“Tibetan Exiles Meet to Ponder a New Strategy”

“Whatever he does, we do,” said Tashi, a driver who keeps a portrait of the Dalai Lama on his dashboard even though such images are banned in China. He also added that, “we don’t want to make trouble.” The Article, “Tibetan Exiles Meet to Ponder a New Strategy” that was published on Sunday, November 9, 2008 shows us, the reader, that this man’s statement is an accurate one. The article discusses how the calm here could soon crumble, depending on the outcome of a six-day meeting of Tibetan exiles that began Monday in India. The conclave is the first of its kind since 1991. The Dalai Lama has called for hundreds of Tibetans to gather in the Himalayan town of Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile, to help decide on a new strategy for Tibet. In a statement released Monday, the government in exile sought to play down speculation that a significant shift in its approach to the issue of Tibetan independence might be near. The speculation has been fueled in part by comments from the Dalai Lama, who said this month that his drive to secure autonomy for Tibet through negotiations with the Chinese government had failed. That admission strengthened the hand of younger Tibetans who have long agitated for a more radical approach and who have demanded independence.

My opinion of the article, “Tibetan Exiles Meet to Ponder a New Strategy” is that it is empowering that despite over 40 years of Chinese occupation of Tibet, the Tibetan people refuse to be conquered and subjugated by China. The present Chinese policy, a combination of demographic manipulation and discrimination, aims to finally suppress the Tibetan issue by changing the very character and the identity of Tibet and its people. Though governments and human rights organizations have expressed concern about the transfer and settlement of Chinese people into Tibet, the issue is difficult to address effectively due to a shortage of reliable figures and the misleading use of statistics by Chinese authorities.

Article written by: Edward Wong
The New York Times
Monday, November 17, 2008
Article on page A13 of the New York edition