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EDITORIAL

Brussels and Beyond

Lately, I attended the 5th Tibet Support Group (TSG) conference in Brussels, as a young man it was an eye opening experience to me. In the past I have had read about it and how we Tibetans lobby and marshal international support for Tibetan cause.

I can well understand why His Holiness Dalai Lama was compelled to internationalised the Tibet issue sensing that the Beijing had purposely neglected or even snubbed all the positive forward looking and the progressive initiative taking up by him in the last tow decades.

In the contrary, Beijing too had criticised His Holiness the Dalai Lama for internationalising the Tibet issue explaining that the problems and has to be solved within the family of so called the Motherland China. In reality the gathering of three hundred and ten TSG members assembled at Brussels to discuss and chalk out strategic future step is an obvious indication that Tibetans have no other choice but to table Tibet issue in the international arena if Beijing continues to remain stuck in hegemonic rhetoric and the hawkish tendencies.

The Beijing should understand that the last five meetings of His Holiness envoys are a no-nonsense gesture and a signal from Dharamsala to embark on serious dialogue to put a lasting solution to the just cause of Tibetans.

As a Tibetan, I was deeply saddened when Lodi Gari when he said we still engage Beijing as a adversary. I came to a rather sombre realisation that we are still into formal negotiation and that there is a long way to go.

On the other side, I was pleasantly inspired to witness the vigour and fervour of Tibet supporters and lovers. Their steely resolve to support the Tibet issue is to assure us that we are not alone in our battle for the just cause. There was no doubt Brussels sent a strong rumbling across China.

Sometimes, when honest and sincere commitment fails to convey a message, rumbling do the trick. The 2008 Olympics in China is drawing near, I am sure Tibet activists and supporters must be grinding their axes and preparing to stage one of most daring and unpleasant embarrassments for China. It remains to be seen how strategies chalked out at Brussels translates into action in resisting Chinese hegemony and bully on the Tibetan people and how Olympics as an opportunity for China to wake up from historical errors and in sizing up to new realities of the present day. Will China wake up to recognize how and why the Dalai Lama is the only key for China in solving Tibet issue once and for all. I hope, although Dragon is a grandeur and proud animal dwelling amidst clouds but I also believe it can come down to see situation on the real ground.

Chukora Tsering Agloe
The Editor