‘Please don’t plan to stay on in exile,’ Tibetans in Tibet tell Special Meeting

[Ensapa]

The pleas for the Tibetans in Tibet for the CTA to preserve their culture and language is heartfelt and perhaps, instead of the ban, they should really focus on this. They should put in their efforts where it really matters, not where they think it does. Maybe they should really be more focused on preserving Tibetan culture and keeping it that way and making sure the Tibetan identity is alive rather than on some silly ban against Dorje Shugden? After all a country's true identity is in its culture.

Please don’t plan to stay on in exile,’ Tibetans in Tibet tell Special Meeting
Phayul[Thursday, September 27, 2012 13:52]


Delegates at the Second Special Meeting stand to sing the Tibetan national anthem below 51 Tibetan national flags raised in remembrance of Tibetan self-immolators. (Phayul photo/Norbu Wangyal)
DHARAMSHALA, September 27: “Please don’t plan to stay on in exile, make every effort to return to Tibet,” is the most prominent message sent by Tibetans in Tibet for the ongoing Special Meeting in the exile seat of Dharamshala.

Suggestions and remarks from over 360 Tibetans from around Tibet’s capital Lhasa region and areas of Kham, have reached the meeting, which began September 25 to discuss campaign ideas in response to the ongoing crisis in Tibet.

The messages from Tibet, broadly categorised into seven remarks, have been discreetly collected over the phone by Ven. Ngawang Woebar, a former political prisoner and Ven, Thubten Yangphel, a monk living in Dharamshala.

“We have tried to contact Tibetans from a wide range of background and ages,” Ven. Woebar, former president of the Gu-Chu-Sum Former Political Prisoners’ Movement told Phayul. “The remarks have been collected from monks, government officials, teachers, students, farmers, and nomads.”

In the collected remarks, Tibetans from inside Tibet have urged Tibetans in exile to organise “multiple campaigns internationally” in order to publicise the demands of the Tibetan self-immolators and various Tibetan writers of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s return from exile and freedom in Tibet.

“Please don’t plan to stay on in exile. Make every effort to fulfill our aspirations of reunion,” Tibetans in Tibet have said. “In order to end the ongoing crisis in Tibet, organise campaigns to win international support and solidarity.”

Concerns over the visible deterioration in the usage of Tibetan language by exile Tibetans have also been expressed.

“Although living under the yoke of repression, the majority of us here have tried our best in preserving the Tibetan language and cultural heritage,” one of the suggestions reads. “However, due to usage of other languages by those of you in exile, we are at times unable to fully understand you over the radio and videos that we occasionally get to see.”

“Please make greater effort in preserving our language and cultural heritage.”

Support for the elected leader of the Tibetan people, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay has also appeared in the remarks.

“Kalon Tripa Lobsang Sangay enjoys the full trust and confidence of the Tibetans in Tibet and we urge all of you to be united and support each other in fulfilling our common aspirations,” one of the remarks reads.

With China’s phenomenal increase in investment in mining in Tibet, especially in nomadic areas, Tibetans have urged for campaigns to halt China’s practise of forcibly removing Tibetan nomads from their grasslands.

“These days, with the increase in China’s mining activities in Tibet, we are facing great difficulty in sustaining our livelihoods on our own lands,” one the remarks reads.

“Please organise campaigns internationally to immediately halt these practices.”

Tibetans in Tibet have also called for more campaigns to put international pressure on China to release Tibetan political prisoners, including the XIth Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima.

The Second Special General Meeting of the Tibetan People will conclude tomorrow with the adoption of the final report and recommendations of the meeting.

[fruven]

In my opinion those who stay in exile might be continue staying from one generation to another and becoming a permanent resident. One might be living in one place for sometime and become comfortable staying there. In the past immigrants move from one country to another for livelihood and economic reasons, or because of instability from war. Those that work hard and make it have families and children, and grandchildren. The United States is an example of a country with many cultural background from many nations.

[vajratruth]

That is a very good message to the CTA and it would also appear to Tibetans that the CTA seems quite comfortable where they are. Other than the personal efforts of the Dalai Lama, we see very little activities abroad and even less strategic efforts by the CTA to engage with the Chinese Government.

But first, the CTA must win confidence and credibility with the international community. It is very damaging for Tibet and the CTA to still uphold the Dorje Shugden ban, and be the ban's biggest perpetrators of persecutions based on religious practice, while playing the role of victim to China's persecutions of Tibetans.

Next the CTA should unite all Tibetans and repair the chasm created by the ban. The way to do it would be to remove the ban and also to remove those who sought the implementation of the ban. The Dorje Shugden issue has divided Tibetan more than anything else in its history, and that is clear for anyone to see.

The CTA with Sikyong Lobsang Sangay is now installed with the authority they need to take proactive measures. They must sort out their own home before stepping into the international community to seek support.

[dondrup]

With so much energy and effort spent on implementing the ban on Dorje Shugden for so long, has CTA accomplished much to benefit the Tibetans?  The answer is no.  The Tibetans outside China is still in exile and without a country whereas the Tibetans in China are not getting much support from CTA.  Tibetans are scattered all over the World and not united as a nation.  This situation is worsened by the ban on Dorje Shugden.  Many Tibetans are suffering because of the ban.

So many Tibetans had sacrificed through self-immolation over the past few months to highlight to the World their dissatisfaction.  Unfortunately the World had not reacted in a way that justifies the sacrifice and death of these Tibetans.

Will the Tibetans ever going to get back their country from China?  His Holiness Dalai Lama and CTA had been trying for many years but to no avail.  I agree with Ensapa that CTA should channel their attention to preserving the Tibetan culture and language and all other issues on hand.  Lift the ban now CTA.  The ban will eventually die a natural death because it does not have a basis for its existence in the first place.

[Namdrol]

As long as CTA keeps putting anti-shugden articles on the official website www.tibet.net, they will not be respected and their views are not believable. Which government in the world put up statement denoucing a spiritual practice  on their official website?

It shows their pettiness and immaturity, the people in CTA are not interested to go back to Tibet, they just want to get a greencard in USA with their family, being called in-exile is just a convenient reason for them to get the greencard.

Yes, they dont plan to stay in exile for sure, but they dont want to go back to Tibet, to the backwardness and wilderness, they all want to go to USA instead.

[diamond girl]

The pleas for the Tibetans in Tibet for the CTA to preserve their culture and language is heartfelt and perhaps, instead of the ban, they should really focus on this. They should put in their efforts where it really matters, not where they think it does. Maybe they should really be more focused on preserving Tibetan culture and keeping it that way and making sure the Tibetan identity is alive rather than on some silly ban against Dorje Shugden? After all a country's true identity is in its culture.

Ensapa,
Thank you for this post and I could not agree with you more. There is so much self-inflicted deaths recently over the issues in Tibet that the CTA should really focus all their resources on resolving this. You are right that after all a country's identity lies in the culture. And the shugden ban does not reflect well especially with the Human Rights people. If CTA focuses on fixing what matters now with regards to Tibet it would definitely lower the glare of bad reputation they have on the ban issue.

Getting themselves out of exile position would most definitely strengthen their position internationally.

[DharmaDefender]

"Please don’t plan to stay on in exile." Erm, well its been 50 years...I dont think the Chinese are going to crack any time soon. For once I have wee bit of sympathy for them...from the sounds of article, it seems as though their between a rock and a hard place - they have to keep their people happy, knowing independence will probably never happen, until their people figure out for themselves that independence will never happen.

"After all a country's true identity is in its culture." - okay but for arguments sake, what if its religion is its culture?

[Ensapa]

"Please don’t plan to stay on in exile." Erm, well its been 50 years...I dont think the Chinese are going to crack any time soon. For once I have wee bit of sympathy for them...from the sounds of article, it seems as though their between a rock and a hard place - they have to keep their people happy, knowing independence will probably never happen, until their people figure out for themselves that independence will never happen.
The Tibetans have been quite desperate in their plea for independence as many of them miss tibet and they really want to have a sense of belonging and identity. But the again, phayul usually posts articles of this nature where they make the Tibetans sound like the victim and ironically, the very same repression they complain about is the very same repression they impose on Dorje Shugden practitioners. Ironic, isnt it? They do everything they can to show the world how desperate they are for independence but not truly doing something that brings meaning and is meaningful: by NOT suppressing and discriminating against Dorje Shugden practitioners.


"After all a country's true identity is in its culture." - okay but for arguments sake, what if its religion is its culture?
If religion is their culture, then they should be doing a good job in keeping their religion well and hold the values of the religion well instead of blowing hot air and doing things that contradict their religion. Buddhists around the world have expressed disappointment at the self immolations for example, because it is a very unbuddhist act, no matter how desperate the situation may be. It is equally unbuddhist to commit violence in the name of the Dalai Lama and the Dorje Shugden ban, so in reality, they have already destroyed their own culture when it comes to religion, even.

Yup, you're right: China's not gonna crack anytime soon, but yet the CTA is hoping that they will, mainly because its starting to get to them that they do not have their own country anymore and have to depend on the kindness of India = they cannot do what they want, freely and they dont like it. In the end, its not about the people, it's about the kashag getting their power back.