Special Report: NPC, CPPCC Annual Sessions
2007
BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- There is little hope for the DalaiLama to
return to Tibet if he doesn't completely give up his separatist attempts, a
Tibetan official said here on Thursday.
"If the Dalai Lama doesn't completely give up his pursuit of 'Tibet
independence', the hope for him to return is slim," said Qiangba Puncog,
chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region, on the sidelines of the ongoing annual
full session of the Tenth National People's Congress (NPC), China's top
legislature.
The Dalai Lama fled China after a failed rebellion in 1959. Qiangba Puncog
said the Dalai Lama has done nothing good to Tibet in the past 48 years, though
the central government has treated him with utmost tolerance and kindness.
He said that the central government had never closed the door of
communication with the Dalai Lama.
But "we will never recognize the so-called 'government-in-exile' of the
Dalai Lama, and will never have dealings with it," said Qiangba Puncog at a
panel discussion of lawmakers from Tibet open to media coverage.
The Tibetan official said that the attitude of the central government
toward the Dalai Lama is "clear-cut".
"He (the Dalai Lama) must completely give up his pursuit of 'Tibet
independence'. He must recognize that Tibet is an inalienable part of the
Chinese territory since the ancient times. And he must also recognize that
Taiwan is a part of China," he said.
"What matters most is that he must truly give up the 'Tibet independence'
activities," the official said.
Commenting on the Dalai Lama's recent proclamation that he would give up
his pursuit of "Tibet independence" in exchange for a "high degree of autonomy"
in a so-called "Greater Tibet", Qiangba Puncog said that the Dalai Lama actually
"harbored ulterior motives".
"He (the Dalai Lama) aims at influencing international public opinion,
winning the sympathy of some people with little knowledge about the Chinese
history and the true situation in Tibet, and internationalizing the so-called
'Tibet issue'," the official elaborated.
In the mean time, China sets no restrictions on Tibetan compatriots in
India who want to come back, said Raidi, vice chairman of the NPC standing
committee.
"Some of them are willing to come back home and some are not. Those who would like to pay
a visit to Tibet or come back home to visit their
families have freedom to travel, and we also allow them to live
in Tibet if they want," said
Raidi.
Related:
Scholars: Canada's honoring of Dalai Lama to mar bilateral
ties
BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Some Chinese experts and
scholars, interviewed by Xinhua, have criticized Canada's Parliament for its
recent move to honor the 14th Dalai Lama as a "Honorary Citizen" of Canada.
The move will hurt bilateral relationships between
the two countries, they said.
"I feel regretful for what the Canadian Parliament
has done for the Dalai Lama," said Ngawang Cering, a researcher with the Academy
of Social Sciences of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Dalai Lama unworthy of religious leader: Tibetan official
LHASA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The party chief of China's Tibet
Autonomous Region on Tuesday accused the Dalai Lama of engaging in activities
unrelated to religion, saying he is an unworthy religious leader.
"The Dalai Lama used to be an acknowledged religious
leader, which is an undoubted fact, but what he has done makes him unworthy of
the title," said Zhang Qingli in an interview with the German weekly Der
Spiegel.
China lodges representations to Belgium over Dalai Lama's
visit
BEIJING, June 1 (Xinhua) -- China has lodged solemn
representations to Belgium over Dalai Lama's visit, said Foreign Ministry
spokesman Liu Jianchao here Thursday.
Liu told a regular briefing that Dalai Lama is a
political figure in exile who favors separatism, and the Chinese government is
strongly opposed to any country providing him with a venue for his separatist
activities.
