Autonomy Is Solution for Tibet, Dalai Lama Says

[21 hrs. ago - Phayul]

The influx of Han Chinese and the growing restrictions on religious practice have become the biggest threats to Tibet, which faces “something like a death sentence” under Chinese rule, said the Dalai Lama..

Now, thanks in part to the high visibility of Tibet-China relations during the 2008 Olympics, the religious and political head of Tibetans presides over a diplomatic situation that looks ready to combust. For decades the Dalai Lama has advocated a “middle way”: he has said he wants autonomy, not independence, for his people; he would be happy for Tibet to remain part of China in exchange for protection of Tibetan education, culture and religion. In an interview with The New York Times earlier this year, he even said he would accept China’s communist rule. But after eight unproductive rounds of talks with Beijing, members of the exile community are fed up; some are advocating violent resistance and a fight for independence. For more, Read