The opinion piece below was sent to dorjeshugden.com for publication. We accept submissions from the public, please send in your articles to [email protected].
By: Solaray Kusco
Below are two articles received reviewing the Tibetan leadership’s stance towards applying for Indian citizenship.
In a scathing review of the Tibetan leadership’s latest actions, Mila Rangzen has recounted the Central Tibetan Administration’s (CTA) recent policies towards the news that Tibetans born between 1959 to 1987 will be able to gain Indian citizenship. Of particular concern for him were the struggles ordinary Tibetans will face to get citizenship, and the double standards that exist.
For many people who do not have intimate knowledge of life in the Tibetan settlements under the Tibetan leadership, Mila Rangzen’s account will indeed be an eye-opener. His writings come from the point-of-view of a Tibetan who does not appear to have any allegiances to any religion that he can be accused of bias, who does not have any associations that risk him being accused of being Chinese, and who appears only to be interested in the welfare of his people.
In addition to the points that Mila Rangzen has raised, it is important for people to remember this:
1. When ordinary Tibetans have gained Indian citizenship, they will no longer rely on the CTA for anything, just like Tibetan-Americans, Tibetan-Canadians, etc.
- So if the Tibetan-Indians have legal disputes, they will deal with the Indian authorities. If they need to renew their passports, they can liaise directly with the Indian leadership. If they need to buy land, it will be done under Indian law. Everything will be done according to Indian law. Tibetan-Indians will deal with Indian authorities, not with the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA, based in Dharamsala).
- It is the same as Tibetans who become Americans, Canadians, Swiss, etc. who no longer rely on the CTA for anything, and are thus no longer beholden to any of their diktats and policies.
- Thus when Tibetans gain Indian citizenship, there will be an end to the current procedure of Tibetans going to their leadership first to get approvals for anything they wish to do. As a result, the Tibetan leadership will no longer function as the gatekeeper between ordinary Tibetans and the Indian authorities. And because Dharamsala no longer functions as a gatekeeper, the major reason for their existence will be gone.
- Obviously this is an eventuality that frightens the Tibetan leadership because their method of governance has been one based on control. Controlling their people’s access to services and their movements has been a financially lucrative operation for a corrupt leadership occupied by people open to bribes and embezzling. Once the CTA no longer controls these Tibetans, it will be a loss of revenue because Tibetans do not have to bribe them to get anything done anymore. The Tibetans will not have to pay their Tibetan taxes, or for fast-tracking their visa applications to travel to the West.
2. Mila Rangzen raised the issue of the CTA being invested in keeping their people poor
- This aspect of control and subjugation is important, because with the settlements full of poor people, the Tibetan leadership can parade their situation to the West to garner sympathy and money for the ‘poor’ and ‘suffering’ Tibetans. But actually, it is for the CTA to keep the money and use as they like.
- So instead of encouraging their citizens’ upward mobility, they find it in their interests to keep them suppressed.
- This explains why the millions of dollars that has been pumped into the Tibetan settlements over the last 60 years has not borne much results. In fact, it was only recently they opened their first public library, and even then it was through the efforts of a private citizen to establish it. And the betterment, big buildings, golden temples, schools, halls and restaurants in the Tibetan settlements were not built with the help of the CTA but from overseas Tibetans and foreign friends donating privately. The CTA did not contribute to those.
3. The CTA has a “divide and conquer” mentality even with their own people
- It should be illegal that the CTA are kicking people out of Tibetan settlements just because they want to better their lives by becoming Indian citizens.
- That is saying “if you want to be Indian, there will be consequences” but what is so bad about becoming Indian that you need to be punished for it?
- What they are enforcing on Tibetans who wish to become Indian citizens is the same as what they did to Dorje Shugden people, by forcing them to split apart. If they are separated, they will have less ability and resources to assemble and protest (it takes more effort to gather people).
- The real question is, are Tibetans who just want to make a better life for themselves the real enemy here? Do they deserve to be vilified?
4. Another issue that Mila Rangzen’s article raised was that of double standards.
- Why did Lobsang Wangyal have to fight for citizenship, while others like Gyari Dolma were able to buy 20 years ago? Because they have money and Lobsang Wangyal does not.
- Why did Tibetan leadership stay silent when one of their citizens went to court to fight for his rights? It is because the leaders do not want to draw attention to themselves as having another citizenship / being in a privileged position. They have to appear humble and in service to the Tibetan people, although this is not the case. Another leadership that does this is in North Korea where leaders present an image of humble living to their people so the community does not suspect inequality, hypocrisy and double standards, and rally to rise up against them.
- Why did Lobsang Wangyal have to use his own personal funds for fight for the rights of the whole community, when the Tibetan leadership should have stepped in and said or done something to help him? One private citizen fought to set a precedence for his whole community, but it should have been the leadership’s responsibility to do this.
5. Racism and double standards. Anything Western and European is acceptable because of money, and the Tibetan leadership are deathly afraid of doing anything to upset the West because they are a source of money. Simultaneously, anything Indian is trampled upon.
- That is why US, Australian, Canadian, Swiss citizenships are coveted. There are no consequences to getting passports from the West. You will not get kicked out of the settlements if you have a Western passport, but you will be if you have an Indian one. You will not be stigmatized if you have a Western passport, but you will be if you have an Indian one.
- That is why Tibetan leaders continue to reap CTA benefits despite being Canadians, Australians, Americans, etc. And Tibetan-Americans, Tibetan Canadians, etc. will never have anything said against them because:
- They can complain to their respective Western governments who will question the CTA about what is going on, and possibly withhold funding
- If they push these Tibetan-American, Tibetan-Australian, etc. people too far, they will just throw up their hands and devolve themselves of all connections with the CTA (and the CTA thus has even less control)
- But the only reason you can get those types of coveted citizenships is because you have money to get there. If you do not, you will have to “settle” for an Indian citizenship.
- Even still, the Tibetans will face problems getting an Indian citizenship, thanks to their own Tibetan exile government setting up so many obstacles.
- So the question is – why is it Tibetan leaders can have it easy, but the common Tibetan has to suffer?
- On top of that, Tibetans are rude to class/treat their hosts as a second rate option in terms of citizenship and even marriage.
Conclusion
- Ultimately, the CTA’s motivation is very clear: money, control and power. When will they ever learn their lesson to put their citizens first, and self-interests second? Their self-serving ways have not brought them much success over the last 60 years, so is it not time to try a new and different method?
- Despite being elected officials, their behaviour is clearly motivated by spite, both for their own people and their host country. They wish to spite their people by ensuring they remain poor, defenceless and stateless refugees, and they wish to spite India for being kind to their people by blocking any Indian government attempts to help the Tibetans in India. So in reality, the Tibetan people should be upset about the CTA using their people, keeping them down to get free money that they then use to hurt their own community.
- The CTA are also creating many obstacles to the high lamas and good lamas who suffer as a result of the Tibetan leadership creating obstacles for them to disseminate the Dharma. The Tibetan leadership will be the death of the Dharma every time they stop Tibetan lamas from getting out of the country to teach and turn the wheel of Dharma.
Is Indian citizenship for Tibetans a threat to the Tibetan cause?
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Source: https://www.tibetsun.com/opinions/2017/08/07/is-indian-citizenship-for-tibetans-a-threat-to-the-tibetan-cause
Tibetan leadership refuses to allow Tibetans to get Indian passport
In a bold and daring move, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) also known as the Kashag, have effectively blocked Tibetans in exile from becoming Indian citizens. A memo issued on July 5, 2017, which was circulated to CTA offices in Tibetan settlements in India, saw the Kashag ordering that Tibetans seeking Indian citizenship are not to be issued No Objection Certificates (NOC), a document necessary in the naturalization process. This move however creates two huge political fall-outs:
- The Kashag violated its own charter, which states a Tibetan can seek the citizenship of any other country while at the same time retaining their Tibetan nationality.
- It is a slap in the face of India’s hospitality, host country to the Tibetans, who made it legal for Tibetans in India to become Indian citizens if they wish.
At this point, one could ask who actually gives the Tibetan leadership the authority to impose these rules on Tibetans living in India? It is quite simple, it is the Indian government. Without the Indian government, the Identity Certification (Yellow Book) issued to all Tibetan refugees has no power. So it is especially galling that when the Indian leadership says it is okay to give Tibetans citizenship, the Tibetan leadership steps in to say it is not even though they have no power to do so. Why does the mouse try and tell the lion what is acceptable and not acceptable?
So it is important to realize that the CTA’s authority is dependent on the Indian government and on their own, they have no power or influence, just like how paper money is worthless without gold reserves to back it up. It is this same Indian government who is now offering Tibetans citizenship and are in effect threatening the CTA’s hold on their people. As people begin recognizing the benefits of being Indian, they will want to take up citizenship, come under Indian governance (instead of Tibetan) and thus effectively end the CTA who will no longer have anyone to govern.
And of course, as per Tibetan government modus operandi, there has been no further response from the leadership about this when questioned. Instead they have blamed the media for creating problems and refused to be interviewed to clarify matters for the public. And while the media are asking questions in their pursuit of the truth, if they are not careful, they will be shut down just like the Mangtso newspaper was for publishing views that contradicted the Tibetan leadership’s.
What the Kashag have said is that that Tibetan youth should not just think of the short-term benefits of becoming Indian citizens, but of their Tibetan identity. It is their way of discouraging the Tibetan youth from becoming Indian citizens, by emotionally blackmailing them from not taking up an Indian passport. For the most part, the Kashag have been successful and some young Tibetans are insisting that you cannot be Tibetan if you hold an Indian passport. But this is extremely hypocritical since top CTA officials like Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, Dhardon Sharling, and Gyari Dolma are themselves citizens of other countries. What is more, they have lived at least 20-30 years this way; the Tibetan youth have lived as Tibetan refugees THEIR WHOLE LIVES so who is more Tibetan now? So if Tibetanness is measured by the passport one carries, and Tibetanness is the basis of someone being qualified to have an opinion or to lead the community, then by that logic the Tibetan leadership are the least qualified to do anything. Why are they not forced to think about their Tibetan identity and give up their foreign citizenship, unlike other people who want to get an Indian citizenship? These questions raise some interesting and noteworthy points to remember:
- India gives Tibetans the opportunity to become Indian citizens because they have realized giving Tibetans refugee status is worthless. As refugees, they do not help India but as citizens, they will be forced to contribute as members of Indian society. At the same time India needs to retain her humanitarian image and will not be able to revoke their refugee status or kick them out of the country without some kind of public relations nightmare.
- If India allows Tibetans to become Indians, the CTA are silenced because they cannot be seen denying their people the citizenship and rights accorded to Indian nationals.
- The Tibetans will no longer be an issue of contention between China and India if they become Indian nationals. When Tibetans become Indians, they are no longer ruled by the CTA but by the Indian government. This means China cannot criticize them because they are now Indian citizens. India can simply inform China not to interfere in the affairs of another country. Previously China would have felt they had basis to comment because China classed the Tibetans as Chinese citizens.
- Western powers will no longer give the Tibetans money and funding as they will no longer be refugees but citizens of a democratic country. Why do citizens need financial support from external parties, when they have a legitimate government to petition for assistance? As a result, the CTA will lose their source of funding from sympathetic Western governments and private donors.
- India cannot expel the Tibetans from their country because the Dalai Lama is extremely respected both in India and around the world. But the Indian government can encourage Tibetans to become Indian citizens instead, thereby removing their basis to complain about their refugee status or use their status as an excuse to cause trouble. This will mean that when His Holiness the Dalai Lama passes away and Tibetans want to riot, they can be easily controlled because they are Indians now and not Tibetans, and thus beholden to Indian law. India granting Tibetans this opportunity to become its citizens can therefore be seen as preparation for the passing of the Dalai Lama and for preventing any ensuing violence that may arise as a result of his passing.
All in all, India has been extremely benevolent and patient towards Tibetans for 60 years. Still, it is no surprise that they are doing this because they need to look out for their own country as well, and it is simply not pragmatic to risk the welfare of over 1 billion people for the complaints of 150,000 exiled Tibetans. So if the CTA keeps moving to block the Tibetans from gaining what is rightfully theirs, the Tibetan leadership might just very well find themselves under more pressure. Growing frustration on India’s part may mean that when it comes to the Tibetans, if the leadership complains too much or make things too difficult, the Indian leadership may just respond by making it even easier for Tibetans to become Indians, and thus drastically speeding up the inevitable – the demise of the CTA.
In violation of Charter, Kashag impedes issuing of passports to Tibetans
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Source: https://www.tibetsun.com/news/2017/08/03/in-violation-of-charter-kashag-impedes-issuing-of-passports-to-tibetans
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Tibetan
Why CTA Why
October 30, 2017
Watch when Geshe Dorje interprets Nechung’s prophecies! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIDZLzXIgW8
After the Nechung oracle takes trance, his answers are interpreted and explained by Geshe Dorje, a Buddhist master from Nechung Monastery.
This video from 2009 proves that Nechung is wrong again! Why rely on Nechung when all his prophecies are wrong?? Someone with a hidden agenda maybe?!!
Michaela Smith
October 30, 2017
Only the CTA relies on the Nechung and made the spirit who gave so many false advice so much privileges
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIDZLzXIgW8
Namdrol
October 30, 2017
MP Tenpa Yarphel is very brave to questioned the validity and accuracy of the spirit Nechung who the Dalai Lama always consulted, apparently Nechung has been giving highly inaccurate prophecies, but people still keep using him because Dalai Lama keeps using him and nobody dare to say otherwise, although Nechung is full of mistake, no wonder Tibetans did not get back their country even after 60 years: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuKOjcpLH8A
Look at this guy’s way of protest against MP Tenpa Yarphel and you know why the Tibetans will never get back their country:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M30NL4hG8oA
Amber Sonam
October 30, 2017
Bravo to Tenpa Yarphel for speaking up bravely! CTA has a lot of dodgy business going on even it’s own MP cannot keep quiet anymore. Watch what is being said here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if2dFMKIr_8
Yet, those in denial continue to support the corruptions within the CTA by shaving off his hair in protest against MP Tenpa Yarphel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M30NL4hG8oA
He is also supported by Geshe Dorje himself who is riding on the Nechung issue giving no concrete proof as usual https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIDZLzXIgW8
Michaela Smith
October 30, 2017
I would like to share with you about this courageous Tibetan parliament MP who is speaking up against Nechung. He received a lot of backlash due to his bravery, but I hope it won’t deter him to speak up in the future. There are many people who actually agree with him
1. Tibetan Parliament member representing Kagyu School, speak up about Nechung
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if2dFMKIr_8
2. Tibetan shaves off his hair in protest against MP Tenpa Yarphel 2017 Sept
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M30NL4hG8oA
Anonymous
October 31, 2017
Lol…. why would the CTA support the application for Indian passports? So long as they need the green book, so long as they hold the green book, they have to contribute to the CTA. Once they obtain an Indian passport, they gain freedom, they will no longer be under the command of the CTA. Why would the CTA give up such a lucrative market?
No school admission, no school or university scholarship, and no employment within the exiled community without the green book. No payment of the voluntary contribution means no green book and thereafter no voting rights in parliamentary elections, no schools, no school or university scholarships. Shackles? The CTA is a vampire sucking the life out of the Tibetans in exile. Forcing the poor refugees to pay fees to the very people who are supposed to support them, to help them; forcing the refugees to buy protection from the CTA. Whoa…… sounds like a mobster movie in the making.
Green Book
Tibetans contributing Chatrel are issued a Green Book. This book has over the years in effect become the passport of the exiled Tibetans to claim their rights from the CTA. Also in future it will become a base to claim Tibetan citizenship. Today, it is used for school admission, school or university scholarship, and employment within the exiled community. Payment of the voluntary contribution is a condition to gain voting rights in parliamentary elections.
Goals and Needs
The existence of Chatrel symbolizes the Tibetan people’s recognition of CTA as their legitimate representative. Chatrel payment exhibits Tibetan people’s support for CTA’s financial needs until Tibet regains freedom. Chatrel funds is an important source of revenue for CTA and it goes towards supporting various projects and activities benefiting the exiled Tibetan community.
Chatrel Rates:
Residents of India, Nepal and Bhutan:
Age Rate Meal Strike Total Rate
6 to 14 years 12 N/A 12
15 to 17 years 48 N/A 48
18 to 84 years 48 10 58
All other Residents:
Age Rate Meal Strike Total Rate w.e.f
6 to 17 years US$ 12 N/A US$ 12 01 April 2015
18 to 84 years US$ 36 US$ 10 US$ 46
Additional US$ 50 must be paid yearly if employed.
http://tibet.net/support-tibet/pay-green-book/
Tenzin Wangyal
November 17, 2017
When China received President Trump
https://youtu.be/Na3lcejmqZ4
Hypothetical scenario of when the Dharamsala is about to receive President Trump
Ngodup Tsering
November 18, 2017
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN DHARAMSALA!!!
Lhakpa Dhendup
August 11, 2018
What will the all the people around the world and in Tibet do now? Dalai Lama says he is happy that Tibet is a part of China and should remain a part of China. So many Tibetans self-immolated for Tibet to be independent and now Dalai Lama did a 360 degree turn and says he wants to go back to Tibet and China and Tibet should be a part of China. So unbelievable. So many are angry and disappointed.
Dalai Lama should set things right
August 12, 2018
Dear Dalai Lama,
Since you started the cruel ban against the 350 year Dorje Shugden practice, how has it benefit your Tibetan society and Buddhism in the world? Things have become worse and most educated Tibetans can see this. They don’t speak out not because they don’t see your ban as wrong, but you instill fear in them and not respect. It is like fear of a dictator. I am sorry to say so. Everyone is divided. There is no harmony. Before your ban there was more harmony and unity.
By enacting the ban, you split the monasteries, split so many families, split regions in Tibet apart, split your disciples from you, split your own gurus from you, split Tibetan Buddhism apart. You have created so much disharmony.
It is not democratic what you have done to ban a religion within your community. You always talk of tolerance and acceptance and democracy and yet you do not accept and tolerate something different from your beliefs. When people practice Dorje Shugden you ostracize them, ban them from seeing you, ban them from using Tibetan facilities. You know you have done that. There are videos that capture your speech and prove this point. You even had people expelled from monasteries just because they practice Dorje Shugden. Some of the monks you expelled have been in the monastery for over 40 years. Many older monks shed tears because of this.
Many young educated Tibetans lost confidence in you as they saw the damage the Dorje Shugden ban created and they lose hope. Many have become free thinkers. They reject what you have done. So many people in the west left Buddhism because of the confusion you created with this ban against Dorje Shugden which is immoral.
You could of had millions of people who practice Dorje Shugden to support, love and follow you, but you scared them away. They are hurt and very disappointed. They loved you and respected you deeply before the ban. It has been 60 years and you have failed to get Tibet back. Your biggest failure is not getting Tibet back after 57 years in exile. Now you are begging China to allow you to return to Tibet to the disappointment of thousands of people who fought for a free Tibet believing in you. So many self-immolated for a free Tibet and now you want Tibet to be a part of China with no referendum from Tibetans. Just like a dictator, you decide on your own. It was your government and you that lost Tibet in the first place. Your policies and style of doing things do not benefit Tibet and Buddhism. You have been the sole ruler of Tibet your whole life and you still have not gotten our country of Tibet back for us. Our families and us are separated. Yet you create more pain by creating a ban to further divide people. Please have compassion.
No other Buddhist leader has banned or condemned any religion except for you. It looks very bad. You are a Nobel laureate and this is not fitting of a laureate. You should unite people and not separate them by religious differences.
You said Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi did not do right to the Rohingya people in Myanmar due to religious differences, but you are doing the same thing to the Shugden Buddhists within your own society. There is a parallel in this. You separate the Shugden Buddhists from the others in Tibetan society.
You have lost so many people who would have loved and supported you. You have lost so much support around the world. The Shugden Buddhists who love you number in the millions. When you are fast losing support from governments and private people, it will not do you well to lose more.
After you are passed away in the future, the rift you created between the Dorje Shugden and non-Dorje Shugden people will remain for a while and that will be your legacy. Disharmony. You will be remembered for this. Not as a hero but a disharmony creator.
Dorje Shugden will spread and further grow, but you will be no more as you are a human. No one wishes you bad and in fact we hope you have a long and healthy life, but we have lost so much hope and have so much despair because of you. All the hundreds of Dorje Shugden lamas, tulkus and geshes are maturing and there are hundreds of Dorje Shugden monasteries in Tibet who will not give up Dorje Shugden. You have made a mistake. These hundreds of teachers and teachers to be will spread Dorje Shugden further in the future.
The gurus that gave us Dorje Shugden as a spiritual practice and you have called these holy gurus wrong and they are mistaken in giving us Dorje Shugden. How can you insult our gurus whom we respect so much? If they can be wrong, then you can be wrong. Then all gurus can be wrong. So no one needs to listen to any guru? You have created this trend. It is not healthy. Your own gurus practiced Dorje Shugden their whole lives. Your own gurus were exemplary and highly learned.
Dalai Lama you have created so much pain with this ban against so many people due to religion. You are ageing fast. Are you going to do anything about it or stay stubborn, hard and un-moving. You show a smile and preach peace and harmony wherever you go. But will you do the same to your own people? Please rectify the wrong you have done. Please before it is too late. You can create harmony again or you can pass away in the future with this legacy of peace. May you live long and think carefully and admit what was a mistake in having this unethical ban against Dorje Shugden religion.
Ayana
August 16, 2018
Why doesn’t the United States and its allies end Refugee Status for the useless Tibetans? They have been refugees for 60 years now and don’t tell me they still cannot get their lives back in order?
Tibetans really know how to put on a good show and use people, take their money and do nothing in return.
Ojas
August 17, 2018
Supreme Court of India JUSTICE Mr. MARKANDEY KATJU (RETD) writes that Tibet is much better under the Chinese than it was under the lamas who only wanted to make the populace slaves. It was feudal and it will never return to the backwardness again.
Yoezer
August 19, 2018
While the government of Nepal has framed a policy to tighten the noose around non-governmental organisations, they have welcomed 30 Chinese NGOs to enter the country. These NGOs will penetrate the country’s social sector at the grassroots level. This is the first time such a large number of Chinese NGOs have entered Nepal at one time. Nepal is increasingly open to Chinese influence, a sign that ties between both countries are strengthening, while India’s influence is being reduced. The time has passed for India’s monopoly to remain uninterrupted in Nepal as opportunities to engage with China are being welcomed.
Vardaniya
August 24, 2018
The cracks in Tibetan society are starting to show, and it is now coming to the attention of local Indians who have all but identified the Tibetan leadership as the source of the divisions. According to this author, disunity amongst the Tibetans is now creating problems for Indian law enforcement agencies, and this disunity may culminate in young Tibetans holding silent grudges against their host country. It is incredible that after six decades of generosity from India, Indians are now facing the very real possibility Tibetans can be ungrateful towards India. The Tibetan leadership totally failed to impart positive values upon their exiled community, like gratitude for those kindest to them and the need to repay these kindnesses with real, tangible results. It’s also very unlikely that the Tibetan leadership will now start to do this, after six decades of failing to do so. Indians need to realise this, and see that there is no benefit for their nation to align themselves with the Tibetan leadership, and there never will be.
Maya
August 24, 2018
Although the Dalai Lama has offered an apology, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) still expressed their disappointment over his controversial comment on Nehru, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC). Dalai Lama called Nehru self-centred.
The Congress said Dalai Lama being a foreigner should shun and refrain from interfering in the internal as well as external affairs of India.
Tracy
November 20, 2018
A lot of the Tibetans prefer to go to the western countries, they think they can get a better opportunity there and the west is better than Asia. But they don’t know what they are missing here. Asia is rising as the most powerful economy in the world and after China, India is the next one to rise. There will be so many possibilities and opportunities waiting for them in China and India. Economy in the west is getting from bad to worse, it is a bad choice to go there at this point of time.
Perhaps there are also many Tibetans who want to integrate and become an Indian citizen. But the CTA is not making it any easier. They are trying to stop the Tibetans to take the Indian citizenship by not issuing them documents that are required by the Indian government to process their application.
I think the reason why the CTA doesn’t want the Tibetans to integrate is that if there is no more Tibetans in exile, what will be their role? They will not be needed anymore. If there are no more refugees, they will not be able to ask for donations from western countries, how are they going to survive?
Drolma
November 23, 2018
The number of Tibetans in the exile community in India has dropped from 180,000 to 85,000 in 7 years. Fewer and fewer Tibetans are leaving Tibet to come to India. It actually doesn’t make sense anymore to escape from Tibet. The living condition and standard in Tibet have improved so much since the ’80s. Life in Tibet is very comfortable now, it will be stupid to come to a foreign land that they are not familiar with and become a stateless refugee.
I think the CTA and Lobsang Sangay are quite worried about the dropping in the number of Tibetans in India. The fewer the Tibetan refugees, the fewer donations they will be getting. This is one of the reasons why they make it so difficult for the Tibetans in India to integrate. If the number of Tibetans in the exile community keeps dropping, eventually there is no need for an administration anymore. The CTA will have to be dissolved.
The Tibetans in India don’t see any hope in the Free Tibet movement, anyone will lose hope after 60 years of waiting. Since the CTA is not doing anything for the Tibetans or give a proposal to the Tibetans on their future direction, they will just leave. No one wants to sit around and keep waiting. The Tibetans have totally lost their hope in the CTA.
Anonymous
November 29, 2018
Lobsang Sangay and the CTA pays no respect to India government. The Indian government is so kind to offer the Tibetan citizenship but the CTA refuses to issue the documents required to the Tibetans who want to integrate. Not only that, Lobsang Sangay is asking more from the India government!
The Tibetans in exile have been a taker for the past 60 years, that is what they are capable of. They always expect people to help them. They use their plight to earn sympathy and donations for themselves, this is how they survive for the past 60 years.
Lobsang Sangay has no shame, they have taken so much from India and he is still asking for more. While he is asking for more things from India, he does not give anything back. All he has to offer is problem for India. He knows India wants to improve its relationship with China but he still allows his people to protest against China in India. This has put India in a very difficult position.
The Tibetans in India were also caught cheating the benefit given to them by the Indian government. I am sure Lobsang Sangay is aware of this, what has he done? There was no apology and no action was taken. With an attitude like this, I don’t think India will offer more help to them, Lobsang Sangay can forget about it! While India is still giving the Tibetans opportunity to integrate, the Tibetans better seize the chance!
Roy
February 28, 2019
The fact is no one really wants Tibet to be independent, everyone has their own agenda. If Lobsang Sangay and his cronies love Tibet so much, why are they not refugees like their fellow Tibetans in India? Why all of them have a passport from another country? Since they have decided to be the citizen of another country, it means they are not interested in going back to Tibet.
Lobsang Sangay and the CTA are using the Tibetans to make money, to get free money from the West. They have been earning their living like this, it’s hard for them to give up such an easy way to make money. Therefore, they will not make free Tibet a success. They will only talk but they will never take action.
For the western countries, they also want the Tibetans and Tibet to remain status quo because this is the card for them to irk China and to sabotage China. Without the Tibet cause, there will be one less topic for them to condemn China. The western countries are not so stupid to keep giving money to support a cause that has been going on for the past 60 years and shows no results. All of them have their own agenda. The ones who suffer are the Tibetans.
Drolma
June 22, 2019
It is definitely not a blessing to be a refugee or as a stateless person. However, the CTA is happy to maintain the refugee status for the normal Tibetans. But for themselves, they have already gotten a passport from the western countries.
The main reason for the CTA to maintain the refugee status is for them to make easy money. All the CTA cares about is their one interest such as money and power. As a government, they have failed miserably in providing the Tibetans in exile a better life and future.
China on the other hands wants to make sure the Tibetans are also taken care of. They have invested a lot of money to improve the living conditions in Tibet. Everyone in China has the same right regardless of their ethnical background. Tibet was rather backward 60 years ago but things are different now. Tibet is definitely a better place to live now.
Tracy
November 29, 2019
Lobsang Sangay and the CTA don’t really care for the Tibetans. They seem to be ok to let the Tibetans remain stateless, otherwise, why won’t they work hard to give an identity to the Tibetans. Being stateless means the Tibetans cannot own any property or business in India. If they want to, they have to purchase using a proxy. The risk of using a proxy is that the law may change and their right as the actual owner will not be protected. The stateless Tibetans have to always live in fear and worry. For Lobsang Sangay and the CTA, they will not know how insecure it is to be stateless because all of them are already a citizen of another country.