Dharamsala, A veteran Tibetan political prisoner, who is currently with the Dalai Lama here in Himachal Pradesh, says he supports the spiritual leader’s middle path approach to the Tibet issue. At the same time, Takna, Jigme Sangpo, 74, who was imprisoned for 37 years in China, vows to continue his fight for Tibet’s independence.
“I am a very stubborn man and do not change my political stand. I will continue to struggle for Tibet’s independence till my last breath,” Sangpo said in the latest issue of Voice of Tibet.
Commenting on the Dalai Lama’ middle path approach of seeking autonomy for the three traditional provinces of Tibet within the framework of China, the grey bearded bespectacled Sangpo said: “Tibet’s struggle is a long-term one and can’t be solved within a short period of time.”
This is Sangpo’s first visit to India, home to some 100,000 Tibetan refugees who live here in exile along with their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
Dharamsala is the base of the Tibetan government-in-exile, so far not recognised by any other country in the world.
Sangpo said the Chinese had until now considered the Dalai Lama as just a religious figure, working for the promotion of human rights throughout the world.
“But they started taking him seriously once world intellectuals and leaders attached importance to his political views, even considering him a sort of political expert,” Sangpo said.
“When I arrived here, I realised that the Dalai Lama’s solution to Tibet’s problem is to achieve genuine autonomy for the three traditional provinces, whereby Tibetans will have freedom to pursue economic development and promote their identity and culture within the overall framework of the People’s Republic of China,” he said.
“His middle path policy of resolving the Tibet-China problem is a pragmatic approach, and will benefit both Tibet and China, which is at present undergoing drastic changes. The present Chinese leaders are not ideologically driven and hard core like Mao.”
Sangpo is expected to be in India for the next few months and is likely to visit various religious spots before he returns to Switzerland.
