Lhasa, Tibet, August 26 – China revealed for the first time Tuesday that the Dalai Lama was invited to return to Tibet in 1989 to attend the funeral of an important Tibetan Lama, but he turned down the opportunity.
“In 1989, when the Panchen Lama passed away, the China Buddhist Association, under the recommendation of the central government, invited the Dalai Lama to come back and attend the funeral service,” Jampa Phutsok, chairman of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR), said.
“He didn’t come, he made a wrong calculation, this was a very good opportunity and he gave it up.”
TAR officials said Phutsok’s statement was the first public announcement that an invitation had been extended to the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet.
“I have never heard of this (invitation), I never knew anything about this,” Qamba Gaisang, director of the Potala Palace, the traditional home of the Dalai Lama in Lhasa, told AFP.
Said another TAR official: “I’ve heard that such an invitation had been put forward, but I think it was the first time that it has been publicly announced.”
The Tibetan leader, revered in Tibet as a living God, fled his country in 1959 after a foiled, bloody uprising against Chinese rule imposed eight years earlier, and set up a government in exile in Dharamsala, India.
Since late last year, his envoys have been to Beijing twice for negotiations that, if successful, could pave the way for his return.
During the talks China has reiterated its demands that the Dalai Lama renounce Tibetan independence, admit the Chinese government is the government of all of China, including Tibet, and that Taiwan is also a part of China.
The Dalai Lama has repeatedly stated as much, but Beijing continues to insist that he is not sincere.
“What we need for a big breakthrough lies with the Dalai Lama,” Phutsok said. “Sincerity is the key.”
In an interview with the French daily Le Figaro Monday, the Dalai Lama warned that talks with China on autonomy for his homeland have to produce results within two or three years or violence may erupt.
“If there is no result in two or three years, it will be difficult for me to explain to the youths the validity of the ‘middle way'” advocating greater Tibetan autonomy over independence.
He added that Tibetan youth organisations were agitating for independence despite his efforts to win greater autonomy through peaceful means and dialogue.
“If my approach fails, these youths might be within their rights to take up the torch and demand independence,” he said.
“I hope nevertheless to still succeed,” he said, adding that “we must be patient.”
Phutsok told journalists that China had already allowed many of the Dalai Lama’s relatives into Tibet on visits, and further extended invitations to other exiled Tibetans.
“We very much welcome overseas Tibetans returning for a look, including the Dalai’s representatives,” Phutsok said.
While talks between the two sides have been underway, China has been making moves to cement its hold over Tibet.
It has been pouring billions of dollars worth of investment into the impoverished region, which has won over many Tibetans seeking material gains but largely at the expense of their unique Buddhist spirituality.
Beijing has also sent Chinese into Tibet, diluting its ethnic base and its use of the Tibetan language, and forced Tibetan monks to learn Communist ideology.
