Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Dalai Lama defies Beijing, calls for greater Tibetan autonomy
Agence France-Presse
Oslo, June 14, 2005
The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet's Buddhists, on Tuesday called for greater self-rule for Tibet in spite of a warning by Beijing that he should not engage in political activities during a visit to Scandinavia.
He told parliamentarians that Tibetans did not seek independence but the greatest degree of self-rule possible, according to the Norwegian press agency NTB.
He said that overall he was optimistic since the situation was evolving positively and Tibet shared the same basic values and aims as China -- peace, progress and stability.
But he said the situation in Tibet was almost desperate because Tibetans were far from having won respect for their culture, values and human rights.
Earlier in the day China said it had warned Sweden against allowing him to engage in political activities during a brief stay in Scandinavia.
"The Chinese side expressed concerns to the Swedish side," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in Beijing of the visit to Gothenburg by Tibet's most revered spiritual leader.
© HT Media Ltd. 2005. India News