India asks Dalai Lama to refrain from political activities

New Delhi: India has asked the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, not to engage in political activities that could hurt the country’s ties with China, media reports said on Tuesday.

“Dalai Lama is a religious leader. India will render all the hospitality to him as he is a respectable guest, he will have full freedom to preach religion in India but he can’t conduct any political activity in this country that harms India-China ties,” External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in remarks broadcast on TV channels.

Speaking at a function in Behrampore in West Bengal, Mr. Mukherjee said there was no change in the Indian policy on Tibet that was formulated by Nehru. — DPA

PTI reports:

Asked about the former Defence Minister George Fernandes’ remarks on India’s response to the Chinese action in Tibet, Mr. Mukherjee said though Mr. Fernandes spoke against China now, he had visited the country when he was Defence Minister. “Tibet is an autonomous region of China,” he said.

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Despite the fact that India is largely Hindu, Buddhism is stil the religion of choice for close to 17 million Indians.

History of the Conflict between China and Tibet:

Check this link for an overview: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~nfedick/classweb/worldpol/conflict.html

Tensions between China and Tibet have persisted since China claimed control of the territory in 1959. Tibetans historically enjoyed long periods of independent rule,...Many say they remain loyal to the Dalai Lamas, the traditional magistrates of the region. Analysts say the current uprising could also spotlight tensions between China and India, where the Dalai Lama has been in exile since 1959. Pranab Mukherjee, India's foreign minister, said India would hold firm (Business Standard) on its position not to allow Tibetan sympathizers in India to cross the India-Tibet border into Tibet, for reasons of maintaining regional stability. The Times of India reports the issue has also stirred internal tensions in New Delhi, with several opposition parties calling for more forceful action from the Indian government. (from http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/post_21.html)

Dalai Lama - official website. Pay particular attention to the third commitment...
http://www.dalailama.com/page.2.htm

Why do you think that India is concerned that the Dalai Lama might make problems for them politically?

Based on what you learned at the official Dalai Lama site, do you think that the Dalai Lama will be able to stop creating political problems with China?

Do you think that China has a right to rule over Tibet, or that Tibet should be given freedom?

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