Next Dalai Lama must be chosen within China; India should not intervene: Chinese authorities
Lhasa/Beijing, Jul 14: The successor of the Dalai Lama has to be decided within China and any interference by India on the issue will impact bilateral ties, Chinese authorities have said.
In the first clear assertion on the sensitive issue, senior Chinese officials and experts said the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must be approved by the Chinese government and the selection should take place within the country based on an over 200-year old historical process.
"The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama is a historical, religious and political issue. There are established historical institutions and formalities for the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama," Wang Neng Sheng, an official in the rank of vice minister in Tibet, told a small group of Indian journalists in Lhasa.
"The Dalai Lama's reincarnation is not decided by his personal wish or by some group of people living in other countries," he added.
Wang, the director general at the government of Tibet Autonomous Region, said the current Dalai Lama was recognized by Beijing and his successor must be found through the "draw of lots in golden urn process" within China.
Echoing Wang's views, Zha Luo, director at Beijing-based China Tibetology Research Centre, a government-run influential think tank, said any refusal by India to recognise the next Dalai Lama to be chosen within China will impact bilateral ties.
The 14th Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 following a crackdown on an uprising by the local population in Tibet. India granted him political asylum and the Tibetan government-in-exile is based on Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh since then.
The Dalai Lama is 84 years old now and the issue of his successor has gained prominence in the last couple of years.
"It will be a major political difference that would impact bilateral relations and any wise political leader wouldn't do that," said Zha whose team advises central government on policy issues for Tibet said.
He was asked what will happen if India refuses to recognize the next Dalai Lama chosen by China.
"Since the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama is an important issue for China any friendly country or friend of China would not interfere or meddle on the issue," he added.
Zha, however, called it a hypothetical answer to a hypothetical question.
India has maintained its stand on the Dalai Lama.
"Government of India's position on His Holiness the Dalai Lama is clear and consistent. He is a revered religious leader and is deeply respected by the people of India. There is no change in that position. His Holiness is accorded all freedom to carry out his religious activities in India," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson had told a media briefings in March last year.
Wang said the process of selecting the next Dalai Lama must follow two clear steps: "It must go to draw of lots in the golden urn and the reincarnation must be recognised by the central government."
He said the "centrality" of the central government must be recognised and that any personal move by the current Dalai Lama on the issue is not going to be recognized by Chinese government or religious followers in Tibet.
"It was with the central government's recognition that the Dalai Lama became the 14th Dalai Lama. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been in that position," Wang said.
He alleged that the Dalai Lama has been "inciting" and "misguiding" young Tibetan people for his political motives.
Asked about the Dalai Lama's comments that he was ready to accept Tibet as part of China, Wang said he has been resorting to political rhetoric without taking any action.
"He still believes that Tibet is an independent country. Without any concrete moves from his side, his words do not mean anything," he added.
He said there were around 10 rounds of discussions between private representatives of the Dalai Lama and Beijing. The last round took place in 2011 in Beijing.
"The discussions were about the future of the Dalai Lama and did not include or touch on the topic of future of Tibet as a part of China's sovereign territory," Wang said.
The Indian government had issued a note nearly a year back to senior officials, asking them not to attend events organised by the Tibetan government-in-exile.
India has also been supporting the 'One China' policy, which states that Taiwan and Tibet are part of China's mainland. Beijing made the 'One-China' policy a prerequisite for countries to establish diplomatic ties with it.
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Indian mobile hospital treats over 2,200 cyclone-hit people as New Delhi ramps up relief efforts in
Colombo (PTI): A mobile hospital set up by India in Sri Lanka has provided medical care to over 2,200 people affected by Cyclone Ditwah, as New Delhi ramped up its assistance to the flood-ravaged island nation with engineering support and delivery of fresh relief consignments, the Indian mission here said on Sunday.
Sri Lanka has been grappling with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse triggered by the cyclone, leaving several districts isolated and severely straining the country's disaster-response capacity.
At least 627 people have been killed and 190 remain missing as of Sunday noon due to catastrophic floods and landslides caused by extreme weather conditions since November 16.
Sharing a social media post by the Ministry of External Affairs on its X handle, the Indian High Commission said a field hospital set up by India in Mahiyanganaya near Kandy has provided medical care to more than 2,200 people affected by the cyclone since December 5.
The hospital has also performed 67 minor procedures and three surgeries, it said. The field hospital was airlifted to Sri Lanka by an IAF C-17 aircraft along with a 78-member Indian medical team on Tuesday.
In another post, the mission said Indian Army engineers, working with Sri Lanka Army Engineers and the Road Development Authority, in Kilinochchi have begun removing a damaged bridge on the Paranthan–Karachchi–Mullaitivu (A35) road, a key route disrupted by the cyclone.
"This joint effort marks another step toward restoring vital connectivity for affected communities," it said.
India has additionally sent nearly 1,000 tonnes of food items and clothing contributed by the people of Tamil Nadu. Of these, about 300 tonnes reached Colombo on Sunday morning aboard three Indian Naval ships.
High Commissioner Santosh Jha handed over the supplies to Sri Lankan Minister for Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe.
India, on November 28, launched 'Operation Sagar Bandhu', a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative, to aid Sri Lanka in its recovery from the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Since the launch of the operation, India has provided about 58 tonnes of relief material, including dry rations, tents, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, essential cloths, water purification kits and about 4.5 tonnes of medicines and surgical equipment, the Indian mission said in a press release on Sunday.
Another 60 tonnes of equipment, including generators, inflatable rescue boats, Outboard Motors, and excavators, have also been brought to Sri Lanka, it said, adding that 185 tonnes of Bailey Bridge units were airlifted to restore critical connectivity along with 44 engineers.
Two columns of the National Disaster Response Force, comprising 80 experts and K9 units with specially trained dogs, assisted with immediate rescue and relief efforts in Sri Lanka.
Besides the field hospital in Mahiyanganaya, medical centres have also been set up in the badly hit Ja-Ela region and in Negombo. INS Vikrant, INS Udaygiri, and INS Sukanya provided immediate rescue and relief assistance to Sri Lanka.
Apart from the two Chetak helicopters deployed from INS Vikrant, two heavy-lift, MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force are actively involved in evacuations and airlifting relief material, the release said.
At the request of the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre, a virtual meeting was organised between DMC and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s National Remote Sensing Centre on Saturday.
Since the onset of the disaster, ISRO has been providing maps to assist DMC in its rescue efforts, the release said.
