By D. ROEBERT,
SOUTH AFRICAN FRIENDS OF TIBET

Lodi Gyari Rinpoche, Special Envoy of H.H. the Dalai lama, attended the World Movement for Democracy conference in Durban on 1- 2 February. From 3 - 6 February Rinpoche visited the Johannesburg / Pretoria region and attended a number of TV and press interviews. Rinpoche also met with Mr.N. Scholz,Director of East Asian Affairs of the Dept. of Foreign Affairs.

Rinpoche said that he considered his visit a ' pilgrimage to South Africa, a country which had allowed wisdom to prevail in achieving a negotiated and peaceful solution to its problems.' He added that South Africa could play a useful role in persuading the PRC to enter into negotiations with the TGIE.

Rinpoche also met with senior management of Gold Fields, the 4th largest bullion producer in the world, to discuss the sensitive issue of mining in Tibet. Gold Fields has a 10% stake in Sino Gold, the Australian Mining Junior which has been at the centre of a campaign by the Australia Tibet Council to stop mining activities in Jinkang, Tibet. Rinpoche expressed positive sentiments towards the responsible attitude of Gold Fields regarding the issue of extracting non-renewable resources such as gold from Tibet, while Tibetans enjoy no real benefit from such ventures. Gold Fields has stated that work on the Jinkang site has been halted.

Rinpoche gave a public address at the Lam Rim Buddhist centre in Johannesburg, using the opportunity to clarify the TGIE stance towards the PRC and outlining the progress of talks to date.He re- confirmed the strictly non-violent basis of the Tibetan struggle for genuine autonomy, and stressed the ethical nature of the TGIE struggle methodology.

Rinpoche returned to Washington D.C. on the 6th Feb.


2. ARTICLE IN ' THIS DAY ' NEWSPAPER. ( February 6)

SOUTH AFRICA CAN INSPIRE CHINA ' TO SEE SKY'

By Michael Schmidt.

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's recent experience in reaching a negotiated settlement should inspire Mainland China to do the same regarding Tibet, the Dalai Lama's Special Envoy said yesterday.

Speaking to THIS DAY at a farm in Broederstroom, Lodi Gyari Rinpoche, who is the executive chairperson also for the International Campaign for Tibet, said that while talks between Beijing and the Tibetan Exile Leadership were ' not totally out of the woods, we can see patches of sky'.

Gyari Rinpoche said Tibet was not demanding a fully independent state, but rather ' genuine autonomy within the framework of the People's Republic of China'.

' It's important for South Africa to encourage the Chinese to seek a peaceful settlement', he said.