News and Views on Tibet

New Year Interviews with Samdhong Rinpoche

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Part Two: Clarifying Controversy within the Tibetan Diaspora

First day of the Tibetan year 2131 – Year of the Wood-Monkey (February 21, 2004)

In October 2003, WTN Co-Editor Thubten Samdup, sat down with Samdhong Rinpoche at his office in Dharmsala, northern India. They discussed Rinpoche’s role as Kalon Tripa (Chairperson of the Tibetan Cabinet), his government’s policies with regards to Tibet-China negotiations and his views on a variety of current debates taking place within the Tibetan Diaspora.

Part One of the New Year Interviews, on Tibet-China Negotiations, was published in WTN on January 1, 2004 and is available in the WTN archive (www.tibet.ca).

This is Part Two, released on the first day of the Tibetan year 2131. The interview seeks clarification on a number of issues of controversy within the Diaspora, including emigration, administration of Tibet offices abroad and cultural preservation.

Samdhong Rinpoche is the current Chairperson of the Tibetan Cabinet.

Learn more about Samdhong Rinpoche at http://www.tibet.net/kashag/eng/chairman/ Learn more about Tibet’s government in exile at http://www.tibet.net/tgie/eng/

Your comments on this interview are welcomed. Please send them to WTN editors at wtn-editors @tibet.ca

SAMDUP: You have been quoted as saying that Tibetans who have emigrated to the West cannot be depended upon to preserve or promote Tibetan culture. This has created misunderstanding and hurt within the Diaspora living in the West, especially those who have worked for the cause and have a close affinity to Dharamsala. Can you explain why you made that statement?

SAMDHONG RINPOCHE: Thank you for this question – it is very relevant. My statement appeared in Sheja, and I request that everyone read the whole content and not take out a small portion of that article. I have stated that Tibetan people living in the West have similar or perhaps more enthusiasm and determination for the Tibetan cause, more feeling for Tibet, but they are not able to lead in the Tibetan community. They can preserve their own Tibetan identity but when their children grow into the next generation, there is every possibility that they will lose the Tibetan language. I don’t think anyone can deny that fact. Very few Tibetans are able to teach Tibetan language to their children.

When I interact with the new generation I have to rely upon English. In that respect we are compelled to think that Tibetans who settle in the West will become the last generation in the sense of being representatives of the Tibetan culture. I still feel that very strongly. If my statement has hurt anyone then I regret it and offer my apology. So I admit the statement and I still feel that way but I don’t mean to hurt anyone – if it is not appreciated by our leaders, then I regret it.

SAMDUP: It is common knowledge that you are not in favour of Tibetans emigrating abroad. Can you share some of your reasons for this?

SAMDHONG RINPOCHE: We have to be very careful making that statement.Tibetans living in the diaspora are free to go where they want. We do not try to control them. Rather, we try to facilitate whatever they want to do. I am not in favour of sending Tibetans on a large scale to emigrate from India, Nepal or Bhutan. Therefore, the Tibetan government-in-exile does not look for, nor does it try to have large emigration programs. If governments offer, we do not turn them down.

Tibetans living in the Diaspora are making travel documents. We don’t stop that. On the contrary, we try to make it easy for them because it is their right. But our government does not encourage them to emigrate. The reason is very simple. Once Tibetans emigrate to the West, they cannot preserve the Tibetan identity for the second generation.

As soon as His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived in India, he chose the difficult idea to purchase land to settle Tibetans together. That decision showed great foresight in order to preserve and protect our culture, language and tradition for a number of generations to come. Creating those settlements took a great deal of time, energy and effort by His Holiness. Now, they are almost on the verge of closing down because people always expect to emigrate somewhere else. Therefore, the government does not encourage larger emigration projects although individual rights include the right to emigrate should they chose to do so.

SAMDUP: If I understand correctly, you have no objections to individuals traveling abroad, but you would object to large emigration projects such as we had a few years ago with the United States.

SAMDHONG RINPOCHE: Exactly. I was not in favour of that immigration program, but I could not stop it. I object to people leaving the settlements but my objection does not mean I would interfere with them. I would never do anything to interrupt them because it is their individual right. And to object is my right. We have to demarcate every individual’s rights so we do not interfere with their choice. Therefore, as Kalon Tripa, my administration will not request immigration programs of any government – we will not take any initiative for that.

SAMDUP: There have been rumours that you have sent letters requesting foreign embassies in Delhi not to issue visas to Tibetans.

SAMDHONG RINPOCHE: That is 100% not true. I never sent any letter to any embassy, to institutions or individuals to stop visas. That is not within our right. Even if we write such letters, it would not be considered by any embassy and we have no reason to write them.

I think that rumour might be based on one decision taken by my administration that we do not issue recommendation letters to foreign embassies recommending visas for individuals. That decision was taken following reports from certain embassies that Tibetans had obtained rubber stamps or that recommendations were being forged. That is why we stopped issuing any recommendation letters as we had done in the past. It is true that we have stopped that practice now – we are not giving recommendation letters unless he or she is going for a public or institutional purpose. Apart from these, we have never written any letter to any embassy.

SAMDUP: A question related to that, we have also heard that ICs are becoming more difficult to obtain.

(ed: ICs are identity Certificates for refugees issued by the Government of India in lieu of passports. Although ICs are issued by the Government of India, the Bureau of the Dalai Lama in Delhi coordinates the application process and serves as the liaison between the applicant and the Government of India)

SAMDHONG RINPOCHE: Nothing has changed and I think my administration has made it much easier. We have reduced the fee charged for IC applications to the actual amount which we need to spend. We no longer charge the other amounts – more than half have been reduced and we have increased the staff working in Delhi on IC applications. Previously it took a much longer time. Now, in 3 months our office is able to issue more than 500 ICs which is much more efficient than before. My administration has made it much easier, more efficient and much faster. If someone feels it is more difficult, it is absolutely not true.

SAMDUP: I’ve been told that there is an ongoing 3-year project with the Australian government which accepts 10 former political prisoners per year on humanitarian grounds. Is it true that a request for renewal has come in from the Australian Government, but that your administration has decided not to renew it? If it is true, why?

SAMDHONG RINPOCHE: This is not true. When I took charge, the first stage of immigrants to Australia was held up and there were a lot of difficulties. I took up that case personally with the Australian government. All the backlog is now in the past. The Australian government has renewed the program and we have welcomed it. It was done in the month of May (ed:2003).

SAMDUP: In a recent session of the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies, a question about Tibet Fund in New York was raised. Your response in the Parliament was that since Tibet Fund is registered under United States law, the Tibetan government-in-exile has no jurisdiction over it. If that is true, wouldn’t it also be true of Tibet House, Tibetan Children’s Village and Tibetan Homes Foundation for instance, in India?

SAMDHONG RINPOCHE: Yes that is true. Before my administration took office,for 7 years there had been a lot of discussions and correspondence between Tibet Fund and the Kashag (ed: Tibetan Cabinet); between the Tibet Justice Commission and Tibet Fund; and between the Tibetan Parliament and Tibet Fund. It was made clear from the Tibet Fund side, that if the Tibetan government-in-exile had any kind of jurisdiction over them, then they would be viewed as a foreign agent under US law. As soon as Tibet Fund would become a foreign agent, then the ability to raise money, have tax reductions and have the charitable tax status would be cancelled. Subsequently it would not be able to arrange the humanitarian grants, scholarships and many other things it does for the purpose of helping Tibetans.

In order to protect that non-governmental status, it must be very clear that the Tibetan government has nothing to do with Tibet Fund. It must be very clear. Therefore the Tibet Justice Commission did not classify Tibet Fund as a party in the dispute which had come up at the time, and they dealt with Tibet Fund officers as individuals in order to settle the dispute and to save Tibet Fund. The danger was made clear by Tibet Fund authorities themselves saying they could lose their non-governmental status. I didn’t want them to lose that opportunity and so I emphasized that Tibet Fund was registered according to the US government rules and regulations.

It is entirely different for those institutions in India – Tibet House and Tibetan Homes Foundation. They are all registered as autonomous bodies but within their constitution the Tibetan government has the right to nominate officers. As well they have several interactions with the Tibetan-government-in-exile and the Tibetan government-in-exile has legal jurisdiction over them in many ways. That is already inbuilt into their constitutions and by-laws.

SAMDUP: My follow-up question is regarding your reference to the Tibet Fund Board of Directors, that they have emphasized the possibility of losing their non-profit charity status. I’m sure there are those who would argue that Tibet Fund was established for the sole purpose of generating donations from concerned Americans for the welfare of Tibetans. Therefore, if the Tibetan government felt strongly enough that certain clarifications were needed, I would think that the Board of Directors would understand and they would try to work with the Tibetan government. Because of the ongoing questions related to Tibet Fund, don’t you feel that you have a moral responsibility to ensure that these misunderstandings are cleared up? All you would have to do is request that one of the Directors of Tibet Fund come to Dharmsala and answer questions – of course, with the approval of the Board of Directors of Tibet Fund.

SAMDHONG RINPOCHE: I do not deny the moral responsibility and I also accept your proposition that Tibet Fund was set up solely for generating funds for the Tibetan-government-in-exile and if possible, for Tibetans in Tibet. In the beginning Tibet Fund was set up with the contribution of a considerable amount of money from His Holiness’ private office and the Tibetan-government-in-exile. It was initiated by the Tibetan government-in-exile for the purpose of generating funds for Tibetans inside and outside of Tibet, and that was very clear. And in the beginning, the Tibetan Government-in-exile has planned for that, I think back in 1986 or 1987 by acknowledging that although Tibet Fund is a charitable institution registered under US law, the successive representatives of His Holiness in New York would be the presidents of Tibet Fund. That was an internal decision of the Kashag and it was not respected. Later on, the successive representatives of the Dalai Lama in NY could not become the presidents of Tibet Fund. Tibet Fund has very clearly spelled the threat of losing its status if we interfered, so then I thought it would be better not to interfere.

In spite of that, the Tibetan government-in-exile remains the beneficiary. The largest amount that Tibet Fund raises is being given to Tibetan settlements and we are receiving it. As beneficiaries we have the right to know certain things particularly the accounts of money received and spent. For that reason, we are constantly requesting that Tibet Fund provide the clarification information, which is required by us. And we are still maintaining that correspondence constantly.

At this moment we have a lot of un-clarity and a difference of opinion about the utilization of the Fulbright scholarships. We have been discussing that for more than one year and we discussed it with the President of Tibet Fund when he visited here with the scholarship committee. We are trying to get the complete picture of the accounts.

As far as requesting the President to explain in the parliament that is within the parliament’s jurisdiction and the administration cannot request it. The President of Tibet Fund visited here and he called upon the President of the parliament and I think they had several discussions. If the parliament decides to call him and have additional clarifications from him then that is to be done by the parliament. As for the administration, we do not want to take the blame if anything happens to Tibet Fund under US law. If it happened due to the Kashag’s interference, we wouldn’t want to be responsible – that is all.

SAMDUP: Just to follow-up, the Board of Directors of Tibet Fund made it very clear that if there was interference from Tibetan government-in-exile, there would be a high risk of losing its status in the US and therefore you felt that you couldn’t pursue it further. Can you tell our readers if the threat was made in writing or verbally?

SAMDHONG RINPOCHE: I want to clarify that the word “threat” may not be appropriate to use here. It may not be considered a threat. It was explained in writing and in verbal both, that if we do interfere then there is a very high risk of losing the non-profit charitable status and I have read that written portion out to the parliament. It was in writing. It was in verbal. It comes up in almost all of our discussions.

SAMDUP: Thank you. On another matter – is your administration considering perhaps revising the distribution of Tibet offices abroad based on strategic considerations?

SAMDHONG RINPOCHE: For the last 2 years, we have been talking about it and my administration has considered closing up some of the offices. But it is not an easy decision and big decisions take on big consultations and research and that is a problem. I am facing that problem on several matters and we are dealing with it. We are considering how to re-distribute and re-structure and I have a lot of agenda items for discussion when the representatives meet in Prague at the end of this month (ed: October 2003). One thing is very clear – I am not going to multiply or open new offices without deeper research. The present re-structuring is very difficult task but we are moving forward.

SAMDUP: One final question of interest to our younger readers regarding your statement that the Miss Tibet event was not appropriate – would you like to add anything to this?

SAMDHONG RINPOCHE: No, I don’t have anything to add and I don’t take out anything. I am very clear and I have not changed my mind. My younger friends might take 20-30 years to understand my statement and I have every belief and confidence that they will appreciate my statement after 20 or 30 years. I never tried to stop that venture, I only criticized it. It is against our culture and it is against our tradition. It will not help or promote the Tibet cause. This kind of cheap advertisement of popularity will never help the Tibetan cause in the long term.

Tibet is respected because of its spirituality and its cultural traditions in the world. The Tibetan cause stands on that basis. Just imitating the western culture will never help the Tibetan cause -it will always damage the Tibet cause. That is my opinion and I am very transparent and I am very clear about it and I will never change my mind and my conclusion is based on rationality and therefore there is no need to change it. The organizers of this competition who are not appreciative of my statement, they will understand my statement after 15 years, or 20 years or 30 years, I am quite sure of that.

SAMDUP: In closing, I’d like to ask you for a comment about public dissent regarding various decisions made by your administration. In the context of living in exile, many Tibetans feel the most important thing is to stick together. How do you feel we can we best reconcile this dilemma?

SAMDHONG RINPOCHE: I appreciate those who find fault with my administration, and I am willing to take their criticism very positively. My only regret is they are not trying to verify the things they are talking about or coming to us to make their points. They just make noise among the people and that gives no result. It serves only to spoil the mind of the people. If they see any fault they must come to me. They can say, we do not agree with this decision, or this decision is not good, or this is your fault. I am very open to consider them and the Kashag has a register to enter each one of the wrong decisions we have taken. We try as much as possible to reverse decisions and if it is not possible we will not repeat them. We deal with these kinds of things very diligently. But gossip among the people or on the internet without any responsibility – they have the right to do it, but it is not helpful.

SAMDUP: On behalf of the WTN editors and readers, I would like to thank you for granting this interview and giving us so much of your time.

SAMDHONG RINPOCHE: Thank you for your questions – they were very appropriate and thoughtful questions.

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