The Dalai Lama's attitude is a reflection of his hatred, contempt and arrogance toward Tibetan people who have become masters of their own destinies.
Focus: The Dalai Lama and some Tibetans have mounted criticism toward China. They said Tibetans were left out of China's modernization, and were not given enough rights to participate in cultural and religious affairs. Can you understand such criticism? Indeed, the Tibetans hold a large number and a large portion of government posts. But these posts are not really important or key posts. The real decisions are made here in Beijing.
Zhu: The simple truth is, if there had not been the all-out efforts of Tibetan officials and people, if Tibetan officials had no real powers like the Dalai Lama said, Tibet would not have undergone such big changes over the last decades. Tibet has a population of 2.8 million, of which more than 92 percent are Tibetans. That is to say, there are only some 200,000 Han people and people of other ethnic groups living in Tibet. It is beyond imagination that Tibet can be transformed from a society of feudal serfdom to what you see today in Lhasa, other cities and in the vast countryside of Tibet by some 200,000 non-Tibetan people.
It is totally against the truth to say that Tibetan officials only hold pro forma posts instead of the key ones. Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Government of, is a Tibetan. Isn't his post a key one? Legqog, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Regional People's Congress, is a Tibetan. Isn't his post a key one? In fact, the heads of the CPC's Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee's publicity department, united work front department and the general office are all Tibetans. That means, three out of four leading organizations of China's ruling party at the regional level in Tibet are headed by Tibetans. There are also countless Tibetans working on key posts in Tibet's Party, government, military and mass organizations. According to our statistics, more than 70 percent of the CPC organizations from township to regional levels are headed by Tibetans. The Dalai Lama described all these Tibetan officials and comrades as puppets of the Han people, who hold their positions but cannot perform their duties. This is an insult to the Tibetan people. Not only is the accusation not true, it also reflects the hatred, contempt and arrogance held by the Dalai Lama, who used to stand for high-ranking monks, aristocrats and serf-owners in old Tibet, toward the Tibetan people who have become masters of their own destiny.
Why is the Dalai Lama so angry? The reason is very simple -- to him, if himself and the small number of people around him, who fled China in 1959 after a failed riot against democratic reforms, are not governing Tibet, then it's not "real autonomy". The "autonomy" he hopes for is no more than for these people to restore the theocratic feudal serfs system of old Tibet and the supreme power and status of the Dalai Lama. But all these are fundamentally against the interests of people in Tibet and the development of our country.
Therefore, it is not the time for me to understand his accusations of us, but for him to accept the denouncements from our central government and the people of various ethnicities in Tibet over his vain attempts to restore the feudal serfs system of old Tibet.
The Dalai Lama¡¯s separatist propositions and actions have not changed Focus: Tremendous changes have taken place in China in the past decades, shouldn't China admit that the Dalai Lama has changed too? His intention is not to restore the theocratic feudal serfs system in Tibet. What's the reason of your utter distrust and suspicions on him? Do you have any evidence to support your accusations that the Dalai Lama was engaged in separatist activities and fanning or conspiring the Lhasa riot in 2008? The Dalai Lama wants real autonomy, not separation of the country. Besides, he is persuading or restricting some young people from turning violent.
Zhu: Just now, you said that China has undergone tremendous changes in the past years, including Tibet, and that the old Tibet represented by the Dalai Lama was under the feudal serfs system. I think we agree on this. But I don't agree that the Dalai Lama has changed in nature. First, I want to repeat asking why did he flee China back then? He did so in 1959 because he was against democratic reforms in Tibet. In fact, the central government then had already made it clear to further postpone the reforms in consideration of the interests of Tibet's upper class. It also promised to ask for the Dalai Lama's agreement before initiating the reforms. But the Dalai Lama would rather take on an armed rebellion to maintain the feudal serfs system of old Tibet.
From 1959 to the whole 1960s, the Dalai Lama violently harassed the border areas for more than a decade and caused bloodshed under the support of some western powers. I hope some friends wouldn't forget this fact or deliberately wipe it out. By the end of the 1970s, after repeated failures and the changes in the international environment, the Dalai Lama claimed to give up "Tibetan independence" and adopt a "middle way" policy. But his "middle way" policy was still seeking Tibetan independence in nature. Leaders of the central government pointed this out as early as the beginning of the 1980s when they met with an observers group sent by the Dalai Lama. In recent years, my colleagues and I have explained in various occasions why we say the "middle way" is still "Tibet independence" in nature.
The central government has always left the Dalai Lama a way out. After he fled China, the central government kept his position as vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee until 1964. At the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s, when the Dalai Lama showed intentions for negotiation, leaders at the central government and relevant departments resumed contacts with him. However, the Dalai Lama and his people were completely ungrateful. They not only proposed the so-called "Great Tibetan Region" and "high-degree autonomy", but also planned a series of separatist and criminal activities such as smashing, looting, robbery and arson in Tibet. These activities reached a climax in 1987, 1988 and 1989, which forced Lhasa to enforce martial law in March 1989. From March 14, 2008, to the conclusion of the Beijing Olympics, their sabotage activities reached another climax, which showed clearly that they attempted to use the Olympics to force the central government to make concessions on the so-called "substantiated issues". As is known to all, their conspiracy failed completely. In addition, after his attempts to mess up Tibet failed, the Dalai Lama went around the world for his so-called "visits" and purposely generate tensions between China and other countries. We hope the Dalai Lama has "changed" the way you said. The change should not just be in words, but in action. We have never seen any change.
As to your question about evidence on the Lhasa riot, I think the facts have been clear. First, the existence of the separatist group itself, including the "government in exile", is against the Chinese law, and was the source of riots. Second, since 2007 when we were preparing for the Beijing Olympics, the Dalai Lama group, especially its extreme organizations such as the "Tibetan Youth Congress", planned a series of schemes to disrupt Tibet, including the so-called "Tibetan People's Uprising Movement". Later violent incidents that took place in Tibet were all closely related to the "Movement". Third, although the Dalai Lama tried to plead innocence, he voiced support for violence in the March 14 riot in a number of public speeches and tried to fan up bigger incidents. For instance, he once said no matter what, where and when the Tibetans do, he would not stop them. He also said for several times that the riot in Lhasa was initiated by the Chinese authorities and the military, and the Tibetans were scapegoats. He had been spreading this rumor until April 24 of this year when he was in the United States. On April 6, 2008, in an interview with the Asia Week, he claimed that most of the Han-majority-run shops burned down in the riot were involved in prostitution, which insulted the dead after the tragedy. There was one shop with five girls in and all of them were burned to death. They were about 18 or 19 years old and one of them was Tibetan. What proof did the Dalai Lama have to say they were prostitutes? Did he look like a Buddhist or a kind man when saying these words? I have only listed here a very small part of what he has said. But we can tell from these words whether he was trying to restrain violence or preach it.
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