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Protests contradict propaganda on Tibet: Dalai Lama

Dharamshala: Tibetan Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, said on Sunday that protests in Tibet contradicted the Chinese “propaganda” about people there enjoying a prosperous and contented life and added that the issue “can no longer be neglected.”

“The Chinese authorities have been making false allegations against me and the Central Tibetan Administration for instigating and orchestrating the recent events in Tibet. These allegations are totally untrue,” he said in a statement.

“The recent protests all over Tibet have not only contradicted but also shattered the People Republic of China’s propaganda that except for a few ‘reactionaries,’ the majority of Tibetans enjoy a prosperous and contented life,” the Dalai Lama said. The protests have made it clear that Tibetans in the ‘three provinces’ of Tibet, U-tsang, Kham, and Amdo, harbour the same aspirations and hopes, he asserted in a statement.

“These protests have also conveyed to the world that the Tibet issue can no longer be neglected,” he said. Demanding a probe into the unrest in Tibet by an “independent and respected international body,” he said “I am sure this independent body will uncover the truth. If the People’s Republic of China has any basis and proof of evidence to back their allegations, they need to disclose these to the world. Just making allegations is not enough.”

The Dalai Lama also referred to a “mutually beneficial Middle-Way Approach” to find a solution for the future of Tibet. — PTI

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