DALAI LAMA INTERVIEW - Wednesday 19th March, 2008
Tibet, calm by spiritual nature, these days anything but. As
we speak, the Dalai Lama and the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, are
busily blasting off verbal missiles at each other. Last year George
Negus spoke with the popular figurehead of the Tibetan people when he
was here in Australia. Even then, eight months ago, he predicted that
the Chinese would blame him for the sort of violence we have seen this
week in Tibet. Now of course, that is what's happened as many young
Tibetans, more activist than their spiritual leader, are putting their
lives on the line in Lhasa and other centres in the face of the Chinese
military crackdown on their protests less than six months before the
Olympics. Much of what the self-exiled Tibetan leader said to us in our
interview last June remains highly pertinent in the light of this
week's disturbing developments in Tibet.
DALAI LAMA: Whole world knows I am not seeing independence,
therefore
is many Tibetan disappointed and also some of our supporters and also
the Chinese officals. They also you see, acknowledged the Dalai lama is
not, for future is concerned, Dalai Lama's side not seeing
independence. There are officals also you see, using that same sort of
accusation continuously. I think there must be some reasons.
GEORGE NEGUS: Maybe they don't believe you?
DALAI LAMA: I don't know. I don't know. I think the real thing
is
overall, they themselves are facing some kind of dilemma of how to
handle the problems of Tibet. So they choose more easily that simply
suppress and accuse.
GEORGE NEGUS: Young people in Tibet are angry and frustrated,
you have
acknowledged that. They don't think that your position is correct,
because the young people think you are compromising Tibet's petition.
DALAI LAMA: Firstly, Tibetan case materially backward country.
Spiritually, yes, now many people knows Tibetans in spiritual field are
very, very advanced, but in material field is very, very backward.
Meantime, every Tibetan is want a modernised Tibet. No single Tibetan
dreaming return of previous sort of backwardness. Therefore as far as
economy is concerned, Tibet remain within the Republic of China, we
will get greater benefit.
GEORGE NEGUS: So you think there is an absolute plus, a
definite plus?
DALAI LAMA: I feel like that, provided Chinese Government
respect our
sort of culture, our spirituality, our environment.
GEORGE NEGUS: Do they?
DALAI LAMA: So far no, so far no.
Today the Dalai Lama was still treading a tricky line between
loud
protest and soft diplomacy and not just with the Chinese. As he said in
our interview, many young Tibetans frustrated with his non-violent, no
independence 'middle path'. Today, he said he would resign if the
violence got out of control and he won't join calls to botcott the
Olympics.