• by Thubten Samphel
• Tuesday, March 17, 2009
• Inter Press Service

//THIS COLUMN IS RELATED TO THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TIBETAN NATIONAL UPRISING IN SUPPORT OF THE DALAI LAMA ON MARCH 10//

In the nearly sixty-year occupation of Tibet, China's position has never been better or stronger, writes Thubten Samphel, the spokesperson of the Tibetan government in exile, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising of March 10, 1959.

In this article, the author writes that the Dalai Lama convened a special meeting of Tibetans last November in Tibet, which overwhelming endorsed the Dalai Lama's Middle- Way Approach, which means that the Tibetans will continue to do what they do best: conserving their strength by nurturing their community, preserving and promoting their culture, giving hope to those in Tibet, educating their children, and engaging China when it wants to.

The problem boils down to engaging China. Even here there is distinct hope based on Tibet's historical experience. The way successive lamas dealt with the Mongols and Manchus to protect Tibet's distinct identity can be replicated in a manner that addresses China's concerns and yet meets the aspirations of the Tibetan people. The Chinese leaders will be encouraged to do this by a growing number of Chinese, both within and outside the Party, who are quietly flocking to Tibetan Buddhist masters to find answers to questions of life and death that the Party cannot provide.

(*) Thubten Samphel is the spokesperson of the Tibetan government in exile.

//NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN CANADA, NEW ZEALAND, CZECH REPUBLIC, IRELAND, POLAND, THE UNITED STATES, AND THE UNITED KINGDOM//

© Inter Press Service (2009) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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