'As a refugee living here, India's rising power is very reassuring'
Tibetan poet and activist Tenzin Tsundue shot to fame when in 2002, he scaled 14 floors of Mumbai's Oberoi Towers - where the then Chinese PM Zhu Rongji was addressing Indian business magnates - to unfurl a Tibetan flag....
The recent Global Buddhist Conference attracted Chinese criticism with President Pratibha Patil and PM Manmohan Singh opting out apparently due to China's objections - your view?
The fact that India stood its ground in hosting the Buddhist congregation and also having the Dalai Lama as chief guest at the valedictory function is a matter of pride. Unlike the Beijing 2008 Olympics period, the Indian government this year is much more confident about not submitting under Chinese pressure. As a refugee living here in India, India's rising power is very reassuring.
But many are not reassured - more than 10 Tibetan monks have attempted self-immolation in the past one year. Do you see self-immolation as a legitimate form of protest?
Ever since the 2008 Tibetan uprising, the Chinese government has become insecure in its control over Tibet. Inter-national media and tourists cannot travel freely in Tibet, peoples' movement is curtailed. It is this draconian police rule that's suffocating the Tibetans, pushing them to self-immolation. These are desperate acts to protest against Chinese police brutality and demand freedom. Living in India, i have no moral right to question its legitimacy.
Meanwhile, how has the Dalai Lama's retirement from politics impacted the Tibetan movement?
The devolution of political power from the Dalai Lama should be looked at as an act of renunciation. The Dalai Lama's decision made the Tibetan people elect their own leadership and be accountable in all political matters. This is our answer to Chinese propaganda which says that exiled Tibetans only want to recreate the old feudal society. But more than that, we've had the success of 50 years of experimenting with democracy.
How do you view current Sino-Indian relations?
The 60-year relationship bet-ween India and China that started after the Chinese occupation of Tibet has been marked mostly by fear and suspicion earlier. It's now characterised by economic competition and misplaced diplomacy. One of the main issues is the 4,057-km border. India's claim to Arunachal Pradesh is based on the 1914 McMahon Treaty while China doesn't recognise this treaty.
When the basic approaches are different, a solution is unlikely to come by anytime soon. Today, India is under pressure because of China's humongous military build-up in Tibet, its control of the Himalayan rivers and China's instigation of Pakistan. Because of the friction, both countries are militarising the Himalayas from either side - unless Tibet is restored as the buffer zone as before, India and China are forever going to be at cold war.
However, is the 'Free Tibet' demand practical?
From India, we see only China's money and military might. We do not see the 80,000 protest incidents that rock China each year which are beaten down with brutality. And this is getting worse, so much that the Dalai Lama recently observed China's internal security budget is higher than its external defence budget, meaning they have more enemies on the inside than the outsidea¦their rigidity about control is pushing the country to the brink of an implosion.
'As a refugee living here, India's rising power is very reassuring' - The Times of India
This is what a prominent Tibetan refugee feels about the situation on the India - Tibet - China issue.
That China is insecure over Tibet, there is no doubt.
It is a revelation that China spends more money on Internal Security than on her external defence. This is quite telling about how China maintains her territorial integrity and internal 'peace'.
There is no doubt that of late the Indian Govt has been quite positive in responding to China's irrational demands. And that is a good sign where it is being conveyed to China that international relationship is based on reciprocity and mutual respect and not pure
dadagiri.
On the issue of travel to and in Tibet, it is controlled.
All foreigners wanting to visit Tibet have to be a part of a 'tour group' (minimum 5 persons) and should have a permit from the Tibetan Tourism Bureau permit, Chinese insurance, a minimum tree day tour and also a return ticket to a choice of three desitinations (Katmandu, Chengdu, Golmund). Longer stay would mean paying Y 100 per day. A local guide is essential. The danger is that even if the guide is a Tibetan, the guide could be an agent or an informer of the Public Security Bureau.
There used to be buses to the Nepal border along the Friendship Highway to Zhangmu but it has been discontinued. Private agencies however advertise minibus tours to the border, which cost Y 250 to Y 350 for a two day trip.
Whatever, the situation in Tibet or even in China is not that rosy as is usually portrayed.
However, the US cutting China to size is playing a positive role in maintain peace and tranquillity around the Asia Pacific region.
That is a good sign.
