‘China will decide Dalai successor’
BEIJING: Calling Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama a “separatist” who wants to create an independent political entity in China, a top Beijing-based think-tank on Thursday said India should not allow him to visit “disputed areas” and emphasised that only Beijing will decide who his successor would be, when needed.
On April 1, the Dalai Lama is expected to begin a tour of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims is part of south Tibet. He will be in Tawang between April 5 and 7 where he is slated to deliver religious lectures. The Chinese government has already warned India that it is “gravely concerned” about the visit.
On Thursday, the China Tibetology Research Centre (CTRC) sent out a sharp note of displeasure. “So Tawang is part of Tibet and Tibet is part of China, so Tawang is part of China. Not much of a question,” Lian Xiangmin, director of the CTRC-affiliated Institute of Contemporary Tibetan Studies said.
On the issue of Dalai Lama’s succession, Lian said it has to be done according to “historical conventions and religious rituals”.
“I hope that his successor should be found in his hometown in China,” Lian said.
“In China, there are 6 million Tibetan people. Apart from religious followers who are Tibetan, there are also people of other ethnic groups who follow Tibetan Buddhism. I believe they hope to see the successor of the 14th Dalai Lama produced in their neighbourhood in China,” he said.