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Dalai Lama Says China
Will 'Sooner or Later' Give Autonomy to Tibet
January 23, 2003
SARNATH, India (AP) _ The Dalai Lama said Thursday
that international pressure and rapid changes within
China will eventually force Beijing to grant autonomy
to Tibet.
``Autonomy to Tibet under the Chinese constitution has
to come sooner or later,'' the Tibetan spiritual
leader told reporters in Sarnath, a Buddhist
pilgrimage center 450 kilometers (280 miles) southeast
of New Delhi.
He was critical of Chinese rule in Tibet, saying
everyone there lives in terror, and he said China's
occupation of the region will eventually disrupt its
own stability.
The first round of negotiations between his
representatives and the Chinese government last year
was positive, the Dalai Lama said. ``It's a complex
issue and I don't know how long it will take to
resolve,'' he said.
China rejects the Dalai Lama's allegations that
Tibetans are oppressed and mistreated, saying those in
prison are criminals and that Tibet is an integral
part of China.
The Dalai Lama cited increased Chinese interest in
Tibet's religion, culture and tradition as an example
of progress. He said, however, that Chinese
settlements in Tibet have harmed the religion and
changed the population ratio of most big cities so
that Chinese outnumber Tibetans.
The Dalai Lama fled Tibet after a failed 1959 revolt
against Chinese rule. He was followed by more than
120,000 Tibetan refugees and settled in the northern
Indian town of Dharmsala, where he heads an exile
government.
``If Tibet is granted autonomy with a certain degree
of freedom, I will hand over all administrative powers
to the elected body which is already functioning in
exile,'' the Dalai Lama said Thursday.
The exile Tibetan community had its first direct
election last year for a prime minister as a step
toward forming a government that could function
separately from the Dalai Lama, whom Tibetan Buddhists
believe is the 14th reincarnation of their spiritual
leader.
``If I die today, I am sure they will find another
incarnation,'' the 67-year-old Dalai Lama said. ``But
if I live for a few decades more, people will probably
prefer not to continue with the institution of the
Dalai Lama.''
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