By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Dec. 23: The Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote to the new US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, Uzra Zeya on Thursday congratulating her for the new position and hoped that the Indian-American diplomat would be able to contribute in improving the situation of the Tibetan people. “As I have had the opportunity to express to successive American leaders, continued and consistent American support has been a source of great encouragement to Tibetans in our peaceful struggle for freedom and dignity,” the Nobel laureate said in a statement.
The exiled leader based in Dharamshala devolved full political authority in 2011, and ushered in the first democratically elected leader Dr. Lobsang Sangay. The Dalai Lama said that he remains concerned about the welfare of Tibetans, “Although I have handed over political authority to an elected Tibetan leadership, I remain concerned about the survival of the Tibetan identity, our distinctive culture and heritage and the protection of Tibet’s fragile natural environment. I am pleased to see that in your first remarks, you mentioned that these will be your priorities.”
The 86-year-old said that he looks forward to meeting with the new appointed coordinator for future initiatives. “I look forward to meeting you and exchanging views on issues that can benefit from your support and initiatives. I am sure you will be in close contact with our elected Tibetan leadership,” he further wrote, adding that he “firmly believed the United States can play a leadership role in promoting awareness of the fundamental values of democracy, freedom, and human rights.”
Zeya who concurrently serves as the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights met with the representative of Dalai Lama to North America, Namgyal Choedup, and wrote on her twitter handle, “It was my pleasure to meet with Namgyal Choedup, the representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in my first official meeting as US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. I look forward to continuing these vital discussions.” She subsequently met with members of the lobby group International Campaign for Tibet, Bhuchung K. Tsering and Tencho Gyatso on Wednesday to lay out US’s objectives for supporting the Tibetan people.
Shortly after her appointment, she stated that one of her key priorities would be to create space for direct dialogue among other goals, “Direct dialogue without preconditions between the government of the People’s Republic of China and His Holiness the Dalai Lama or his representatives is essential to resolve differences and achieve meaningful autonomy for Tibetans.” The diplomat has become the seventh official to hold the position of Special Coordinator for Tibet, following former coordinator Robert Destro’s short term under President Trump.
One Response
I am encouraged that an Indian origin US diplomat has been appointed as the seventh US Special Co-ordinator for Tibet. All such appointees do their best of course but the difference is, an Indian origin diplomat like Uzra Zeya is that they have an affinity towards their original country and India has been Tibet’s neighbour like Bhutan for centuries. Tibet and Bhutan embraced Buddhism which originated in India and this has made the two countries look to India has Arya Bhumi (འཕགས་ཡུལ་). Both looked to India as the source of our knowledge, wisdom and spiritual homeland. Many Indians also look to Tibet and Bhutan as their cultural brothers. Just as Tibetan Buddhists regard Tibet’s Mount Kailash (གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་)as a holy mountain and Lake Manasarover (མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ་སྔོན་མོ་) as holy lakes, millions of Hindus do the same. Besides, Buddhism and Hinduism both emphasise the notion of ahimsa (འཚེ་མེད་) These parallel belief system has created a special bond between Tibetans and Indians. Millions of Indians hold the Dalai Lama as an avatar and has immense respect for his serenity and Gandhian stance in the liberation of Tibet.
We saw this with Navy Pillay, who was born in South Africa but was from Indian Tamil descent. May be it was from her experience of the apartheid South African regime where she grew up and fought the apartheid system in the courts after becoming a lawyer until it fell in 1994 but she fiercely fought the CCP apartheid regime after she was appointed as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. She demanded a UN delegation be sent to Tibet after the pan-Tibet demonstrations across Tibet. The CCP regime knew they will face international condemnation if their treatment of Tibetans was exposed and never allowed.
We had the sunny Nikki Haley who served as Donald Trump’s US ambassador to the UN. She was born to Indian Punjabi immigrants. Even though she was a former Carolina Governor and US ambassador to UN, she wanted to meet the Dalai Lama with a US delegation when she visited India in 2018 but was turned down by Trump who sucked up to the Chinese Dictator. This shows that even though they are Americans and living thousands of miles away from their original roots, they keep their roots in heart and with it they sympathise with those who have been oppressed in the vicinity of their original country. They have been especially impressed by the Dalai Lama and his message of oneness of humanity and His serenity as a spiritual Guru.
I believe Uzra Zeya is also inspired by the Dalai Lama and his message and will also try her best to help Tibet in her capacity as the US coordinator for Tibet. After all she is also the daughter of Bihari immigrants who have made successful carriers as diplomats in the US political firmament.
The ideological war between the US and communist China is going to be ugly. The CCP feels entitled to be the “leader” of the world. Unfortunately, the world has no respect for the CCP which is another Taliban but of a different shade. However, there is not an iota of difference between the Islamic terror group and the Chinese communist terror group. While one red with a blood thirsty ideology, the other is a dark medieval beheading ideology. Both of them are inhuman and ghastly cruel. Such monstrous regimes are not acceptable to the freedom loving peoples of the world.
The election of Joe Biden has saved the world. Biden is mature, experienced and diplomatically savvy. He has once again cobbled together, America’s traditional allies to challenge Communist China and its ambition of world supremacy. It has especially prevented the military ambitions of the CCP in swallowing up Taiwan. The AUKUS alliance coupled with Japan is a formidable military challenge to the CCP which will deter its military adventurism. This is a battle that will decide the fate of the twenty first century. It’s between Democracy and totalitarianism, between freedom and human rights or slavery and eternal subjugation. America and Democracy must win at any cost!