Letter to the Chairman of the Committee
from His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Thank you for your kind invitation of 25 March
2008 to address the Foreign Affairs Committee on 2 May during
my visit to London. I am pleased to accept your invitation and
look forward to meeting you and your colleagues and sharing my
thoughts on various aspects of the Tibetan situation under China's
rule and the sincere efforts that I have been making for many
years to resolve the Tibet issue. I believe that my Middle Way
Approach takes into consideration the long-term stability and
well being of both the Tibetan and Chinese peoples. Moreover,
I am committed to resolving this issue through non violence, dialogue
and accommodation.
I believe the recent protests and, demonstrations
are a manifestation of the deep-rooted resentment not only of
the Tibetan people in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR), but
also in the outlying traditional Tibetan areas now incorporated
into Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan, where there exist substantial
communities of ethnic Tibetans. Unfortunately, the Chinese authorities
have been using these protests to create racial divisions between
our two peoples. In this regard, I have made an appeal (copy enclosed)
to the Chinese people explaining that we are not anti-Chinese
and outlining our relations over the past many centuries.
I appeal for your continued support in calling
for an immediate end to the current crackdown, the release of
all those who have been arrested and detained and the provision
of proper medical treatment to the injured. I would also request
you to encourage the sending of an independent international body,
to investigate the unrest and its underlying causes, as well as
allowing the media and international medical teams to visit the
affected areas. Their presence will not only instil a sense of
reassurance in the Tibetan people, but will also exercise a restraining
influence on the Chinese authorities.
With my prayers and good wishes.
3 April 2008
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