The Dalai Lama said last year that the world should focus on climate change in Tibet rather than politics as environmental issues in his Himalayan country were more pressing.
The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader said the Chinese-ruled region could wait "five to 10 years" for a political solution, according to the cable released Friday by WikiLeaks and the Guardian newspaper.
The Dalai Lama, who is seen by Beijing as a "separatist" despite his repeated calls for autonomy and non-independence for Tibet, made these remarks in a meeting with the US ambassador in New Delhi in August 2009, the cable reveals.
"The Dalai Lama argued that the political agenda should be sidelined for five to 10 years and the international community should change its approach to climate change in the Tibetan highlands."
"Melting glaciers, deforestation and water increasingly polluted by mining projects are problems that can't wait."
The Dalai Lama criticized China's energy policy, saying the construction of dams in the region had displaced thousands of Tibetans and flooded religious sites. He called for compensation and vocational training for the displaced.
He suggested that the United States "consider China's involvement in environmental issues in Tibet" – prompting Roemer to speculate on a possible "broader shift in strategy to reframe the Tibet issue as an environmental problem."
In the same vein, the Dalai Lama said his faith in China's government has been demerited after several rounds of failed negotiations over the future of his homeland, and said Tibetans believe China is in favor of "ruthless oppression."
He warned that if China were to become a global superpower, it would "resemble the former Soviet Union, securing its dominance with suspicion and fear," the cable said.
The Dalai Lama is the global face of the Tibetan struggle against Chinese rule. He was forced to flee into exile following a failed uprising against Beijing's 1959 control of the region, and now lives in India.
In March 2008, demonstrations in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet to mark the anniversary of the uprising that descended into violence and spread to neighboring areas with a Tibetan population.
China says 21 people were killed by protesters during the unrest. But exile groups say more than 200 Tibetans were killed — most of them at the hands of Chinese security forces.
In a cable from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi on April 10, 2008, amid the crackdown on tight security measures in Tibet following the protests, U.S. diplomats reveal a desperate plea for help from the Dalai Lama.
The monk called on diplomats to "use all effective means to persuade the People's Republic of China to engage in a dialogue with him" and urged Washington to take steps that "make an impact" in Beijing, the cable says.
"Tibet is a dying nation. We need U.S. help," the Dalai Lama said.
Related Posts:
- UBV COP16 – Calderón on solutions to climate change
- New Butterfly Study Links Climate Change to Human Activities
- The European Union and the Legal Agreements on Climate Change
- China takes action against climate change
- Dalai Lama calls for action to curb climate change
Authors: Val
