Dalai Lama urges unity as India drifts towards China

DHaraMsaLa: The Dalai Lama called on his people to remain united as the Tibetan community gathered in a small hill town to mark 60 years of political asylum in India – although just one federal minister appeared at the event.

The “Thank You India” event had been scheduled for India’s capital, New Delhi, but was shifted to Dharamsala, a small town in the country’s north where Tibetans run a government in exile, as India tries to avoid a confrontation with China, which views the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist.

Officially, New Delhi says its policy toward the Dalai Lama remains the same, and the Tibetan government in exile says it moved the event to Dharamsala out of respect for India’s foreign policy needs.

India’s culture minister was the only minister present at the event.

“Today we are celebrating 60 years in exile and we are confident, and we can see how our future shapes up,” the Dalai Lama said at the event.

China took control of Tibet in 1950 in what it called a “peaceful liberation”.

In March 1959, the Dalai Lama, then 23 years old, fled to India along with his followers.

Then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru welcomed the monk and allowed him to make Dharamsala his seat. But the ties have weakened as India tries to improve relations with China and avoids a standoff such as the 73-day military face-off along a stretch of their disputed border last year. — Reuters