Reportage – 2006

Tibetans celebrate, Dalai Lama rests on his 71st birthday

MCLEOD GANJ, India, 6 July 2006 – Tibetan school children performing on the 71st birthday of the Dalai Lama at his temple. [ click here for print size   3.3M ]

MCLEOD GANJ, India, 6 July 2006 — The Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche charged China with continued human rights violations, environmental destruction, lack of religious freedom, patriotic re-education campaigns to brainwash monastic institutions and ban on the photographs of the Dalai Lama, on the day Tibetans celebrate their leader's birthday while India and China opened a border pass for trade and railway reached Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, three days back.

However, the exiled Tibetan government believes that a better political and economic ties between India and China will benefit the Tibetans to resolve their issue.

"We welcome the opening of Nathu-la pass for border trade between India and China," says the spokesman of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Thupten Samphel.

"As the Tibetan issue remains in the backdrop of the political scenes of these two countries, a better relationship between the two giants will help China understand the Tibetan situation better and resolve the Tibetan issue amicably," Samphel adds.

Speaking to the gathering attended by several thousand Tibetans and their supporters to celebrate the 71st birthday of their leader, Dalai Lama, Rinpoche said, "The aspirations of the Tibetan people have now become crystal clear to the People's Republic of China, and the Sino-Tibetan ties have futher deepened and improved."

"Unfortunately there has not been a positive change in China's policy on Tibet," he added.

Tibetans gathered at the temple of the Dalai Lama in Mcleod Ganj to celebrate the 71st birth anniversary of their leader, Dalai Lama, with prayer, dancing and singing.

However, the Dalai Lama was not among the gathering. He is taking some time off after his doctors advised him to take complete rest because of his hectic travelling schedule since the beginning of this year.

"There is not a major issue with His Holiness' health. He feels tired because of his hectic schedule in the past few months and the doctors advised him to rest as a precautionary measure," says Tenzin Taklha, the Dalai Lama's press secretary.

The retreat has led to the cancellation of his upcoming European tour beginning 11 July in Helsinki, Finland, followed by a two-week teaching and lecture tour in France and Spain.

In his remarks for the Dalai Lama's birthday, the Tibetan Prime Minister said, "Today is a very special occasion because on this day the world witnessed the birth of a great leader, not just of the Tibetans but of humanity as a whole."

He urged the Chinese officials to refrain from making baseless allegations and derogatory remarks against the Dalai Lama.

"It has become one of the serious causes of separatism among the nationalities, and such actions are not only unbecoming for China but also seriously harm the atmosphere of Sino-Tibetan dialogue process," Rinpoche added.