New Tibetan leader not qualified for talks: China

Thursday, September 01, 2011

Tibet Sun
By Lobsang Wangyal

Mecloed Ganj, India-- China has reiterated its position that the newly-elected leader of the Central Tibetan Administration is not qualified to hold negotiations with the Chinese government, in a statement by a China Tibetologist quoted by Xinhua.

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama embraces Dr Lobsang Sangay during his oath-taking ceremony as the new Kalon Tripa of the Central Tibetan Administration (popularly known as the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile) at Tsuglakhang temple in McLeod Ganj, India, on 8 August 2011. (File photo/Tibet Sun/Lobsang Wangyal/India)

Tibetologist Dr Dramdul, the deputy director-general of China Tibetology Research Centre, said in Tokyo on Wednesday that the newly-elected leader of the exile Tibetans, Dr Lobsang Sangay, is not qualified to negotiate with the Chinese central government as he is the head of the “illegal Tibetan ‘government-in-exile’”.

Sangay, a Harvard-trained international law and human rights scholar, who was sworn in as the Kalon Tripa of the Central Tibetan Administration (popularly known as the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile), said that he was willing to negotiate with the Chinese government anytime, anywhere.

He said he will pursue the Dalai Lama’s “middle-way” policy for negotiation, which aims for autonomy for all the Tibetan-inhabited areas within China, rather than seek outright independence.

Dramdul said during a press conference at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo, “China already made it very clear a few years ago that the central government is open to talks with personal representatives of Dalai Lama, not representatives from the government-in-exile.”

“And the negotiation will never be about the status of Tibet, but about the future of Dalai Lama and the people around him. This policy has not changed.”

He labelled the “government-in-exile” as illegal, and said that it is not recognised officially by any government around the world.

“No matter how the leadership (of the government-in-exile) changes, the key to improve contact with the central government is to sincerely abandon separatist moves,” Dramdul said.

On the issue of the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, Dramdul has indicated that China will select their own “Dalai Lama”. The current Fourteenth Dalai Lama has said that he will not reincarnate in an occupied Tibet.

Dramdul said the reincarnation of the institution of the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama will “follow a strict set of religious practices” and that it has been carried on for several hundred years.

“All the 14 generations of Dalai Lamas have been acknowledged by the central government of China.”

Dramdul is in Japan, heading a delegation of Chinese Tibetologists and Tibetan “Living Buddhas”, to spread the official Chinese version of Tibetan history and culture.