Tibet: US Lawmakers hold Talks with Dalai Lama
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Days after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Resolve Tibet Act that called upon the Chinese government to engage with the Dalai Lama, an influential group of U.S. lawmakers led by the Republican chair of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul, met the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in Dharamshala Wednesday.
Addressing a public meeting in McLeodganj - the seat of the Central Tibetan Administration, they stated that the United States will not allow Beijing to interfere in the “succession” of the Dalai Lama. They expressed a firm U.S. position on Tibet and described China’s claim of having ancient links with Tibet as “ridiculous”.
Representative Gregory Meeks said “Our support for the Tibetan people is unwavering. Your dreams for better days remain alive. Beijing is relocating entire communities under the guise of development activities. We know they are trying to control Tibetan Buddhism. It is time for Beijing to engage in unconditional dialogue with His Holiness.”
Dalai Lama succession: House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul said “Decades later, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to threaten the freedom of the Tibetan people. They have even attempted to insert themselves into the succession of the Dalai Lama. We will not let that happen,” directly addressing the issue of the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.
The visit comes days before the 89th birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama, at a time of speculation about the future of the institution of the Dalai Lama, which has held the Tibetan diaspora together since the late 1950s.
Resolve Tibet Act
The text of the Resolve Tibet Act, which has been passed by both Houses of the U.S. Congress, has several references to ‘self-determination’ in the context of the future of the Tibetan people, and this was reflected in the statements of the visiting delegates. “This Bill makes it clear that the U.S. believes that Tibet has its own unique language, religion, and culture. It has a right to self-determination,” said McCaul.
U.S. Representative Jim McGovern, a Democrat and one of the major supporters of the Tibetan cause in the U.S. Congress, made a forceful speech on the future of Tibet, saying that the U.S. government would never “waiver” in its support to Tibet. The presence of the U.S. lawmakers in Dharamshala was also a “sign” to Beijing that the U.S. leadership will ensure the “basic rights of the Tibetan people under international law”, he said.
Chinese reaction: China Tuesday had said that it will take steps to safeguard its sovereignty. “China will take resolute measures to firmly defend its sovereignty, security and development interests,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lin Jian said Tuesday.
Tibetans unsure about their future in India
The India Tibet connection is what also riles the Chinese. More than 60 years after Tibetans arrived in India in the face of Chinese occupation, their status remains uncertain.
In 1959, thousands of Tibetans arrived in India in the wake of the flight of the Dalai Lama. The government provided asylum and assistance towards temporary settlement. While they are third-generation settlers now, Vijaita Singh (Deputy Editor, The Hindu) writes “the future of the Tibetan movement, India’s citizenship laws and India not being part of the 1951 United Nations Convention on Refugees complicate the issue.”
Administrative rules for Tibetans: To live in India, they must obtain registration certificates (RCs) applicable to other foreigners under the Foreigners Registration Act, 1946 and the Registration of Foreigners Rule. For travelling abroad and entering from Nepal, another set of documents — Identity Certificate (IC) and Special Entry Permits (SEP) — are required.
In 2016, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) changed the norms, making the RC renewal process online and relaxing the period of renewal to five years.
The Union government formulated the policy in consultation with The Dalai Lama’s Central Tibetan Relief Committee (CTRC). There was a need to revise the policy in the wake of problems faced by the community. In 2015, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government sanctioned a scheme of providing a grant-in-aid of ₹40 crore to the CTRC for five years. The scheme was extended for another five years.
Migration of Tibetans to foreign countries
Officials and Tibetan activists point out that in the past two decades, there has been a record migration of Tibetans to foreign countries. The Tibetan population in India stood at 1.10 lakh in 2009. According to MHA’s 2022-23 Annual Report, the population of Tibetan refugees in India was 73,404.
A major concentration of Tibetan refugees is in Karnataka (21,324), Himachal Pradesh (14,952 ), Arunachal Pradesh (4,780 ), Uttarakhand (4,829), West Bengal (3,076), and Ladakh (6,989).
The population of Tibetan refugees in India is declining because there is a creeping sense of uncertainty about their future among young Tibetans. ‘We are recognised as foreigners living in India. Everything is temporary, we cannot buy properties. We have lost half of our population to foreign countries where they acquire citizenship,’ Tibetan activist and poet Tenzin Tsundue said. ‘Indian citizenship comes with a caveat, the government says we will have to give up the benefits and our rights to visit the settlements camps. Many will not be able to visit their parents who live in camps without permits issued by the government agencies,’ he said.
