Word: lama
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...weeklong summit, which includes elected members of Tibet's parliament-in-exile, nongovernmental organizations and protest groups, comes at a critical time. After the Dalai Lama indicated recently that he had all but given up on negotiations with China over autonomy for Tibet, there has been increasing tension between Tibetan conservatives, who favor continuing talks, and younger radicals, who want to push for a free Tibet. After protests this March in Lhasa that turned violent, the radicals were energized. But since then they have been unable to channel their efforts constructively. "The community is feeling slightly lost and helpless," says...
...simple fork in the road between seeking independence or seeking autonomy. That's clear from looking at the people expected to play a key role in the talks, which are closed to the public. The central voices of the Tibetan establishment include Lodi Gyari, the Dalai Lama's envoy to Washington and chief negotiator with the Chinese, and Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche, who is also seen as a conservative force, along with several Cabinet ministers. Those pushing for radical change include the Tibetan Youth Congress, which is vocal and visible but to date has had little sway over the Tibetan...
...person, but many of them are making their views heard through informal or secret communications. And with this group, too, there is a wide range of views, from radicalized former prisoners to those who are pushing for more concessions to China in the hopes of bringing the Dalai Lama back to Tibet before the end of his life...
...will be up to the chair of the meeting, Karma Choepel, the speaker of the Tibetan parliament, to allow open and frank discussion. The Dalai Lama will not participate in any of the talks, although he is expected to address the gathering after the end of the summit. The meeting, Barnett says, is "explicitly a response by the Dalai Lama to criticism that his charisma has cramped any space for real discussion." But no one is expecting Tibetans to suddenly shift course from the "middle path," which advocates for negotiating with Beijing for autonomy, not independence, and has been steered...
...pictures from the Dalai Lama's six decades leading Tibet here...