Dalai Lama group 'stubborn'

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-27 09:22

A senior official yesterday criticized the Dalai Lama and his followers for being "stubborn in talks" and "failing to honor their promises".

Zhu Weiqun, deputy head of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, expounded on his stance in an interview carried yesterday in the overseas edition of the People's Daily.

Zhu has been dealing with Tibet-related affairs since 1998 and has been personally involved in all talks with the Dalai side since 2003.

Describing the attitude of the Dalai Lama and his supporters during the talks, Zhu said they were "very difficult to talk with and very stubborn".

Nine rounds of talks have been held between the central government officials and the Dalai Lama's private envoys since 2002, three of which took place last year.

"The last round of talks was stuck in a very difficult position. Many asked me if that meant a breakdown," he said, referring to a discussion from Oct 31 to Nov 5, when the Dalai Lama's representatives, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, were in China.

"I didn't worry about it too much, for it has been like that in each and every of the last nine talks," he said.

The Shenzhen talks on May 4 last year were the first between the two sides after the March 14 Lhasa riot. During the talks, Zhu told the Dalai Lama envoys to stop separatist activities, stop violence and stop sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games. The Dalai Lama's envoys, on the other hand, denied their part in the Lhasa riot.

In the July discussions, the Dalai Lama's representatives said they had no problems following the "four not-to-support" put forward by the central authorities.

The four promises included: not supporting activities that would disturb the Beijing Olympics; not supporting plots inciting violent criminal activities; not supporting violent terrorist activities of the pro-secession "Tibetan Youth Congress"; and not supporting any argument and activity seeking "Tibetan independence".

"But what did they do then? They clearly forgot to carry out their promises," Zhu said. "They intensified sabotages and continued to attack the central government.

"They supported the 'Tibetan Youth Congress' and other organizations to publicly advocate 'Tibetan independence' and fanned or organized violent criminal activities," Zhu said. "They also continued to set up a claim to internationalize the Tibet issue, trying to make use of foreigners to press the central government.

"They continued to collude with such dregs as overseas democracy activists, Falungong and Eastern Turkistan terrorists, trying to form so-called 'united front work' to oppose the central government and split the motherland," he said.

"All of these have caused the Chinese people's strong aversion."

China Daily - Xinhua