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Up to China if dialogues to be continued: Samdhong Rinpoche

By Lobsang Wangyal | Tibet Sun

Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche arrives at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, to celebrate the 19th anniversary of the conferment of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Dalai Lama.Tibet Sun/Lobsang Wangyal/India

The Tibetan call for self-rule within the framework of the Chinese constitution will continue, and it is up to China whether dialogue on this agenda is to be continued, said the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche.

He said the Tibetan government-in-exile made clear to the Chinese government the Tibetan position of seeking genuine autonomy, through a Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for all Tibetans , to the People’s Republic of China. It was delivered to the Chinese leaders by the two envoys of the Dalai Lama in their eighth round of talks in November.

The “Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for all Tibetans to the People’s Republic of China” explains how the provisions of a genuine autonomy, as stipulated in the constitution of the People’s Republic of China and its Law on National Regional Autonomy, could be implemented.

“The memorandum will serve as a definite agenda if in the future dialogues were to be continued between the two sides,” Samdhong Rinpoche said at a function observing the World Human Rights Day and the 19th anniversary of the Dalai Lama receiving the Nobel Peace prize in 1989.

The current process of Sino-Tibetan dialogue has failed to produce any positive changes in China’s Tibet policy. Moreover, the situation inside Tibet continues to worsen by the day, Rinpoche said.

The Tibetan side has made all the required clarifications and brought a process of dialogue that began in 2002 to its logical conclusion. “The entire responsibility for the future status of the dialogues, irrespective of what it is going to be, lies squarely on the Chinese leaders.”

“We have, furthermore, kept the door of dialogue always open should the leaders of the People’s Republic of China be willing to continue discussions on the memorandum we submitted,” he added.

Rinpoche said that the Special Meeting of the Tibetans in November gave his government the confidence to follow and abide by the Middle-Way policy.

He said his government will initiate campaigns with full force to circulate the “Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy” internationally and to strengthen dialogue with the Chinese people. A meeting with Chinese friends is also being planned for next year.

Copyright © 2008 Tibet Sun

Published in Tibet Sun