By PRAGNAN BHATTACHARYA,
Associated Press Writer
SARNATH, India – The Dalai Lama said Thursday that international pressure and rapid changes within China will eventually force Beijing to grant autonomy to Tibet.
“Autonomy to Tibet under the Chinese constitution has to come sooner or later,” the Tibetan spiritual leader told reporters in Sarnath, a Buddhist pilgrimage center 450 kilometers (280 miles) southeast of New Delhi.
He was critical of Chinese rule in Tibet, saying everyone there lives in terror, and he said China’s occupation of the region will eventually disrupt its own stability.
The first round of negotiations between his representatives and the Chinese government last year was positive, the Dalai Lama said. “It’s a complex issue and I don’t know how long it will take to resolve,” he said.
China rejects the Dalai Lama’s allegations that Tibetans are oppressed and mistreated, saying those in prison are criminals and that Tibet is an integral part of China.
The Dalai Lama cited increased Chinese interest in Tibet’s religion, culture and tradition as an example of progress. He said, however, that Chinese settlements in Tibet have harmed the religion and changed the population ratio of most big cities so that Chinese outnumber Tibetans.
The Dalai Lama fled Tibet after a failed 1959 revolt against Chinese rule. He was followed by more than 120,000 Tibetan refugees and settled in the northern Indian town of Dharmsala, where he heads an exile government.
“If Tibet is granted autonomy with a certain degree of freedom, I will hand over all administrative powers to the elected body which is already functioning in exile,” the Dalai Lama said Thursday.
The exile Tibetan community had its first direct election last year for a prime minister as a step toward forming a government that could function separately from the Dalai Lama, whom Tibetan Buddhists believe is the 14th reincarnation of their spiritual leader.
“If I die today, I am sure they will find another incarnation,” the 67-year-old Dalai Lama said. “But if I live for a few decades more, people will probably prefer not to continue with the institution of the Dalai Lama.”
