By IANS,
Dharamsala : Tibetan political leader Lobsang Sangay Tuesday again favoured the ‘middle-way’ policy to resolve the issue of Tibet.
Addressing members of the Tibetan diaspora gathered here for a four-day meeting to discuss ways to deal with tragic self-immolations in Tibet, he said: “The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) is committed to the ‘middle-way’ policy to resolve the issue of Tibet through dialogue with the Chinese government”.
The ‘middle-way policy’ favours genuine autonomy for people in Tibet within the framework of the Chinese constitution.
Sangay, who was earlier called prime minister-in-exile, however, underlined the need for deliberations on how to garner support from Asian countries.
“There is a need for raising awareness on the significance and impact of Tibet, its stability and conservation of its environment on Asia,” the democratically elected political leader of the CTA said.
Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who stepped down from diplomacy and active politics last year, will not be attending the session.
Echoing a similar stand, Tibetan Parliament Speaker Penpa Tsering said there would be no discussion during the special meeting on adopting new policies other than the ‘middle-way’ policy.
He said the special session’s aim, which will conclude Friday, is how and in what ways the Tibetans living in exile should respond to the tragic situation in Tibet.
“Over the past 60 years, the Chinese government has continued to pursue a policy of assimilation designed to obliterate the ethnic identity of the Tibetan people,” he said.
Fifty-one people have reportedly killed themselves since 2009 to protest against Beijing’s “repressive policies” and demanding the return of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to his homeland.
More than 400 delegates participating in the meeting comprise members and former members of the Tibetan cabinet and parliament, heads of schools of Buddhism and NGOs and volunteers from across the globe, especially Nepal, Bhutan and the US, as also from Europe.
The first special general meeting was held here in November 2008 after the riots that erupted in Lhasa had spread to other areas of western China.
The Dalai Lama has lived in India since 1959 when he fled his homeland after a failed uprising against the communist rule. The government-in-exile is based here but is not recognised by any country.
Some 140,000 Tibetans live in exile around the world, over 100,000 of them in India.