free to carry religious activities


Or watch on server | download video (right click & save file)

 

[NDTV] Indian Minister of State for Home Affairs declines to comment on
‘Skip Dalai Lama events’ report


Or watch on server | download video (right click & save file)

 

[NDTV] No Change In Stand, Says Centre After ‘Skip Dalai Lama Events’ Report


Or watch on server | download video (right click & save file)

 

[THE INDIAN EXPRESS] Government asks to skip Dalai Lama events, attempts to mend fences
with Beijing

Click to enlarge (Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/govt-asks-to-skip-dalai-lama-events-attempts-to-mend-fences-with-beijing-5083439/)

 

[THE INDIAN EXPRESS] Govt sends out note: Very sensitive time for ties with China,
so skip Dalai Lama events

Click to enlarge (Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/govt-sends-out-note-very-sensitive-time-for-ties-with-china-so-skip-dalai-lama-events-5083430/)

 

[TIBETAN JOURNAL] Indian Ministers, Officials Told to Avoid Dalai Lama Events!

Click to enlarge (Source: http://www.tibetanjournal.com/index.php/2018/03/02/indian-ministers-officials-told-avoid-dalai-lama-events/)

 

[ABC NEWS] Report: Indian officials told to avoid Tibetan exile events

Click to enlarge (Source: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/report-indian-officials-told-avoid-tibetan-exile-events-53458546)

 

[THE TIMES OF INDIA] Government denies change in stance on Dalai Lama to please China

Click to enlarge (Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/government-denies-change-in-stance-on-dalai-lama-says-he-is-accorded-all-freedom-to-carry-out-his-religious-activities-in-india/articleshow/63135041.cms)

 

[TIBET SUN] Cautious India to skip Tibetan events marking 60 years of exile

Click to enlarge (Source: https://www.tibetsun.com/news/2018/03/02/cautious-india-to-skip-tibetan-events-marking-60-years-of-exile)

 

[THE TIMES] Indian officials told to snub
Dalai Lama amid tensions with China

Click to enlarge (Source: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/indian-officials-told-to-snub-dalai-lama-amid-tensions-with-china-jxl8x8mzw)

 

[ANI] Dalai Lama should stick to religious activities: Swamy

Click to enlarge (Source: https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/dalai-lama-should-stick-to-religious-activities-swamy201803030017190003/)

 

[THE WIRE] Decoding the Puzzle of the
Indian Govt Circular Distancing Itself From
Dalai Lama Event

Click to enlarge (Source: https://thewire.in/229509/experts-unravel-the-puzzle-of-indian-govts-circular-on-distancing-from-dalai-lama-event/)

 

[THE QUINT] India’s Stance on Dalai Lama Reveals Dynamics With China

Click to enlarge (Source: https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/opinion-dalai-lama-mea-indian-govt-60-years-exile-event-china-tibet-relationship)

 

Addendum – Breaking News!

The Indian Foreign Secretary the Honorable Vijay Gokhale, who issued the initial directive advising Indian officials against attending events hosted by the Tibetan leadership, has been working on a high-level visit from China to India. The long-awaited visit is intended to reset the two nations’ relationship and stabilize ties.

 

[LIVE MINT] India working on high-level visit from China to stabilize ties

Click to enlarge (Source: http://www.livemint.com/Politics/uoEgEcdPYdTxWe8dcXrIEK/India-working-on-highlevel-visit-from-China-to-stabilize-ti.html)

 

Addendum: Dalai Lama snubs Indian leaders as he is perhaps upset they snubbed him

Following on with the story that Indian officials asked the Central Tibetan Administration to move their celebrations away from Delhi, the Dalai Lama is reported to be be upset that the incident took place. In return, he has rejected attending an event which the President of India, Narendra Modi will be attending, showing his dissatisfaction.

Click to enlarge. (Source: https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/dalai-rejects-invite-215327)

 

Addendum: Indian minister rejects Central Tibetan Administration

Indian minister Kishan Kapoor did not turn up to an official Tibetan function to commemorate the 59th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day. As a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Dharamsala constituency and State Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Kishan Kapoor was originally announced as the Chief Guest for the event. In light of recent events, with the leak of an official Indian government memo directing ministers and officials not to attend Tibetan-related activities, it is clear that Kishan Kapoor was towing the line.

Following the cancelation of “Thank You India” events in Delhi and the banning of the Tibetan Uprising Day rallies in the India’s capital, it is clear that the Indian government think attending such events may harm Sino-Indian ties. Kishan Kapoor’s absence is a clear indication that the Indian government is now placing more importance on pleasing China than worrying about Tibetan sentiments. After all, it is in global interest that India and China mend their relationship. No one wants to see another Doklam standoff.

Click to enlarge. (Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/shimla/himachal-minister-skips-dharamsala-tibetan-function/articleshow/63249334.cms)

 

Addendum: Not Delhi or Dharamsala stadium, but a temple compound

After Indian ministers refused to attend the “Thank You India” events organised by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), officials have even asked the Tibetan leadership to move the event to Dharamsala instead of Delhi. The Indian officials did not want to jeopardize improving relations with China. Unfortunately, the venue of the event was re-located to a temple compound in Dharamsala, rather than a stadium. These incidents are clear signs that India is starting to abandon the Tibetans to get on China’s good side. Any country would do the same when it comes to the welfare of its citizens. This is even more so for India, because the Tibetans have never repaid India’s kindness. It does not make sense for India to continue to protect the Tibetans and jeopardize India-China relations. 1.3 billion Indians are definitely more important than a handful of Tibetans.

Click to enlarge. (Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/dalai-lama-event-not-delhi-or-dharamsala-stadium-but-temple-zone/articleshow/63324851.cms)

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  1. “According to some sources, similar circulars have been sent out in previous years as periodic reminders to government officials to keep their distance.”

    These memos from higher Indian officials letting other officials know not to attend Tibetan functions are nothing new according to this article. We all know governments issue these circular memos internally when there are state visits planned that are sensitive or during particularly sensitive issues. And this is one of them. Kudos on India for following economic and political sense in making moves to befriend China, rather than the ungrateful Tibetan leadership. Indian is moving in the right to make friends with China. By siding with Tibetan leadership, they will get nothing at all.

    123

  2. Seasoned diplomat Vijay Keshav Gokhale is considered an expert on China,became the foreign secretary succeeding S Jaishankar.
    Gokhale was a 1981-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), had played a key role in India-China negotiations last year to resolve the 73-day standoff between Indian Army and Chinese People’s Liberation Army at Doklam Plateau, a tri-junction between Sino-India and Bhutanese border near Sikkim. Therefore, he would be able to secure a high-level visit for China. If he has his way, India and China would be working very closely together, sidelining CTA…. hahahahha

  3. India’s Stance on Dalai Lama Reveals Dynamics With China
    MANOJ JOSHIUPDATED: 1 DAY AGO
    At first sight, there is nothing wrong with Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale’s request to the Cabinet Secretary requesting him to send out a directive asking senior government officials to stay away from events aimed at marking the start of the Dalai Lama’s 60th year of exile, in particular a large public event in New Delhi on 1 April.
    India has, for long, insisted that it permits the Dalai Lama refuge in India on humanitarian grounds and also because of his revered status as a religious leader. The Tibetans, the government of India insists, are not permitted to carry out any political activity in the country. Attending the 60th year celebrations may or may not qualify for this, but the government is within its rights to advise its officials.
    The foreign secretary’s letter was sent on the eve of his visit to Beijing on 22 February. He noted that the coming months were a “very sensitive time” for bilateral relations. This June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Qingdao in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. But unconfirmed reports suggest that the Prime Minister may make an official visit as early as April. That would explain the “sensitive time” point.
    The reality of how India has dealt with the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan refugees is more nuanced. The Modi government, in particular, has not been above using the Tibetans and the Dalai Lama as instruments for signalling its own China policy.
    In 2014, among the guests to Prime Minister Modi’s inauguration was the Sikyong or head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay. Last year, in the midst of the Doklam standoff, India permitted Sangay to hoist the Tibetan flag on the shores of the Pangong Tso lake on the border with Tibet in Ladakh.
    Beginning 2016, relations between New Delhi and Beijing have been tense. China’s hold on listing Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar under the UN Al Qaeda-Taliban sanctions committee was one reason. The second was its refusal to support India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
    On both issues, instead of quiet diplomacy, New Delhi chose to try and shame Beijing with strong public statements that put the latter’s back up. Later in 2017, the two sides had their most serious border confrontation, but one which involved Chinese transgression of the Sino-Bhutanese border at Doklam.
    New Delhi was not above using the Dalai Lama’s access to signal its displeasure with Beijing. In December 2016, the Dalai Lama visited the Rashtrapati Bhavan and shared a dais with the president on a function to honour Nobel laureates. Early in 2017, the Dalai Lama was permitted to visit Tawang, the first time since 2009.
    What infuriated Beijing was that he was received by Chief Minister Pema Khandu and the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju.
    A History of Tense Relations With China
    The man who dealt with these issues as the Indian Ambassador in Beijing was Gokhale himself, and he is keenly aware as to how bad relations with China have led to an imbalance in India’s global posture. Ever since he became foreign secretary, there has been an effort to restore some equilibrium both in the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle-East.
    India and China have shifted their stand on Tibet over the past 70 years. Conscious that India lacked the capacity to take on China in Tibet, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru sought to negotiate Tibet’s autonomous status and encouraged the Dalai Lama to sign the 17-Point Agreement which effectively recognises Chinese authority over Tibet.
    Given the Dalai Lama’s status as the temporal and religious authority of Tibet, when he came away to India, his government ministers accompanied him, and so the establishment was, in a sense, a Tibetan government-in-exile, though it was formally called the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
    The terms used by the Tibetans for their council of ministers in Lhasa, Kashag, is still used, and its leader, the Kalon Tripa, served under the Dalai Lama. In 2011, the Dalai Lama gave up his temporal authority and the political authority was transferred to the Kalon Tripa, whose title was changed to Sikyong, currently Lobsang Sangay, who functions as the president of the CTA.
    But the title was the same as regents took when the Dalai Lama was a minor.
    In his very first meeting with Dalai Lama after his escape and exile in India in April 1959, Nehru made it clear that he could not act as the head of a government in exile in India. Since then, India has allowed Tibetans to protest against visiting Chinese leaders, it has encouraged Tibetan leaders to make their political statements outside the country, but it has also allowed the CTA to function.
    China’s Rising Power
    Whatever may have been Chinese intentions when they signed the 17-Point Agreement, they changed by 1959. Perhaps spooked by a CIA covert war against them in Tibet, they cracked down with great brutality and the Dalai Lama was lucky to manage his escape from Tibet. Over the years, the Chinese have, at times, reached out to the Dalai Lama, and at times termed him a “dangerous separatist”, “demon”, “splittist” and a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
    Currently, however, they take the most negative view of anyone interacting with him, even though he has clearly signalled that he accepts Chinese sovereignty over Tibet and is seeking only autonomy.
    So extreme is the Chinese view that they have even declared that his reincarnation should be as per Chinese instructions and subject to their approval. They believe that his visits to Tawang may be a prelude for his reincarnation to take place there in the famous monastery which had been established in accordance with the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama in 1680.
    As Chinese power has grown, so has their ability to ensure that the Dalai Lama is not received by any foreign leader. Today, only the Americans are willing to meet him; his last meeting with President Obama being in June 2016. Despite everything, Prime Minister Modi is yet to have had an official meeting with Dalai Lama.
    Discretion, it is said, is sometimes the better part of valour.
    https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/opinion-dalai-lama-mea-indian-govt-60-years-exile-event-china-tibet-relationship

    IndiaCautions-19b

  4. Lobsang Sangye, Sharling Dhardon and all the Tibetan leadership karma is coming back. Bad karma accumulated from suppressing the Dorje Shugden practitioner violently in India. Now you will see India turn against you and India will become friends with China. In fact India’s Indian Foreign Secretary the Honorable Vijay Gokhale is now in negotiations with China for a high level visit. He wants a high level visit from China to India. When that happens, bye bye to Tibetan Leadership and all your corrupt self-serving policies. We all look forward to that.

    Tibetan Leadership BETTER MAKE FRIENDS WITH CHINA FAST!!!😖😖😖👍

  5. Report: Indian officials told to avoid Tibetan exile events
    By Associated Press | March 2
    NEW DELHI — India has told top officials to avoid events held by Tibet’s exile government to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s life in India, fearful of hurting relations with China, a newspaper reported Friday.
    Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha, India’s top government bureaucrat, sent a directive to high-level officials saying it is “not desirable” for them to participate in upcoming exile events, noting “the sensitive nature of the subject,” The Indian Express Newspaper reported.
    Beijing detests the Dalai Lama, saying the Tibetan spiritual leader is trying to break Tibet away from Chinese control. The Dalai Lama, who insists he only wants more autonomy for Tibet, has lived in India since 1959, when he fled a crushed Tibetan uprising.
    India has long had a wary relationship with China, seeing it as a strategic rival and a major trading partner. While the Dalai Lama found shelter in India, New Delhi has often been careful to avoid showing him official support.
    The Indian government did not react directly to the media report, though the foreign ministry on Friday called the Dalai Lama “deeply respected by the people of India.”
    “There is no change in that position. His holiness is accorded all freedom to carry out his religious activities in India,” foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said in a statement.
    According to The Indian Express, the Indian government directive was written on the advice of Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, until recently India’s ambassador in Beijing, who dealt with China’s hardening position on the Indo-Chinese border and other issues.
    Last year, Indian troops stopped China from building a road in a disputed Himalayan plateau where the borders of China, India and Bhutan meet. In August, Beijing and New Delhi both agreed to pull back their troops from the area.
    Beijing also strongly criticized New Delhi last year for allowing the Dalai Lama to visit the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Beijing claims Arunachal Pradesh is part of Tibet.
    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also irked China by inviting Lobsang Sangay, the exile prime minister, to his 2014 swearing-in ceremony.
    Indian political leaders have mostly met the Dalai Lama in private, but former President Pranab Mukherjee infuriated Beijing when he invited the Dalai Lama to a 2016 meeting with Nobel laureates about children’s rights.
    The government-in-exile is based in the north Indian town of Dharmsala, which is also home to the Dalai Lama.
    Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/report-indian-officials-told-to-avoid-tibetan-exile-events/2018/03/02/eb3eacde-1e01-11e8-98f5-ceecfa8741b6_story.html?utm_term=.096e8585e2d3

    washingtonpost

  6. Indian Foreign Secretary the Honorable Vijay Gokhale is now arranging with China a high level visit. It would be interesting to see a high level minister from China visiting India. I am sure India will bar all protests against the Chinese by Tibetans during the visit unlike in the past.

    It is too bad for the Tibetan leadership who abused their positions and did so much damage to their own people. Their time is almost up.

    bye

  7. Dalai Lama claims he stepped down from political power and decisions. But the truth is he is controlling everything from behind. No leader within Tibetan society in exile can make decisions without consulting the Dalai Lama and getting his approval. Any decisions made that displeases the Dalai Lama will be required to change.

    No definition is perfectly appropriate to describe the Tibetan government, but if you had to, monarchy is the closest you can come to their type of government. The Dalai Lama is the king without an heir and he still controls all politics and decisions till this very day. Every Tibetan knows this.

    Comic drawn by Tendor, a prominent Free Tibet activist

  8. As predicted by the high lamas, the Tibetan govt in exile will collapse soon. India is turning against the Tibetan leadership now for China. It is the beginning to the end for Tibetan leadership.

  9. Things are really not working out well for the Tibetans at all, now even India is trying to be on China’s good books and they are slowly working their way to appease China. Very soon the Tibetans in exile will lose support from India, then only they will learn their lesson to stop creating trouble. The Tibetans in India, led by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) have not done anything to reciprocate India’s kindness for hosting them for the past 6 decades. Instead, these ungrateful Tibetans demand for more. It is time now for them to learn their lesson the hard way. The karma of taking India for granted and creating trouble for them will catch up on the Tibetan leadership and Tibetans very soon… 👎

  10. Lhatse Lobsang, the President of Utsang Yargay Tsokpa, warns the elected leaders including the Sikyong Lobsang Sangye/Tibetan leaders and members of the parliament of his self-immolation in protest if they don’t resolve the termination issue in the coming March parliamentary sessions. Tibetans in India are so unhappy with their Tibetan government in exile in North India, they wish to self-immolate in protest. This would spell big disaster for the corrupt Tibetan government in exile in India.

    Utsang monk warrior warns President Sangay of self-immolation
    March 4, 2018 | Mila Rangzen
    It is no secret His Holiness the Dalai Lama was disappointed with the 2016 Sikyong election that was marked by Khampa negative regionalism that caused disharmony and division in our small community that is surviving on handouts from Indian and foreign individuals, NGOs, and governments for the past six decades.
    Actually, it was the 18,000 Utsang people who voted for Khampa Lobsang Sangay that made him win but in return Khampa fanatics, to say thank you,  gifted gang intimidation, criminal threats, insults, death threats and violence to the Utsang people.
    As if this was not bad enough, President Sangay poured gasoline on the house on fire by terminating former speaker Penpa Tsering whose mother is Utsang from the post of Representative at Washington DC on November 6, 2017, without any valid reasons.
    Lhatse Lobsang, the President of Utsang Yargay Tsokpa, warns the elected leaders including the Sikyong and members of the parliament of his self-immolation in protest if they don’t resolve the termination issue in the coming March parliamentary sessions.
    https://thetibetstar.com/2018/03/04/utsang-monk-warrior-warns-president-sangay-of-self%E2%80%8B-immolation/

    Utsang monk warrior warns President Sangay

  11. CTA should never have banned Dorje Shugden’s practice and hurt all the Dorje Shugden people by segregating them and painting them to be bad. Now the karma has come back and CTA will be abandoned by Indian govt. and many of their supporters. CTA will now experience less support and their own Tibetans speaking up against their corruption, bigotry and lies. CTA will go down now. They better apologize for all the damage they did to Dorje Shugden people around the world. 😖

  12. The CTA has gone from planning to lick their chops to getting licked to licking their wounds. When the motivation goes awry, so do the results.

    Dalai Lama events in Delhi scrapped

  13. Turning the clock back over 6 decades is something CTA is not capable of. The corrupted leaders of CTA should prepare for their downfall, result of their incompetence and bad motivations.

    Gracious India has decided the futility of supporting Tibetan in exile and even as a political PAWN of India, CTA has even failed to be useful.

    Karma returns!!!!!

  14. Feel like CTA was losing more and more support, During this 60 years, India and China was glow and glow more big in powerful, economic technology, but only CTA no change at all….and become small and small 😓

  15. THIS IS AWESOMELY EMBARRASSING NEWS FOR TIBETAN GOVT IN EXILE OF DHARAMSALA.

    1. Every country can abandon you Tibetan govt people, but when the very country you live in (India) abandons you after 60 years, you will have nowhere to go. No Indian ministers will join your celebrations because they are busy inviting high level Chinese leaders to India. How do you like that? 😖

    2. Tibetan govt in exile has been disparaging China for years and now even India which is your host country becoming friends with your sworn enemy. You should have been humble and become friends with China long ago to save Tibet. Too bad.

    3. Sharling Dhardon failed miserably in her job in ‘organizing’ this event. You thought you can impress India and get more free handouts and support, but your plan backfired. Remember how you were so proud of the books and videos you made against Dorje Shugden and his followers? How you proudly distributed the false books and videos and got many Dorje Shugden people hurt, segregated and attacked? How you spread lies about Dorje Shugden? How does it feel now when you are abandoned by India. Sharling Dhardon, for the rest of your life you will not have peace or happiness for all the negative things you have done to others in order to climb the ladder to success in fact turned to failure. Too very bad for you. You should quit now and leave before Tibetan govt. falls completely flat on their faces. India is NOT supporting you all anymore. This is the beginning of the end of Tibetan govt in exile and to all your corruptness.

    4. Lobsang Sangye the so-called Sikyong has failed in his job and exposed as a money-grabbing, womanizing failure of a ‘leader’ who has so many scandals revealed in the Tibetan press. Shame on you. Even your own Tibetan people can see this failure along with your many other scandals. You are finished now. You will not be respected. Your own citizens are sadly threatening self-immolation against your corrupt rule. You know you only want money.

    5. Tibetan govt in exile spends millions to pay people in India and around the world to smear China on social media and in newspapers. It didn’t work. You have spent millions to smear Dorje Shugden people and practice and have them alienated and hated, but guess what? It backfired. Now you will be alienated. You cannot destroy a Dharma protector as you are a mere human with bad motivation and negative deeds. How can you defeat the protector of His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang?

    6. Now Dalai Lama is 84 and towards the end of his life, there is nothing but disappointments and failed policies by his underlings. It is too bad. The Tibetan people in exile will have nowhere to go.
    Dalai Lama should have not listened to all of Nechung’s wrong predictions because things are not turning out not well. We are sorry about that. We are sorry for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

    7. Tibetan govt in exile do not allow Dorje Shugden people to enter Tibetan hospitals, schools and monasteries nor Dalai Lama’s talks and accuse them of eating Chinese money. Now India will ‘eat’ Chinese money. What do you have to say now? Now your karma is coming back. India will invite high level Chinese officials. PM Modi will visit China and the relationship will get stronger and the citizens of both countries will benefit. Tibetan govt in exile have nothing to offer China. India allow Tibetans and Dalai Lama to carry on living in India and doing their religious events, but nothing more. Sad.

    9. All the countries in the world are one by one joining to be friends with China, including India. Tibetan exiles and Tibetan govt will be left alone and behind. Bad planning.

    10. Tibetan govt in exile n the last 60 years have achieved nothing. Nothing at all. You lost Tibet in 1959 because you are incapable of holding on to your country. Even small poor countries like Nepal and Bhutan never lost their countries to China. Until now, you cannot get your country back, because your policies and methods ARE WRONG. Totally wrong.

    11. Tibetans in Tibet are getting better whereas Tibetan in India have no future and no hope.

    Now you see the Indian govt will support the Tibetan govt in exile less and less. The Indian govt will become friends with China and the bond will grow.

    CTA will lose. 😖😖😖😖

  16. The Nepalese officials have again turned down permission for Tibetan refugees to commemorate the Tibetan uprising day in order to protect its alliance with the Chinese Communist Party, which has proven to be more beneficial to Nepal as compared to supporting the Tibetan refugees.

    The Nepal Chief District Officer issued a written notice in 2005 to the Representative of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Refugees Welfare Office (TRWO) in Kathmandu to suspend both offices, ending a 45 years partnership to care for some 2,500 Tibetan refugees who would transit in Nepal from Tibet. This move was a lesson to the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) for not addressing the tensions between the Tibetans and Nepalese, as well as not contributing back to Nepal for as long as they have been there. The fact that the Tibetan refugees continue to protest on March 10 is a perfect example in which they will jeopardise the relationship between Nepal and China, who is now the top assistance providers to Nepal. The Tibetan refugees are forever taking, and never reciprocating the favour has proven to be an ineffective way of dealing with the Nepalese as they feel they are taken for granted always.

    Nepal to ban March 10 Tibetan uprising day events
    Thursday, March 08, 2018 19:49 | By Tenzin Dharpo
    DHARAMSHALA, Mar. 8: The Tibetan refugee community in Nepal will not be allowed to commemorate the anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising day due this Saturday, after Nepalese officials turned down the permission to hold any “protests” or “public gathering” by Tibetans on the day.
    An official notice sent out by the Central Tibetan Administration’s ‘Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office’ in Kathmandu on Wednesday, appealed to Tibetans in Nepal to refrain from organizing protests or public gatherings on the day and instead pray from their homes.
    The notice stated that the Nepalese officials have turned down permission to commemorate the Tibetan uprising day this year as well like the previous years in the near past and that refugee Tibetans should abide by the laws of the land.
    The official appeal is most likely, in anticipation to avoid any violent interruption by Nepalese police towards Tibetan refugees, as were seen after 2008 when the tension was at its height following alliance between Beijing and Kathmandu. Over 200 peaceful Tibetan protesters were arrested on 10th March 2008 and over 1,100 Tibetans arrested prior to the Beijing Olympics for holding demonstrations the same year. 
    Tibetan refugees have been subjected to clampdown by Nepalese police over the years on this day, which marks the uprising of the Tibetan people in Tibet in 1959 against the colonial Chinese rule.
    Nepal, a tiny Himalayan nation wedged between occupied Tibet and India was once a sanctuary for Tibetan refugees. Until the late eighties, the Nepalese government issued RC (Registration certificate) to Tibetans who came from Tibet as well as their children. A “gentlemen’s agreement” to continue allowing Tibetan refugees to cross over into India was struck between the government of Nepal and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1989 following the Kathmandu government refusal to give refugee status to Tibetans.
    However, that agreement has since been pushed aside after Nepal started receiving a lucrative patronage from China. The influx of Tibetan refugees has been severely restricted with the once average of 2000 immigrants a year dropping to a lowly 200 since 2008 Uprising in Tibet. In an extreme case of heavy handedness, 18 Tibetans including some children in 2003, and 3 Tibetans in 2010 were detained by Nepalese police and handed over to Chinese authorities in Tibet.
    Nepal which is home to more than 20,000 Tibetans who either came across the border or were born to settlers, are finding it hard to sustain a free and normal existence. The Nepalese government’s treatment of the Tibetan refugees has taken a turn for the worse in the last few years with China pumping in cheap interest loans and relaxed FDR (Foreign Direct Investment) schemes in exchange for its will to be imposed. China’s FDR in Nepal has shot to $128 million in 2015 up from $24 million in 2014 besides perks such as a fleet of Mercedes SUVs.
    http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=40222

    Nepal to ban March 10 Tibetan Uprising Day Event

  17. Indian and Chinese foreign ministries have both made statements thawing relations between the two Asian giants. Determined to improve ties between the countries, the Indian government is taking steps to ensure nothing jeopardizes their efforts. First, they told their officials to distance themselves from the Tibetans, and then the planned #ThankyouIndia2018 events were moved from New Delhi (India’s political capital) to the out of the way Dharamsala.

    Now, even Chinese ministers are hoping for improved relations, bringing stability to the volatile region. The Chinese dragon and the Indian elephant need to dance in order to become stronger said the Chinese Foreign Minister.

    Will this be the end of India’s support of the Tibetans? What will they do next?

    China’s foreign minister suggests ‘Chinese dragon’ and ‘Indian elephant’ should dance, not fight

    NEW DELHI — A pair of statements from the Chinese and Indian foreign ministries this week appeared to show an opening in relations between Asia’s most powerful rivals, long competitors on trade and territory.

    “The Chinese ‘dragon’ and the Indian ‘elephant’ must not fight each other, but dance with each other,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Beijing on Thursday. If the two countries joined hands, he said, “one plus one will equal not only two, but also eleven,” referring to how powerful they would be together.

    On Friday, India foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that stronger ties “are a factor of stability amid today’s global uncertainties” at a meeting at Xiamen in September 2017.

    “We are willing to work with the Chinese side to develop our relations based on commonalities, while dealing with differences on the basis of mutual respect and sensitivity to each other’s interests, concerns and aspirations,” Kumar said at a news conference in New Delhi.

    Relations between the two countries have been fraught in recent months, as tensions escalated over border issues and Tibet, a semiautonomous region of China. But the statements could suggest willingness to cooperate.

    “I don’t think it’s a fundamental shift in the relationship,” said Shashank Joshi, senior research fellow of the Royal United Services Institute.

    “We are still looking at broad strategic competition between China and India, which stretches over the Himalayas and into the Indian Ocean. The statement doesn’t mean India is any less concerned on the Belt and Road initiative or the China-Pakistan economic corridor, but India does not want those disagreements to undermine relations,” he said, referring to China’s flagship program to increase connectivity in central, west and south Asia. New Delhi has refused to back the initiative, raising concerns it could directly link its two bordering strategic foes — China and Pakistan.

    Earlier this week, Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharam said in parliament that both countries had redeployed troops at Doklam, the contested site of an intense standoff between the two countries last year.

    “The strength of both sides have been reduced,” she said, adding that the Chinese army had started the construction of sentry posts, helipads and trenches in the area.

    The statements came after unconfirmed reports in Indian media this week that senior government officials were asked not to attend events to mark the Dalai Lama’s 60th year in exile from China. Events for the Buddhist leader — whom China considers a dangerous separatist — were moved from New Delhi to the Himalayan city of Dharamsala, headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

    “India and China recognize that they can’t afford to let these disagreements erupt into open conflict,” Joshi said. “Diffusing Tibet issue for now is one for India to signal that’s what it wants to do.”

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinas-foreign-minister-suggests-chinese-dragon-and-indian-elephant-should-dance-not-fight/2018/03/09/b27f81ac-2397-11e8-a589-763893265565_story.html

    China’s foreign minister suggests ‘Chinese dragon’ and ‘Indian elephant’ should dance

  18. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) should really learn from Nepal. Aligning with Chinese policy is necessary if you wish for growth and economic stability. The Dalai Lama was recently quoted to say, “We want to stay with China. We want more development.”

    Nepal has developed so much since collaborating with China, with China now contributing to around 58 percent of foreign direct investment (FDI) commitments received by Nepal. China has promised that areas of mutual cooperation with Nepal would be expanded in the days to come.

    ‘Nepal committed to One-China Policy’
    Published: March 08, 2018 1:01 pm | RASTRIYA SAMACHAR SAMITI
    Kathmandu, March 7
    Defence Minister Ishwor Pokhrel said Nepal was committed to One-China Policy.
    Minister Pokhrel said this during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong at the former’s office in Singha Durbar. He also said the relations between the armies of the two countries could also be expanded.
    Minister Pokhrel assured the Chinese ambassador that all agreements between the governments of the two countries would be implemented. He also hoped that the Chinese government would continue to provide support for infrastructure development in the country.
    According to spokesperson for the defence ministry Rishiraj Rajbhandari, Ambassador Hong congratulated the minister and expressed belief that China’s friendly relations with Nepal would be further enhanced during the government led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
    Areas of mutual cooperation would be expanded in the days to come, said the Chinese ambassador. The meeting was also attended by Defence Secretary Binod KC, senior Nepali Army officials and officials from the foreign ministry.
    https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/nepal-committed-one-china-policy/

    Nepal committed to One-China Policy

  19. Not only was the thankyouindia2018 forced to move back to McLeodganj, the Tibetans are warned to keep the event low key! BJP leadership, including L K Advani and Shanta Kumar, and former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had been invited for the event in Delhi but none of them replied to the invitation. Apart from the change of venue now, new invitation list has to be prepared. It is clear that the Indian government is distancing itself from the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and they will do what is necessary to mend their ties with China.

    Post-venue shift from Delhi, Tibetans to keep event low key in McLeodganj

    Shri Puri| TNN | Updated: Mar 7, 2018, 11:08 IST
    DHARAMSHALA: The event cancellation in Delhi has forced a change of plans in the Tibetan administration and the shifting of venue to McLeodganj. The ‘Thank You India’ event, which was aimed to mark 60 years in-exile of the Dalai Lama, will now be organized in the hill town on March 31.
    The venue was shifted to Dharamshala after the foreign secretary wrote a note to the cabinet secretary on February 22, asking government functionaries and senior leaders to skip the Tibetan event in view of “sensitive time” for India and China relations.
    On Tuesday, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) president Lobsang Sangay reached here from Delhi via early morning flight but avoided the media. ‘Thank You India’ programme was the brain child of CTA. Beginning March 31 at Rajghat in New Delhi with an inter-faith meeting, this year-long event was to end on December 10, 2018.
    Confirming that the event has been shifted to Dharamshala, Tibetan department of information and international relations secretary Dhardon Sharling told TOI, “We do not know the reason, but we have received information that the event has been shifted to Dharamshala from Delhi. This is a minor change, but is being interpreted wrongly. There are no differences between the Indian government and the Tibetan leadership.”
    The Tibetan administration is now in talks with the HPCA to organise its event at the cricket stadium, confirmed HPCA spokesman Sanjay Sharma.
    The Dalai Lama’s office, too, maintained a distance on this issue, with the Tibetan leader’s private secretary Tenzin Takla saying the CTA was managing the event. “We have not received any invitation yet. The Tibetan administration is dealing with all this, not the Dalai Lama’s office,” he said.
    Sources revealed that top BJP leadership, including L K Advani and Shanta Kumar, had been invited for the event in Delhi. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was also among those invited. However, confirmation had not come in from anyone. Now, after the change in venue, the Tibetan government is preparing a new list of invitees for the event, they added.
    Asked about China’s pressure on India on this issue, CTA official spokesperson Sonam Dagpo said relations between the two neighbouring countries were important for the world, particularly for South Asian countries. “We don’t feel that the Indian government was under pressure from China,” he said. “We don’t feel this would have any kind of impact the Tibetan movement,” Dagpo added.
    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/shimla/post-venue-shift-from-delhi-tibetans-to-keep-event-low-key-in-mcleodganj/articleshow/63193258.cms

    Post-venue shift from Delhi

  20. It is very clear by now that the Indian Government does not want the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA)’s thank you. No matter how the CTA orchestrates the propaganda campaign to please India, it is very clear that the Indian Government had enough of the Tibetans and are making effort to distance itself from the CTA. Although India will continue to support His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his spiritual works, the distinctions between His Holiness and the CTA is made very clear. Looking at the trend, we may be able to speculate that the Indian Government’s plan for the next few years is to end decades of support to the CTA and its people, eventually clearing all Tibetan refugees from India.

    Why Tibetans Shouldn’t Be Offended by India’s Snub to Dalai Lama
    THUBTEN SAMPHEL | 12H 00M AGO
    When you thank a person for his or her hospitality or a favour done or courtesy shown to you, that person’s usual and expected response is “You are most welcome.”
    In the lead-up to a major year-long Thank You India event to commemorate 60 years in exile and to take place across India and organised by the Central Tibetan Administration, the government of India’s response seems to be “We don’t want your thank you.”
    As reported, the cabinet secretary of the union government issued a circular advising central and state leaders and officials not to attend any ‘Thank You, India’ event. The Central Tibetan Administration was advised to move the highlight of the event from New Delhi to Dharamsala.
    India’s Diplomatic Tip-Toeing Should Not Distract the Tibetan Refugees
    This is the trending topic among Tibetans on social media. Tibetans have expressed their disappointment, suspecting a shift in the attitude of the government of India to the Tibetan cause.
    But they shouldn’t be disappointed, and there is no shift in the Indian government’s policy to the issue of Tibet.
    In fact, India’s diplomatic tip-toeing around the issue of Tibet should not distract the Tibetan refugees from the Indian government’s massive, consistent and unstinting support to them. With India’s support and under the Dalai Lama’s guidance, the Tibetan refugees have been able to establish a productive and cohesive community serviced by schools, settlements, hospitals, clinics, old people’s homes, monasteries and higher learning centres, all centrally or autonomously supervised by the Central Tibetan Administration.
    More importantly, India’s tolerance and hospitality has given space to Tibetan refugees to re-energise and revitalise the institutions, values and disciplines of Tibet’s Buddhist heritage. This ability to re-establish Tibet’s cultural and spiritual heritage in India has attracted students and scholars from areas which once came within the ambit of Tibet’s Buddhist civilisation. The Dalai Lama’s tireless travel and his message of peace and compassion have drawn new students and scholars to India from across the world.
    Some scholars call the ability of Tibetan refugees to plant the roots of cultural Tibet in India “one of the miracles of the twentieth century.”
    What the next generation of Tibetans does with this gift given to them by the Dalai Lama and India will test the mettle on which depends the continued survival of Tibet outside of the plateau.
    As for the government of India’s policy to Tibet is concerned, that was settled in 1954. That year, India and China signed the Panchsheel agreement in which India recognised Tibet as an autonomous part of the People’s Republic of China.
    Against this historical background, how the government of India will continue to view the exile community will depend on the Tibetan refugees themselves. How they conduct themselves, how they use the enormous freedom granted to them, and how they use the same energy to strengthen their cultural and community cohesion will shape the central government’s view.
    As for the Indian public, there is a groundswell of sympathy and support generated by the Dalai Lama. This support and sympathy should never be squandered.
    (Thubten Samphel is the director of the Tibet Policy Institute, a research centre of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamshala. The opinions expressed are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
    https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/why-tibetans-shouldnt-be-upset-by-india-snub-to-dalai-lama

    Why Tibetans Shouldn’t Be Offended by Indian Snub

  21. You support Tibetan govt in exile you get NOTHING.

    You become friends with China, you get everything.

    Every govt in the world knows this now and India realizes this too.

    Goodbye to Tibetan govt in exile!!😟

  22. Although both China and India are seen as giants, India has been seen submitting to China more and more. The relocation of “Thank You India” event from Delhi to Dharamsala and Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha’s note to Indian officials to not attend the event because it is a “very sensitive time” for bilateral relations with China both clearly show that India is bending backwards to please China. And they are definitely not going to entertain Lobsang Sangay anymore because the Tibet issue is no longer a trump card for India. 

    Lobsang Sangay said not long ago that an official usually wants to do something big in their last term of office so that people will remember them. In this case, he will forever be remembered for his incapability and his focus on building closer ties with young women, such as Dhardon Sharling, instead of significant diplomatic ties. He has done a lot of big things in his last term as the President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) but none of these shows any leadership characteristics whatsoever. These include:

    1) The sacking of Penpa Tsering to evade the Tibet Fund loan scandal of US$1.5 million. He even tried to push the loan on to His Holiness the Dalai Lama to settle on his behalf. 

    2) Allowing a downsized, low-key #thankyouindia2018 event to celebrate 60 years of exile, something which Dhardon Sharling, the Secretary of Department of Information and International Relations, claimed to have no idea as to why the events were shifted. 

    3) Allowing fake monk Tenzin Dhonden to use His Holiness’ fame to conduct dubious activities including being involved in a cult and sex scandals.

    4) Losing India’s half-century worth of support towards the CTA and its people for his ungrateful attitude. Instead, he focused on filling up his own pockets instead of thinking of the welfare of the Tibetans in exile. 

    Lobsang Sangay’s intention to take on the role as the President of the CTA is clear and his best ‘achievements’ definitely outshine his predecessors as inept failures.

    No need to thank India — just grow up a little
    By Lobsang Wangyal | MCLEOD GANJ, India, 13 March 2018
    While the Doklam issue was heating up in June 2017, the Indian media was kept busy, and that in turn kept the public busy. I also had many discussions over this issue. I remember one with two young Indian men who were saying that India is not the same 1962 India, that it has changed and become powerful. They boasted that in case of a war India could take on China easily. So I followed that thought to its logical conclusion, saying “sure, there should be a war between India and China, then we will know for sure who is more powerful.” When it came to walking the talk, the two retreated from their strong position and changed their tone, now making it seem that I was promoting war, and was against India.
    The Doklam stand-off resulted from an attempt by China to extend a road into an area claimed by both China and Bhutan. I was expecting that India would stand up for itself and launch a “surgical strike”, putting an end to the confrontation. But after a military face-off and many diplomatic engagements, going on for close to three months, it all fizzled out without coming to a military conflict, as India and China agreed to withdraw their armies. (In the meantime, Indians learned what Doklam means in Tibetan — Path of the Nomads.)
    China contains India
    China’s road extension is a cause of concern for India because it would shorten the distance for the Chinese army to reach India’s strategically vulnerable ‘Chicken’s Neck’ area — the Siliguri Corridor, a narrow stretch of land located in the Indian state of West Bengal that connects India’s northeastern states to the rest of India.
    After the situation cooled off, reports started to emerge that China had built military facilities in the very same area. But the Government of India said that the status quo at the site of last year’s face-off still held. It dismissed reports of any Chinese activities in the area.
    In the competition for global player China has succeeded in containing India through diplomacy, economically, strategically, as well as outright bullying. China takes a contrary position to India wherever possible, and blocks India’s rightful places in UN councils. It is well known that China has invested heavily in the neighbouring countries of India. India’s neighbouring countries have more Chinese influence than Indian. China flexes its muscles without resistance in places such as the South China Sea, Doklam, and Aksai Chin. It complains whenever possible about anything perceived to be “anti-China”. It goes even to the extreme that due to China’s influence, Pakistan politicians have suggested that Mandarin be taught in the schools.
    So China has always created problems for India, yet somehow India seems to feel that China is its friend, and that China will benefit and support India — will give business, recognition, and support. So far nothing of this has happened — in fact, the opposite.
    India submits to China
    Tibet is India’s best card against China, and India plays it but in a very confusing way. By volunteering the statement that Tibet is part of China, without even any pressure from China to do so, India has wasted this trump card, and received nothing in return. Yet the boundary issues have not been solved, and China doesn’t allow India to take its position on the global stage. China has made sure that all India’s neighbours are closer to it than to India.
    India seems to be submitting to China more all the time. What is India trying to achieve by this? The latest sign of submission is India’s objection to the “Thank You India” event planned in Delhi by the Central Tibetan Administration. A series of events were to follow throughout the year. First the Government of India asked its officials not to attend it, and then apparently India objected to holding the opening event in Delhi at all.
    Perhaps Sangay received a dressing-down from officials of MEA, when he interrupted his schedule to hurry to Delhi after India’s objection to the event. It is unclear if he was summoned by MEA or he went voluntarily to do some damage control.
    This whole incident only shows a weak India, losing the contest of superiority with China, and lowering India’s image on the global stage. And on the flip side of the coin, it showed that the Government of India is not in favour of Sangay’s moves.
    Why “Thank You India” now?
    In 2009, Tibetans had their “Thank You India”, a sort of “Golden Jubilee”, when Tibetans marked 50 years of life in exile. The Dalai Lama, then as both the political and spiritual leader, in his “Thank You India” address said, “Overall India has given us the greatest moral and material support. Looking back over the past 50 years, we feel confident that we made the right choice when we sought refuge in India.”
    Was that “Thank you” not enough? Did India ask for more? I am lost why are we doing it again. 50 years is a milestone — to do it again 10 years later seems gratuitous.
    Also there is the expense. The Tibetan administration is asking for funds for their museum project. All the money that would go for (well, be wasted on) these “Thank you” events could be used for the museum project. Although, the effectiveness of this project is debatable: Whether a museum on the premises of CTA, at some distance from McLeod Ganj where most of the tourists are, would get near as many visitors as the current conveniently-located site. This is altogether another matter for discussion.
    Grow up a little
    One domino effect of Sangay’s superfluous actions is that now the CTA had to indefinitely postpone the World Parliamentarian’s Convention on Tibet, which had been planned to be held at the end of April in Delhi.
    The Government of India has clearly signalled that they are not in favour of Sangay’s moves. The exile Cabinet led by Sangay needs to do a retrospection and learn from this experience — that some press coverage and flowery Facebook posts for a little hype don’t help anything. CTA is the hope and heart of six million Tibetans. We need to see some maturity in it.
    Didn’t Sangay himself say not long ago, that an official always wants to do something big in their last term of office that people will remember him by?
    https://www.tibetsun.com/opinions/2018/03/13/no-need-to-thank-india-just-grow-up-a-little-bit

    DS.com No-need-to-thank-india-just-grow-up-a-little-bit-2018-03-13

  23. India has lost significant support from Nepal, especially since Nepal’s devastating earthquake in 2015 when China gave the country funds for aid and rebuilding infrastructure. It is now losing its grip more and more, such as in its internet monopoly, now threatened by alternatives from China. China is making inroads into Nepal aggressively. India, which originally thought of China as a friend, can only sit by and watch China exert its influence and power further, such as improving telecommunications and building railway extensions from the border with Nepal and Yadong across Sikkim, to Kathmandu and Lumbini. 

    Nepal and India have historically enjoyed good ties and strong trade relations and if India does not take advantage of this fast-closing window of opportunity, China will be successful in wooing Nepal. Kathmandu already signed trade and transit agreements with Beijing in March 2016. This gave Nepal an alternative route for its trade and supplies. As China builds a stronghold in Nepal, it will continue achieving its strategic objective of eliminating Indian influence and curbing the Tibetan refugee population.

    China rises in Nepal, eyes Lumbini
    By JAYADEVA RANADE | NEW DELHI | 11 March, 2018
    Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Oli
    China’s strategic objectives include eliminating Indian influence and curbing the Tibetan refugee population.

    Consequent to the expansion of Chinese influence, the delicate balance in India’s relations are now under strain and at a crucial juncture. With a new government in Kathmandu, the Prime Ministers of Nepal and India will meet to exchange views and review relations. After Prachanda broke tradition and travelled to Beijing, instead of India, on his first visit abroad as Prime Minister, the symbolism of this gesture has diminished and it is possible that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may ignore precedence to emphasise the importance of India-Nepal ties and travel to Kathmandu first. Nevertheless, it is imperative that India makes a candid, clear-eyed assessment of the extent of Chinese influence there and state of India-Nepal ties.
    Shaping the background is China’s unmistakable imprimatur. Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Oli’s critical reference to India came in the midst of the political crisis in the Maldives and coincided with China’s unprovoked warnings to India against acting unilaterally in the Maldives. Just a few days ago the Pakistan Prime Minister paid a two-day visit to Kathmandu, becoming the first high level foreign leader to meet Prime Minister Oli. The visit was covered in the Chinese media. There is now no room for missteps. India should avoid accepting the sanguine argument that India and Nepal are tied by geography. Modern construction technology has unshackled the constraints of geography as amply evidenced by the transport infrastructure built by China in the inhospitable, high altitude Himalayan region.
    China’s interest in Nepal is long term. It has designated Nepal a “friend”, induced it to join Chinese President Xi Jinping’s flagship “Belt and Road Initiative” and offered it financial and other assistance in addition to holding out the prospect of a security arrangement. China’s strategic objectives include eliminating Indian influence and curbing the Tibetan refugee population. Mao Zedong’s well known observation, that Tibet is the palm of the hand, while Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh are its fingers, remains relevant with attendant implications for India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. 
    Following Nepal’s distinct pro-Beijing tilt ever since Prachanda’s appointment as Prime Minister, China has cultivated the full spectrum of political parties and spread its influence among Nepal’s politicians, army, academia, media and businessmen. During the visit of Chinese PLA General Chen Bingde in March 2011, a section of Nepal’s media suggested that he be conferred the rank of honorary general of the Nepal Army—an honour thus far reserved for the Indian Army chief. Echoes of this were evident in Oli’s remarks on 22 February 2018, which pointedly excluded reference to the recruitment of Gorkhas by the British Army and ignored that over 125,000 Nepalis have direct links to the Indian Army. 
    China has meanwhile acquired long-term leverage in Nepal through ZTE and Huawei, both Chinese telecom companies intimately associated with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Huawei set up mobile telephone networks in Kathmandu and other cities, while ZTE upgraded Nepal Telecom’s nationwide mobile phone capacity. Earlier this month, Nepal agreed to enable use of China’s internet. 
    The network of 35 China Study Centres (CSC) strategically sited in southern Nepal along India’s border, ostensibly to popularise the Chinese language, also disseminate anti-India propaganda and reinforce traditional Chinese diplomacy. China’s propaganda offensive includes the China Radio International’s local FM radio station in Kathmandu and Nepal-China Mutual Cooperation Society (NCMCS), funded by the Chinese embassy in Nepal. 
    The game changer is, however, the Qinghai-Lhasa railway capable of carrying an estimated 7 million tonnes of cargo a year, augmented by an all-weather road network. Discussions to extend the railway, which has reached Zhangmu on the border with Nepal and Yadong across Sikkim, to Kathmandu and thence to Lumbini—barely 30 kilometres across the border from India—are fairly advanced. China’s new dual-use transportation network provides alternate routes to landlocked Nepal. 
    To create a belt of Chinese influence along Nepal’s border with Tibet, China agreed last year to provide annual subsidies totalling US$1.6 million for education, health, basic amenities and roads to residents of 15 border districts in northern Nepal. Twelve of these districts are densely populated by Himali people of Tibetan origin. Early this month the Nepal government instructed all government officials to learn Mandarin!
    China’s specific strategic focus has also been on establishing a presence in Buddha’s birthplace of Lumbini. Chinese government-sponsored NGOs have unveiled plans estimated variously at between US$1 billion and US$3 billion for the redevelopment of Lumbini, including an airport and seminary-cum-monastery. Prominent Nepal politicians have been appointed office-bearers of Chinese NGOs. The international airport and railway in Lumbini will mean the long-term presence of Chinese military personnel, who will construct, operate and maintain them. The seminary has the potential to destabilise India’s vulnerable Indo-Tibetan Himalayan Border Belt. China’s plans to make Lumbini a China-dominated hub for the “Buddhist tourism circuit” of Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath etc., will marginalise Indian businessmen and tour operators. It could lead to the “illegal” settlement of Chinese who will inevitably migrate to the Northeast. 
    India needs to quickly and effectively counter this expansion of Chinese influence and power and especially prevent Chinese dominance of Lumbini. Options are available, but the window of opportunity is fast closing. 
    Jayadeva Ranade is a former Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India and is presently President of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy.
    http://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/13054-china-rises-nepal-eyes-lumbini

    China-rises-nepal-eyes-lumbini

  24. By hosting the Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi when India-Pakistan ties are at an all-time low, Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli is telling the world that he is not afraid of India, especially after landmark trade and transit agreements were signed with China. This seems to go well with the general sentiments of the Nepali people, as Oli’s pro-China stance is wildly popular among his core constituencies.

    As mentioned in the article, New Delhi must learn to accept China’s presence in the region and to work with it. As China works on building trilateral cooperation with Nepal and India, the Tibetans will have no standing. Recently, the report that the Indian government had asked senior leaders and officials not to attend events that would mark the Tibetans’ 60 years in exile, as well as the cancellation of 2 events in Delhi, are clear signs that everyone is trying to please China. The Tibetans have no more sympathizers who will continue to support them as it risks jeopardising relations with China.

    Is This the End of India’s Influence Over Nepal?
    As India loses its clout, the Nepali prime minister asserts his country’s independent identity.
    By Biswas Baral | March 14, 2018
    KATHMANDU — There is now little doubt that India has lost strategic space to China in Nepal. Some reckon the era of “special relations” between India and Nepal is nearly over as China makes steady inroads. There has been a truly breathtaking rise in Chinese influence and a corresponding fall in Indian sway in this country of nearly 30 million. The main catalyst for the sea change? The 2015-16 India-inspired blockade of the India-Nepal border, imposed, in part, owing to India’s displeasure over the new constitution Nepal had just promulgated.
    As if to rub salt into India’s wounds Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli last week hosted Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who in the process became the first foreign head of government to visit Nepal after Oli assumed office for the second time on February 15. In the words of one geopolitical commentator, Abbasi’s visit was ill-timed. With India-Pakistan ties at an all-time low, asks this commentator, “What other purpose will it [the Pakistan prime minister’s Nepal visit] serve save for antagonizing India?”
    But that is not how most Nepalis see it. Oli knows that the more he tries to assert Nepal’s independent identity by distancing himself from India, the greater his popularity will be. Following the 2015-16 blockade. which brought great hardship to common people, the public pressure for closer ties with China has been steadily building, along with the demand that Nepal diversify its relations away from India, heretofore its predominant business partner. This is where Pakistan enters the picture.
    By hosting his Pakistani counterpart, Oli — who crested the popularity wave as a valiant blockade-time prime minister — wanted to give a clear message that he doesn’t care what the Indians think of him. After all, his China tilt is wildly popular among his core constituencies. Moreover, the common perception is that Nepal is these days not as reliant on India as it has historically been, especially after the landmark trade and transit agreements signed with China in the wake of the blockade.
    Too Little Too Late
    It is true that Oli has also sought to mend his frayed ties with New Delhi following his election as prime minister. Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj visited Kathmandu on February 1 after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi got a clear signal from Oli that he was ready to forget past bitterness and start anew. Earlier, when Modi called Oli to congratulate him on his re-election and invited him to visit India, Oli not only accepted the invite; he replied that he was as keen to welcome Modi to Janakpur and Muktinath, the two holy sites in Nepal Modi has long wanted to visit. The inclusion of Madhesi parties in the Oli government is expected to further ease bilateral ties. Concerns over Madhesi representation were at the core of India’s concerns over the 2015 Nepali Constitution.
    There has, moreover, been progress in negotiations on the revision of old Nepal-India treaties that many Nepalis consider unequal. According to recent news reports, India is now ready to discuss regulating the open border, and even considering allowing Nepal to import arms from third countries. India had otherwise treated these issues as non-negotiable. These negotiations may again come to a naught. Nonetheless, Nepali interlocutors in these dialogues sense a definite shift in India’s stand.
    But current efforts to revive India-Nepal relations may be a case of too little, too late. Oli knows that for his political longevity he cannot afford an openly hostile India. But at this late stage in his political career, those close to him say, all he cares about is leaving behind a strong legacy as a statesman. With his health failing, Oli knows time is not on his side.
    He seems determined to be remembered as the Nepali leader who dared to dream of a future for Nepal independently of India. But not just that. Above all, he wants to be remembered as someone who took concrete steps to turn that old Nepali dream intoa reality. This is why even before assuming office after winning recent elections, he had vowed to expedite connectivity projects with China. To show he is serious he has newly empowered the Prime Minster’s Office to personally oversee their progress.
    SAARC Attack
    There are other ways Oli can help China’s cause. During Abbasi’s Nepal visit, the two prime ministers agreed on reviving the moribund South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). India has in recent times made a concerted effort to isolate Pakistan, which is why the SAARC summit planned for 2016 in Islamabad had to be postponed indefinably. Abbasi came to Kathmandu to ask for Oli’s support for a prompt holding of the summit — and on Pakistani soil. Abbasi also in a roundabout way suggested that Nepal could mediate talks between India and Pakistan.
    India will not be pleased. The last time Nepal and Pakistan were seriously talking was on the eve of the 2014 SAARC summit in Kathmandu. Back then, the two countries had agreed to make China a full SAARC member, which had earned them the great ire of India. India has traditionally not taken kindly to any suggestion for third-party mediation on Kashmir, for example, or for China to play a greater role in SAARC.
    India nonetheless may have no option but to accept the writing on the wall. Rather than browbeat its neighbors into following its diktat, as it tried to do with the blockade — or so most Nepalis felt — New Delhi must learn to accept China’s presence in the region and to work with it. China has always supported the idea of trilateral cooperation with Nepal and India, for example with a connecting rail link via Nepal. But India has resisted the suggestion tooth and nail.
    This is not to imply that closer relations with China are unquestionably in Nepal’s interest. The political systems of the two countries are polar opposites. There is also little people-to-people engagement, even though cross-border tourism and business exchanges are growing apace. Geography too makes India Nepal’s natural development partner. It would thus be unwise to write the obituary of Indian primacy in Nepal, as some have done of late.
    But the Modi government would do well to learn from its mistakes. These days in Nepal, there is no shortage of advice for India on how it can mend its errant ways, or forever lose even its reduced clout. The consensus is that only through open and unconditional engagement with small countries in the region like Nepal and Bhutan can India have a peaceful neighborhood that is conducive to its continued economic rise.
    Biswas Baral is the editor of The Annapurna Express, published from Kathmandu. Follow him on Twitter: @biswasktm
    https://thediplomat.com/2018/03/is-this-the-end-of-nepals-special-relationship-with-india/

    Is This the End of India's Influence Over Nepal?

  25. Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet!Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet!Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet! Tibetans in India go home!! Go back to Tibet!

  26. Look at these real tweets, Indians are not happy with Tibetans, questioning why India must support the Dalai Lama.

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  27. More tweets of Indians talking about the Dalai Lama.

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  28. More tweets of Indians not happy with the Tibetans. One even asks the Tibetans to go back to China.

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  29. Indians saying Dalai Lama is anti-India and pro-China.

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  30. Clearly the Indians are of the opinion that Dalai Lama’s pro-China stance is hurting Indians.

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  31. See this tweet by Savita, this may be what many Indians are thinking right now.

    016

  32. For years the Tibetan government in-exile has been suppressing Dorje Shugden practitioners and punishing them for practising by barring them from Tibetan hospitals, schools and communal gatherings. They have been severely segregated and pressed down and made into pariahs of society. They did this to scapegoat Shugden as the cause for them to fail in their job in getting Tibet back from China after 60 years in exile. Now the tables have turned. India is starting to change its stance toward the Dalai Lama and Tibetan leadership. The Indian government is starting to make friends with China and that means distancing themselves from the useless Tibetans. Too bad.

    Now the Tibetan leadership will know what it feels like to be abandoned, abused and segregated like they did for years to Dorje Shugden practitioners. Without Indian support the Tibetan government will have less power to abuse Shugden practitioners within their communities. Finally the tables have turned against the Tibetan leadership. Now it’s time for them to humble down and shut up! They better not make further trouble. They could have had hundreds of thousands of Dorje Shugden practitioners supporting the Tibetan leadership but you alienated them with your segregation and inhumane policies of segregation and now you have less and less support. Too bad. Dorje Shugden people could have supported you all but you lost it. Too bad.

  33. More and more Indians are speaking their mind, look at this tweet below. It is true that the Tibetan leadership does not get involve or support India when India faces problems, such as during the Gorkhaland and even Doklam crisis. Instead of helping, the President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) incite more tension by saying that what happened to Tibet could happen to India as well and that India should be worried about China’s continued military build-up in Doklam.

    1 DS.com RoyHirakesh

  34. Indians are speaking up against Tibetans now. See what t j prasad said. Tibetans live for free for decades in India while amassing massive funds from foreign aid, claiming they are refugees.

    2 DS.com talisettyprasad

  35. You cannot deny what the Indians have observed. After all, they put up with these fake refugees in their country for decades. What vikram chandra said is true, Tibetans are enjoying their good life everywhere and taking advantage of their host countries.

    3 DS.com vikramchandra26

  36. What the Tibetan leadership said is clearly seen as disrespectful and ungrateful towards the kindness shown by India for hosting the Tibetans for almost six decades now. See how upset the Indians are and what they are saying now.

    4 DS.com Partha P. Ghosh

    5 DS.com Shree Panicker

    6 DS.com Sid

  37. Policy dive: India believes it’s time to normalise ties with China
    A school of thought believes India cannot afford a conflict; its power gap with China is too large; it is neither militarily equipped nor economically positioned to take on Beijing.
    Updated: Mar 15, 2018 08:13 IST
    Over the past month, India has made a conscious effort to recalibrate ties with China. After a year of stress in the relationship, Delhi appears to feel that it is time to get ties back on track.
    Last Friday, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters India was “willing to work with the Chinese side to develop our relations based on commonalities while dealing with differences on the basis of mutual respect and sensitivity to each other’s interests, concerns and aspirations.” He also emphasised that ties between the two were important bilaterally, but also had regional and global significance.
    On Monday, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said that China had noted “positive remarks by the Indian side”. He had, last week, also said, “Chinese dragon and Indian elephant must not fight each other, but dance with each other. If China and India are united, one plus one will not include two, but also 11.”
    Significance
    In diplomacy, statements matter – and so does context. There is definitely a degree of positive signalling on between the two countries. The statements follow foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale’s visit to China last month. A note by the FS to the cabinet secretary, and his subsequent directive, that senior political leaders and government functionaries should stay away from events to commemorate Dalai Lama’s 60th anniversary in exile became public. It was widely interpreted as a move to assuage Chinese sensitivities, since Beijing views Dalai Lama with suspicion and Tibetan activities in India as political.
    A series of high-level visits are lined up between the two countries, including visits by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There is buzz about a ‘high level visit’ from China.
    The debate
    There are two broad schools of thought within the Indian foreign policy establishment, and the wider strategic community, about the reset.
    The first is those who believe this is essential. The argument goes something like this. India and China have had a turbulent time over the past few years. China’s decision to block India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG); its position on black-listing Masood Azhar in UN; India’s opposition to China’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative; and its deepening strategic engagement with Washington and positions on South China Sea have all contributed to trust deficit. The standoff in Doklam was a big blow to ties. And while an accident —in terms of a larger conflict — was averted, it showed the dangers inherent in the relationship.
    India cannot afford a conflict; its power gap with China is too large; it is neither militarily equipped nor economically positioned to take on Beijing; the US — under President Trump — is not a reliable partner. And thus, while protecting core interests like in Doklam, there must be an effort to normalise ties and build trust. It does not help to make China insecure.
    The second school of thought does not want confrontation either. But it believes that any effort to reset actually smells of weakness and could well reduce India’s leverage further. They hold that recent tensions are due to Chinese assertiveness – a result of its growing power and a reflection of President Xi Jinping’s personality. China’s deepening political engagement with India’s South Asian periphery; its expansion in Pakistan; its aggression on the land borders and Doklam are all instances of this new Chinese mood, which hurt India.
    In this backdrop, any ‘appeasement’ of China will embolden it further. India thus has no choice but to hold strong to any ‘cards’ it may have, including Tibet. It must bet on deepening strategic partnership with US as well as other countries with the ability to take on China. It must qualitatively step up the Quad (an initiative of India, Japan, US, Australia). And it must not worry about Chinese reactions. If anyone, it is India which has reason to be insecure – not China. When India is seen as strong, with options, Chinese behaviour will change. At the moment, the first school is dominant. Over the year, the equations in the India China relationship will be a key foreign policy story to watch.
    https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/policy-dive-india-believes-it-s-time-to-normalise-ties-with-china/story-7sGdSA893tQorPmNrxWbII.html

    policydive

  38. Apart from two big Tibetan events planned in Delhi being scrapped, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) can add another disgrace to the list, this time thanks to its own people, the Tibetans.

    On Saturday 17th March, a large number of international protestors gathered near the Tibetan parliament, seeking the impeachment of Tibetan President Sangay, saying his actions are akin to those of a dictator. The protestors are from India, Nepal, Europe, and the US and the protest will go on until the session ends on March 24. Lobsang Sangay definitely made a mark in Tibetan history as he is the first President that Tibetans protested to impeach.
    Tibetan govt faces protest from Tibetans amid strained relations with India
    S Gopal Puri| TNN | Mar 17, 2018, 11:04 IST
    DHARAMSHALA: Amid worsening relations of Tibetan government in exile and India government, the former was facing protest from Tibetans itself.
    Indian government’s recent move of asking its senior leaders and dignitaries had already scrapped various Tibetan events planned in Delhi.
    On Saturday, number of protestors gathered near the Tibetan parliament protesting against Lobsang Sangay, the president of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).
    These were the members of the group Truth-Seeking Volunteers holding protest against Lobsang Sangay, leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile- Sikyong, following a rift between him and former speaker of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile Penpa Tsering.
    The protesters seek the impeachment of Tibetan President Sangay for actions which, they say, are akin to those of a dictator.
    They are also seeking a reply from Sangay and his cabinet for terminating the services of Penpa Tsering, former representative of the office of Tibet in Washington from the office.
    Tsering was sacked from the office on November 7, 2017, 15 months after his appointment. It is believed that the cause of Tsering’s ouster was that he raised the issue of a $ 1.5-million loan taken from the Tibet Fund in New York to purchase a new office in Washington.
    Sangay had clarified in the parliament that $ 1.5 million was not a loan but a grant.
    Thinley Kelsang, a protester, called for Sangay’s impeachment and said he had taken many decisions without the approval of the Tibetan parliament. There were enough reasons for his impeachment, he said.
    A petition for his impeachment was submitted to members of parliament, which is holding its 10-day budget session.
    The protesters from India, Nepal, Europe, and the US gathered at the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) premises. The protest will go on until the session ends on March 24.
    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/tibetan-govt-faces-protest-from-tibetans-amid-strained-relations-with-india/articleshow/63341379.cms

    Tibetan govt faces protest from Tibetans03

  39. Tibetan govt in exile was stupid to push Dorje Shugden people down and discriminate against them since 1996. Dorje Shugden people for the last 400 hundred years practiced their protector peacefully and for spiritual purposes. Tibetan govt in exiled FAILED in securing Tibet back from China for the last 60 years and they needed a scapegoat to distract their failures away and blamed it on Dorje Shugden instead of admitting to their mistake. Most dictator regimes like Tibetan govt fail and distract their public from failure so they are not protested against. Now the tables have turned. The world is abandoning the Tibetan govt and cause. Tibetans themselves are protesting against Tibetan govt. Dalai Lama is old and slowed down. Even Himachel Pradesh state govt and Indian national govt is abandoning Tibetan govt and making friends with China. Everyone is abandoning the Tibetan govt in exile and all the hundreds of thousands of Dorje Shugden people could have been your friend but you alienated and segregated them. Too bad. You are left alone. You should have been nice to the peaceful Dorje Shugden people in and out of Tibet and NOW YOUR KARMA IS COMING BACK. TOO BAD!!! Down with Tibetan govt!!! 👍

    2017-12-14_7-18-2022-300x289

  40. Sharling Dhardon and her favorite partner Lobsang Sangye failed miserably. They should take their money and leave and let the Tibetans recover. Please leave already! 😖

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  41. It is understandable that national ministers refrained from attending events organised by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) following the leaked classified directive from the Indian Cabinet Secretary. But to have a State Minister of Himachal Pradesh (that Dharamsala falls under) skipping such an important event for the Tibetans in-exile is a clear message – India is now making ties with China, and the ‘Tibetan cause’ (Tibetan independence) is no longer useful to India. 

    Over the past few months, the Dalai Lama has made numerous statements that Tibet should remain part of China. He has been reaffirming his stance that he is not seeking independence for Tibet. Meanwhile, India is exercising a whole new approach – to make friends with China. After all, India’s national interest comes first.
    Himachal minister skips Dharamsala Tibetan function
    Shri Puri| TNN | Mar 10, 2018, 21:57 IST
    DHARAMSALA: In a major shock to the Tibetan administration in Dharamsala, state minister Kishan Kapoor, who was invited as the chief guest at the official function to commemorate the 59th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day, skipped the event.
    The minister and Tibetan minister evaded the queries in this regard.
    The event was organized at Tsuglagkhang (the main temple of the Dalai Lama at Mcleodganj) on Saturday.
    It remained a low-key affair owning to the controversy due to which the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) had to cancel its ‘Thank You India’ event scheduled at Delhi on March 31 and April 1.
    The event was cancelled after the an advisory was issued from the ministry of foreign affairs asking the dignitaries to stay away from the programme
    Following the advisory, the CTA was forced to shift the event from Delhi to Dharamsala.
    It was presumed that the had its bearing on the Tibetan National Uprising day function.
    CTA had announced that the Kapoor, minister for food and civil supplies and an MLA from Dharamsala seat, would be the chief guest at the function. However, Kishan Kapoor failed to turn up. Only BJP MP George Baker was present at the event.
    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/shimla/Himachal-minister-skips-Dharamsala-Tibetan-function/articleshow/63249334.cms

    Himachal minister skips Dharamsala Tibetan function

  42. In response to the cancellation of the recent ‘Thank You India’ event in Delhi, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) released a video message by His Holiness the Dalai Lama saying that the Tibetans have not been seeking independence for Tibet from China since 1974. In addition, His Holiness further reiterate the mutual benefits of reconciliation between Tibetans in exile and China.

    This statement was very offensive to Indians who were very kind enough to host the Tibetan refugees for the last 60 years. Not only did the Tibetan community contribute nothing to India, they have also been using India in order to further their own cause. Now that India is changing their stance towards China, Tibetans are quick to turn around in favor of China and India is quickly abandoned. What is apparent in this speech is that India remains an undesired place to be called home.
    We’ve not sought independence for Tibet from China since 1974: Dalai Lama
    TNN | Updated: Mar 17, 2018, 11:03 IST
    DHARAMSHALA: Days after a Tibetan event in Delhi was cancelled and shifted to Dharamshala following the Union government note to its senior leaders and government functionaries to stay away from them, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) on Friday came out with a video message of the Dalai Lama, saying they have not been seeking independence for Tibet from China since 1974.
    In his video message to the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), based in Washington DC, the Dalai Lama has pointed out that China and Tibet can have mutual benefits if reconciled. He’s heard saying: “Living within the People’s Republic of China, we can serve, we can help them and we can share our (ancient) knowledge. They, in turn, provide us means of dollars.”
    The occasion for the Tibetan leader’s message is the organization’s 30th founding day anniversary. The department of international relation and information, CTA, released an eight-minute clip of this video message here, wherein the Dalai Lama has spoken briefly on Tibetan’s middle-way approach and the support it has garnered. “Since 1974, we decided not to seek independence. So, now the middle-way approach…. Common interest is more important than one’s own national interest. With that kind of concept, I am very much willing to remain within the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese word ‘gongheguo’ (Republic), shows some kind of union is there,” the Dalai Lama is heard saying in the message.
    Seeking ICT’s help, the Tibetan spiritual leader goes on to say, “Your organization has been, for 30 years, showing genuine support for the Tibetan cause. I always claim that the supporter of Tibetan cause is not pro-Tibetan, but rather pro-justice.”
    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/shimla/weve-not-sought-independence-for-tibet-from-china-since-1974-dalai-lama/articleshow/63338370.cms

    We’ve not sought independence for Tibet 01

  43. His Eminence Kundeling Rinpoche was asked to shed some light on the Tibetans’ reactions towards the “Thank You India” campaign being moved to Dharamsala. Below is Kundeling Rinpoche’s response:

    ****************

    The Tibetan leadership as such, has been tight lipped and unresponsive to questions put forth to it, on the affair of the change of venue, to its grand celebrations for, ‘thank you India.’
    The ATPD or Tibetan Parliament on the other hand has had one of its deputies expressing regret on the floor. But there has not been any forceful argument as to bringing the venue back to Delhi. As for the common masses, there will be mixed responses, but to no avail. As, there has never been a history of any public opinion, in exile, ever having been taken into consideration, with exception to certain referendums held—that too, to merely impress its western donors !

    It is probably known to the leadership, if not the largesse of the exiled community, that the GOI is currently bent on normalisation of its relationship with the Chinese and any camaraderie with exiled Tibetans—at least for now—may send the wrong signals across. Some Tibetans, view the shifting trends of Sino-Indian bonhomie, as a pendulum. There are those, who will also predict, that it is only a matter of time, before GOI reverts back to status quo.

    A wave of discussions had erupted recently, amongst Tibetans worldwide, arising from President Trump’s decision, to cut down on Tibetan funds, that has been part of the on going American proxy, to tame the Chinese ! It did not however, go unnoticed, that while Penpa Tshering’s presence in New York, could not evoke any special attention to the Tibet lobby, the Taiwanese lobby on the other hand had gained some considerable boost.

    Amongst a host of incompetency charges on Penpa, this has been one amongst his Tibetan detractors, in other words, they have accused him for not having lobbied enough. Lobsang Sangye’s supporters, have voiced this insinuation. These detractors claimed amongst a host of others complaints directed at, that he Penpa did not have the sophistication as required of a Tibetan head posted at a strategic place like New York City, to cater to the international community, for the Tibet lobby. Even so, Penpa Tshering, as is now widely known, was booted out from his post on flimsy charges. And, that is attributed to the fact, that he had fallen out of favour with his boss the Tibetan Supremo and Samdong.

    Yet, the Tibetan gossip column is rife with, many a Tibetan from within the diaspora, who are more than confident, that Trump cannot wish away or undo the work of all of his illustrious predecessors, for whom the Tibet lobby had served as an important tool in neutralising the Chinese. Some have even gone far as saying, that the Tibetan lobby is like an addiction, that many an American congressmen or woman cannot overcome !

    In summary, the Tibetan commentary to the aftermath of American or Indian overtures to the Chinese is this. It is like in the springtime when romance is in the air. With time the love affair will go awry, when realpolitik and proxies prove diehard. So these Tibetans say, the Tibet card is too precious to discard for either. Some have even gone further to speculate that, the Indians will therefore never allow the Dalai Lama to go back into the Chinese embrace, without its border imbroglio settled once and for all. And, no one knows, if that takes decades, so say these Tibetans !

  44. I see many Indians expressing their displeasure with Tibetans on Twitter daily. Look at what they are saying now.

    IndianTweets

    IndianTweets02

    IndianTweets03

  45. Modi’s government’s direction is clear regarding the Tibetans – India wants the Tibetan government in exile to avoid indulging in any political activity against Beijing, and on the Indian side, it is stepping up its engagements with China to deepen economic and political cooperation before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in June, of which Prime Minister Modi is attending the multilateral event.

    External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval are scheduled to meet their Chinese counterparts before the SCO summit and ministerial engagements with China is expected to translate into a bilateral informal summit between Modi and Xi.

    Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha’s recent note asking all politicians and bureaucrats to refrain from participating in events organised by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) is a huge contrast to when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in May 2014, this was when the then Prime Minister (now President) of the Tibetan government in exile Lobsang Sangay was invited for his swearing-in. As India denounce their strong support towards the Tibetans in exile, we know that the CTA’s power is dwindling down, especially when the Dalai Lama said that he wants to “voluntarily” put an end to the process of Dalai Lama succession.

    SCO ministerial summit: Swaraj, Sitharaman to meet their Chinese counterparts in Beijing
    The SCO summit will be in June in Qingdao with Prime Minister Modi attending the multilateral event.
    Updated: Mar 21, 2018 09:07 IST
    Shishir Gupta Hindustan Times, New Delhi
    The government’s engagement with the newly appointed Cabinet of Chinese President Xi Jinping will begin later this month with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman expected to meet their counterparts, state councillor Wang Yi and defence minister General Wei Fenghe, on the sidelines of SCO ministerial summit in Beijing from April 24-26.
    The meeting between Swaraj and Wang has been scheduled while the ministry of defence is expected to seek time from General Wei in a bid to build bilateral trust and cooperation. The SCO summit will be in June in Qingdao with Prime Minister Modi attending the multilateral event.
    South Block officials indicated that National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is also expected to fly to Beijing after returning from Washington this weekend to meet his counterpart Wang, who is also the special representative for the India-China boundary dialogue. Wang was appointed state councillor by President Xi on Monday after his predecessor Yang Jiechi was elevated to the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party.
    Top diplomats and China experts told HT that the ongoing engagement with Beijing is designed to deepen economic and political cooperation as Delhi has neither the intention of provoking its neighbour nor the desire to embark on a full-fledged confrontation. This was made clear when cabinet secretary PK Sinha wrote a letter on February 26, asking all politicians and bureaucrats to refrain from participating in events organised by the Tibetan government in exile to celebrate the 60th year of exile of His Holiness The Dalai Lama.
    While the Modi government wants the Tibetan government in exile to avoid indulging in any political activity perceived to be against Beijing, it is clear that it wants its core interests from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to the Indian Ocean to be fully protected. Just as Chinese core interests of Tibet and Taiwan are non-negotiable for Beijing, Delhi is opposed to any unilateral changing of the LAC or Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean. Indian opposition to China Pakistan Economic Corridor, passing through Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, is now a matter of record. As reported earlier in HT, the ministerial engagement with China this month is expected to translate into a bilateral informal summit between Modi and Xi.
    https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sco-ministerial-summit-swaraj-sitharaman-to-meet-their-chinese-counterparts-in-beijing/story-be6FgUHbIXJo0KuQbBEHoJ.html

    Swaraj-Sitharaman-to-meet-their-Chinese-counterparts01

  46. There were some speculations that India’s objectives in slighting the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) could be because of a prior agreement with China.

    Coincidentally, Foreign Secretary Gokhale’s note leaked a day before the foreign secretary visited Beijing, and now we hear news that Indian ministers have scheduled to meet their Chinese counterparts to prepare for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in June.

    We may never know the real reason is for India’s sudden turn around to appease China. But one thing’s for sure, India will not allow the Tibetans to engage in anti-China activities from now onwards. Like what the article said, “…for India, the Tibetan story was over.”

    Letting Go Of The Dalai Lama And Tibet
    BloombergQuintOpinion
    by Bharat Bhushan
     @Bharatitis
    Updated on 21 March 2018, 6:57 PM
    Published on 21 March 2018, 6:57 PM
    The Tibetans in exile must be dismayed after India’s Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale wrote to Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha on Feb. 22 that Indian government officials be advised to skip events organised by the Tibetan Administration in exile. It is not at all certain that the payback from China for alienating the Dalai Lama is going to be commensurate with India’s act.
    India’s objectives in slighting the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), as the Tibetan government in exile is known, and indirectly the Dalai Lama, remain unclear. No one knows what understanding, if any, has been reached with China prompting such action. However, its negative consequences are already at play.
    The Dalai Lama effectively un-invited himself from the plenary session of the Indian Science Congress in Manipur. Reluctant to embarrass the Indian government, the Tibetan leader turned down the invitation to be present at the plenary session with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. To allow a face-saver, his office claimed that the invitation, which the organisers said had been extended two months ago, was never received by him.
    The Dalai Lama is also bound to have been deeply embarrassed, as Gokhale’s directive was leaked in the midst of his thirty-third ‘Mind & Life’ dialogue – an annual debate between science and religion. At that time, he was hosting 200 eminent scientists from all over the world at Dharamshala.
    The charitable interpretation of what Gokhale, an experienced China hand, did would be that his advisory related to only one particular event. The Central Tibetan Administration had planned a massive ‘Thank You India’ event in Delhi to mark 60 years of the Dalai Lama’s exile from Tibet and to acknowledge Indian support for the exiled Tibetan community in the country. The mega-event would have seen an inter-faith meeting at Rajghat and a gathering of nearly 7,000 people at Thyagaraja Stadium in the Capital in the presence of several Indian political leaders. There were plans to invite former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, LK Advani, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijuju, the Vice President of India and the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
    Such a high profile Tibetan event would have irritated China to no end.
    It was cancelled hastily after the foreign secretary’s note, shifted to Dharamshala, and downscaled.
    If Foreign Secretary Gokhale was sending a message only to the CTA then the entire episode could have been handled differently. Gokhale has been Indian Ambassador to China as well Joint Secretary (East), the point person in the Ministry of External Affairs for dealing not only with China but also with the Dalai Lama and the CTA. He could have advised the current Joint Secretary (East) to have a quiet word with the ‘Prime Minister’ of the CTA, Lobsang Sangay, who would have complied with the Indian request, and that would have settled the matter.
    That the letter was leaked a day before the foreign secretary was visiting Beijing suggests that a message was also being sent to China – that India would not allow the Dalai Lama to agitate the Tibet issue in India publicly.
    In this scenario, putting curbs on the activities of the Dalai Lama and the CTA in effect would mean that for India, the Tibetan story was over.
    India may also have been upset with the Dalai Lama trying to negotiate with the Chinese keeping it out of the loop. It is an open secret that the Dalai Lama has been in contact with the Chinese for a settlement. Since 1974, his position has been to seek a settlement within China instead of pushing for Tibetan independence. The secretive visit of his emissary and former prime minister of the CTA, Samdong Rinpoche to China in mid-November, where he is believed to have met Chinese officials, might have upset South Block.
    If the Dalai Lama is seen playing ducks and drakes with India, then there is every reason for India to keep off and not be used by the Tibetans in exile.
    The Indian fear may be that in a deal with Beijing, the Dalai Lama concedes that Tibet was always a part of China, then that would undermine Indian position on the McMahon Line, which India considers as the legal boundary between Tibet and its north-eastern region. China rejects the McMahon Line, which is based on the Simla Accord of 1914 signed between Tibet, China, and Great Britain (as the ruler of British India). China claims that Tibet was not a sovereign state and therefore was not qualified to sign any treaties.
    As of now, there is no indication that the Dalai Lama has conceded the Chinese demand that Tibet was always a part of China.
    Nor has he accepted the ‘One China’ policy, i.e. that Taiwan and Tibet are integral parts of China.
    What might be the quid pro quo for India by curbing the activities of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan exiles? India ratcheted up tensions with China in 2017 through a series of events culminating in the Doklam stand-off on the Bhutan-China border. Its questionable resolution which was widely projected as Indian ‘victory’, it now turns out, only helped entrench the Chinese forces on the plateau. The Chinese presence there has increased manifold. And the Indian Army, in its proxy role for the Bhutanese, is no longer able to patrol the disputed area it used to earlier.
    Why would those given to rolling up their sleeves to take on China’s might, suddenly take a U-turn?
    Perhaps the new foreign secretary wants to change the atmospherics of Sino-Indian ties before the upcoming preparatory ministerial meetings for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The visits of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj can facilitate a successful visit by Prime Minister Modi to the SCO summit at Qingdao in June.
    There may also have been a more immediate reason for appeasing the Chinese — to secure Chinese support for putting Pakistan on the ‘grey list’ of countries funding terrorism in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international money laundering watch-dog. This would subject Pakistan to intense monitoring and scrutiny by the International Co-operation Review Group (ICRG) on terror financing. However, the reciprocity at FATF is already in the open – India supported China’s candidature for Vice President of the FATF and in turn, China withdrew its objections to Pakistan being put on the ‘grey list’.
    Could it be that by distancing itself from the Dalai Lama, India hopes that China would become more amenable to its membership of the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG)? The prospects for that are bleak as China has linked India’s candidature for the NSG with Pakistan being given entry as a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
    Perhaps India expects that China now stands with it and not Pakistan on designating Jaish-e-Mohammad Chief Maulana Masood Azhar as an international terrorist by the United Nations. That too does not seem reasonable and is too small a gesture. In any case, knowing Pakistan, Masood Azhar’s designation as an international terrorist is likely to be as ineffective on the ground as that of Hafiz Saeed’s.
    There may be no immediate or substantial gains from curbing the activities of the Dalai Lama and the CTA in India.
    However, what is clear is that a ‘muscular’ government which had invited Lobsang Sangay to the inauguration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2014 along with heads of states from South Asia has taken a step back. In doing so it has lost leverage in dealing with China.
    It may, therefore, no longer be possible for the South Block mandarins to parade the Dalai Lama at will in Arunachal Pradesh to rile the Chinese as they did in April 2017. Nor would it possible to fly the ‘Prime Minister’ of the CTA, Lobsang Sangay to unfurl the Tibetan flag “metres from Tibet” at Pangong Lake in Ladakh to snub Beijing; or ‘allow’ Tibetan protests outside the Chinese Embassy whenever a dignitary from that country visited India.
    There is also a possibility that some Tibetans youngsters – frustrated with the ineffectiveness of the Dalai Lama’s ‘middle path’ and the Indian government’s stance – may choose a different, less peaceful approach to struggle for Tibetan independence.
    Bharat Bhushan is a journalist based in Delhi.
    The views expressed here are those of the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of Bloomberg Quint or its editorial team.
    BloombergQuint
    https://www.bloombergquint.com/opinion/2018/03/21/letting-go-of-the-dalai-lama-and-tibet

    Letting-go-of-the-dalai-lama

  47. India banning Tibetans from hosting a rally with the Dalai Lama this month for the 60th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule is a clear sign that India wants to improve ties with China.

    China said that it is “willing to keep up the good momentum of two-way cooperation with India,” while the Indian side mentioned that India and China agreed to consult each other on regional and international issues.

    You can’t really fault India for doing so. After all, it was His Holiness the Dalai Lama who batted for the recognition of the “Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai” (India and China are brothers) spirit to take Sino-Indian relations forward.

    India’s Modi, China’s Xi ready to improve bilateral ties
    Published: March 21, 2018 8:26 am On: World
    REUTERS
    BEIJING/ NEW DELHI: India and China agreed to consult each other on regional and international issues, the Indian side said after a phone call on Tuesday between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
    Relations between the two countries have been tense since last year after their troops faced off on a disputed part of their border. On Tuesday Modi called Xi to congratulate him on his re-election.“The two leaders agreed that as two major powers growing rapidly, bilateral relations between India and China are vital for the realisation of 21st Century as ‘Asian Century’,” Modi’s office said in a statement.
    Hundreds of troops were deployed in 2017 on the Doklam plateau, near the borders of India, its ally Bhutan, and China after New Delhi objected to Chinese construction of a road through the mountainous area in their most serious standoff in years.
    China is willing to keep up the good momentum of two-way cooperation with India, Xi told Modi, China’s state news agency Xinhua said.
    China is ready to enhance communication with Modi on long-term, strategic bilateral issues to promote political mutual trust, Xi added.
    China was also angered by Modi’s recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh, a state in northeast India claimed by China.
    In a bid to improve ties with China, India banned Tibetans from hosting a rally with the Dalai Lama this month to mark the 60th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Beijing regards the Tibetan spiritual leader as a splittist.
    https://thehimalayantimes.com/world/india-narendra-modi-china-xi-jinping-ready-to-improve-bilateral-ties/

    5.-Indias-Modi-Chinas-Xi-ready-to-implement-billateral-ties

  48. The Tibetan government in exile has been dumped by the Indian government for a bigger prize: China. For years, the Tibetan government in exile would accuse Dorje Shugden people of taking money from the Chinese but everyone knows that this is not true. Now even their host, India, will be friends with China. Everyone will be friends with China sooner or later, and the Tibetan leadership beg to be as well. The Tibetan leadership shouldn’t have messed with Dorje Shugden people. Too bad for you! And when the Tibetan leadership is friends with China, what will they accuse the Dorje Shugden people of then???

    Is India abruptly dumping Dalai Lama to be in China’s good books?
    By S. N. M. Abdi
    Special to Al Arabiya English
    Wednesday, 21 March 2018
    New Delhi has suddenly ditched the Dalai Lama – the Nobel Prize winning Tibetan spiritual leader who runs a government-in-exile from India – apparently to mend fences with an increasingly assertive China.
    The Dalai Lama has been a revered guest in India for 60 long years after he crossed the Himalayan border to escape the wrath of communist China.
    Since 1959, successive governments in New Delhi generously hosted him and his Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) headquartered in Dharamsala along with 95,000 Tibetan refugees, even as Beijing accused India of sheltering China’s Enemy Number 1 and threatened reprisals.
    New Delhi’s brave and principled stand was lauded globally and the Dalai Lama – one of the world’s most recognized faces and a human rights icon – emotionally described himself last year as a “son” of India. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government seems to have just dropped the Dalai Lama like a hot potato inviting charges of capitulation and kowtowing to China.
    Volte-face
    The volte-face is evident from India’s new Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale’s top secret note to Cabinet Secretary P. K. Sinha to ensure that “senior leaders” and “government functionaries” boycott CTA’s events from March 31 to mark the 60th year of the Dalai Lama’s arrival in the country.
    Gokhale’s confidential memo published verbatim by the Indian Express newspaper said: “The proposed period (March 31 onwards) will be a very sensitive time in the context of India’s relations with China. Participation by senior leaders or government functionaries, either from the central government or state governments, is not desirable, and should be discouraged.”
    Sinha, in turn, issued strict instructions to central and state governments to steer clear of CTA functions.
    Sacrificial lamb
    “It’s as clear as daylight that India wants to appease and please China”, a top diplomatic source told Al Arabiya. “And the Dalai Lama is the sacrificial lamb at the altar of Indian interests. Modi won’t have to pay a price domestically for dumping the Dalai Lama.”
    The diplomat, who declined to be named, said that “India’s climb-down is spurred by hard realities like China’s GDP which is nearly five times that of India; China’s defence spending which is three times larger than India’s, not to speak of the $52 billion trade deficit which underline China’s huge military and economic edge over India.”
The abrupt and complete reversal after the bluster and muscle-flexing in 2017, especially during the Doklam stand-off, has angered many in India.
    Sushant Singh, one of India’s top defense analysts, tweeted: “The story is not what India does to Dalai Lama. It is how India is unable to deal with China effectively. As we know, China never withdrew fully from Doklam and we have had to accept the new status quo. We have been made to believe that India is standing up to China and not going to “appease” it. This is a clear departure from what people have been told so far, especially after Doklam ‘disengagement’. This is what happens when we adopt an ostrich-like attitude towards China …then lie & obfuscate to our citizens.”
    Chickening out?
    Another observer, Anuradha Dighe, wrote: “Modiji first chickened out of Dokalam unconditionally and without a signed treaty & lost Bhutan’s trust. Now afraid of interacting with Tibetans in his own country India. Next Modi will give Arunachal Pradesh to China in fear.”
    Sources told Al Arabiya that New Delhi – which has traditionally used the Dalai Lama as a bargaining chip with China – decided to pacify Beijing by dumping the Tibetan spiritual leader to ensure that Modi gets a good reception in Qingdao during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in June.
    But low-key, warm up celebrations in Dharamsala last week had an unexpected representative from India: George Baker. The nominated BJP MP from West Bengal defied the government’s directive and spent three days in Dharamsala with his Tibetan hosts.
    The former actor told Al Arabiya: “As a lawmaker, I can travel to any part of India. Moreover, Tibetans are victims of Chinese oppression and as a rabidly anti-Chinese Indian, it’s my national duty to join Tibetan celebrations.”
    Last Update: Wednesday, 21 March 2018 KSA 15:00 – GMT 12:00
    http://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2018/03/21/Is-India-abruptly-dumping-Dalai-Lama-to-be-in-China-s-good-books-.html

    Is India abruptly dumping Dalai Lama

  49. India has switched its policy on Tibet in order to align itself with China and gain economic benefits. With high unemployment rate and serious poverty issues in the countryside resulted in the Kisan Long March, as well as the uncertainties of the General Elections coming up in 2019, Modi’s government need to prioritise the interest of 1.3 billion people over 95,000 Tibetan refugees.

    As the largest recipient of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) under the “Belt & Road” initiative, India needs to maintain good relations with China, especially after the Doklam tension. The reality is the fact that India cannot afford to go to war with China as its army is not as well equipped and the cost of war would be astronomical. So India is now opting a conciliatory as opposed to a hardline approach in order to keep China at bay, and for PM Modi to possibly have a higher chance to succeed in the coming election.

    Modi and Xi are expected to meet this year on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit to be held in June this year at the Chinese city of Qingdao, and Modi’s congratulatory note to Xi for getting re-elected as the President on Chinese social media platform Weibo is a confirmation that further development of Sino-Indian bilateral relations is definitely under way.

    Tibet and India’s China Policy
    Is India sacrificing Tibet to improve a frosty relationship with China?
    By K.S. Venkatachalam
    March 20, 2018
    China’s foreign policy with India has oscillated between a ballistic approach and studied indifference. India’s approach, meanwhile, has recently flipped from a hardline to a conciliatory approach, confusing observers.
    At the heart of India-China tensions is the dispute over territory in the Aksai Chin area, and Tawang in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as a part of southern Tibet. Both countries have so far held 20 rounds of talks to settle the disputes, but, unfortunately, an acceptable solution has eluded them. To the credit of both sides, they have not allowed the situation to go out of control.
    However, the situation took a turn for the worse after the Doklam standoff in summer 2017. In spite of a propaganda blitzkrieg and other intimidating tactics adopted by China, India stood its ground. Although India is not a party to the Doklam dispute — that dispute is between China and the tiny Himalayan country of Bhutan — China’s forcible occupation of the area may threaten India’s security. Doklam is critical, as it would allow the Chinese troops to enter India through the Siliguri Corridor or “chicken’s neck” that links the northeastern states to the rest of India. China’s decision to enter Doklam was interpreted as a premeditated move to alter the status quo that had prevailed for decades.
    China was surprised by India’s tough posture. Eventually, after tense negotiations, both sides withdrew from the sensitive area, thus diffusing what could have led to an ugly conflict.
    India realizes that any war with China would not be in its interests, as the Chinese military is far stronger. On the other hand, China also recognizes that a conflict with India would adversely affect its humongous investment made in India’s neighborhood and that the best way forward would be to maintain peace along the border.
    Apart from the border disputes, another major irritant for China has been over the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, who in 1959 (along with tens of thousands of his disciples) was granted refuge in India, where he enjoys a special status. China considers Dalai Lama a dangerous separatist, who even today has great influence over Tibetans. It must be mentioned that Dalai Lama gave up his support for Tibetan independence in 1974, and only wants China to stop repression against the community.
    China did not take kindly to the Dalai Lama’s visit to the disputed area of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh last year. The Chinese termed his visit, particularly to Tawang, a “provocation” by India. India responded that “The government has clearly stated on several occasions that HHDL [His Holiness the Dalai Lama] is a revered religious leader, who is deeply respected as such by the Indian people. No additional color should be ascribed to his religious and spiritual activities and visits to various states of India.”
    Since then, however, tensions have cooled. There have been several recent developments that were viewed with interest in India. China recently did not oppose the move of the United States to put Pakistan on the “grey list’” of the Financial Action Task Force for funding terror groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. China’s decision, especially when it has invested billions of dollars in Pakistan under its Belt and Road Initiative, came as a welcome surprise.
    Then, in a significant departure from its stated position on the Dalai Lama, New Delhi refused permission to the Central Tibetan Administration to hold the interfaith prayer and “Thank you India” functions in Delhi, which were scheduled to be held on March 31 and April 1. India’s foreign secretary, in a note to the cabinet secretary, advised the senior leaders and government functionaries not to participate in the events organized by Tibetan organizations as such a step would further deteriorate India’s relations with China.
    The note comes as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit China in June to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. Modi is expected to hold talks with the Chinese president on the sidelines of the summit. India does not want any incident that could derail the talks. According to China watchers, this prompted the cancellation of Tibetan events in Delhi.
    India’s decision has sent confusing signals to the Tibetans, as they have always looked upon India to support their cause. Many experts interpret India’s stand as weakness in light of the growing military power of China. According to defense experts, China is continuing to build up its military strength at Doklam and that India is unable to prevent the Chinese from building roads in the sensitive region. It is therefore important that the Indian prime minister takes up the issue with President Xi Jinping and impress on him that if China forcibly builds road in Doklam, it could have serious ramification on India-China relations. To achieve that goal, foreign policy experts worry that Modi may sacrifice the cause of Tibet at the altar of better relations with China.
    The ability of India and China to be global powers hinges on forming close economic ties and continuing efforts to engage with one another. This is sine qua non for ushering in peace and stability in the region. It is hoped that the Chinese government will take note of the significant shift in India’s policy on the Dalai Lama, and make every effort to improve bilateral ties. China’s positive response could persuade India to join the multibillion dollar Belt and Road Initiative. This will go a long way in strengthening relations, especially at a time when both the countries are embarking on their journey to become global powers.
    K.S. Venkatachalam is an independent columnist and political commentator.
    https://thediplomat.com/2018/03/tibet-and-indias-china-policy/

    tibet-and-indias-china-policy

  50. Looks like India is taking serious measures to ensure that the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala does not engage in any political activity perceived to be against Beijing.

    An event to mark 60 years of the Dalai Lama’s stay in India, originally planned in Delhi, was moved back to Dharamsala in order not to create issues for India as Sino-Indian ties are very tense at the moment. As a result, organisers were forced to hold the programme in the temple complex where the Dalai Lama and his followers have been living for decades.

    Many are speculating whether these cancellations and the new Indian government policy are permanent or just temporary. Looking at the series of engagements lined up between Delhi and Beijing, such as the upcoming visits to China by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, India is determine to mind Sino-Indian relations post-Doklam, which means the Tibetans should get ready for more bad news in the coming months.

    Dalai Lama event: Not Delhi or Dharamsala stadium, but temple zone
    By Rakesh Mohan Chaturvedi, ET Bureau | Updated: Mar 16, 2018, 08.59 AM IST
    NEW DELHI: Tibetans in exile have moved the venue of an event to mark 60 years of Dalai Lama’s stay in India from the cricket stadium in Dharamsala to a temple complex in the region.
    The event was to be held in New Delhi initially but was shifted to Dharamsala shortly after a government note asked senior leaders and officials to refrain from attending it.
    The Tibetan government in exile had approached the administration for permission to use the cricket stadium but the organise the celebrations there.
    Government insiders denied any pressure was exerted on the organisers to give up the request for the Dharamsala stadium. “We have very cordial and warm relations with the Dalai Lama and are willing to do whatever we can to help his followers,” an official said.
    Foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale had sent out a note last month to Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, following which the latter issued a directive that it was not ‘desirable’ for senior leaders and government functionaries of the Centre or states to participate in programmes of the Tibetan government in exile. This was ostensibly done to avoid rubbing China the wrong way as Sino-Indian ties were delicately poised at the moment.
    China has described the Dalai Lama as a ‘dangerous separatist’.
    External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman are set to make separate visits to China next month.
    https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/dalai-lama-event-not-delhi-or-dharamsala-stadium-but-temple-zone/articleshow/63324851.cms

    Dalai Lama Event Not Delhi or Dharamsala

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.…Instead of turning away people who practise Dorje Shugden, we should be kind to them. Give them logic and wisdom without fear, then in time they give up the ‘wrong’ practice. Actually Shugden practitioners are not doing anything wrong. But hypothetically, if they are, wouldn’t it be more Buddhistic to be accepting? So those who have views against Dorje Shugden should contemplate this. Those practicing Dorje Shugden should forbear with extreme patience, fortitude and keep your commitments. The time will come as predicted that Dorje Shugden’s practice and it’s terrific quick benefits will be embraced by the world and it will be a practice of many beings.

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