By Tsering Namgyal
In an abrupt and unexpected
reversal of policy, Chinese government officials have told monks in some
Tibetan areas that they are now free to “worship” the Dalai Lama as a
“religious leader.” The new policy document—prefixed with the word
“experiment”—also asked that the monks now refrain from “criticizing the Dalai
Lama,” and “stop using such labels as a wolf in a monk’s robe,” a common
pejorative hurled against the Tibetan spiritual leader by Beijing.
“As a religious person, from now
on you should respect and follow His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama,” the
document continued, “but in terms of politics you are not allowed to do so.
Politics and religion should go separate ways.”
The announcement was reportedly
made during a conference held on June 14 at a so-called Qinghai Provincial
Buddhist School where a new party secretary was appointed. It was attended by
high-ranking ethnic Tibetan and Chinese officials, according to the Tibetan
language website Khabda.org, which reported the news.
Analysts say that the Chinese
government might have been forced to rethink its strategy on Tibet following
more than 100 self-immolations that have occurred inside the special
administrative region since 2009.
“If that document is genuine,
then they are trying to diffuse the pressure of the self-immolations,” said
Thierry Dodin, director of the Tibet Information Service, TibetInfoNet in
London.
The new policy is to be first
implemented as an “experiment,” according to the report. Dibyesh Anand, Tibet
specialist and associate professor at Westminster University in London, sees no
evidence of a major shift and says that this can be best explained as an
experiment at the local level.
When the Communist Party of China
(CCP) initiates a new or major policy change, they usually prefix it with the
word “experimental,” which means that if it works they would apply it
nationwide, if it fails would be dropped from party’s policy. China is slated
to announce a new policy in August.
Some believe the new policy is a
public relations offensive in the wake of much criticism toward the Chinese
regime from the outside world, especially human rights organizations in the
aftermath of the series of self-immolations.
“No criticism of Dalai Lama is more
to do with smarter public relations propaganda … rather than a genuine effort
at reconciliation,” Anand said.
However, a similar announcement
was also reportedly made lifting the ban on the displaying of the Dalai Lama’s
pictures in homes and monasteries around the town of Dram near the Tibet-Nepal
border, triggering hopes that China might be interested in easing its control
on religious practice on a much wider scale.
Beijing’s policy change might
also be aimed to send a signal to the outside world that the new leadership is
interested in changing its policy toward the Tibetan spiritual leader, said one
leading Tibetan scholar. “It is an indication of change,” said the scholar, who
did not want to be named.
Making it even more interesting
is that the news comes on the eve of China’s forthcoming tour of Tibet by
foreign journalists.
Recently, a few other articles
have raised speculation that there might be an olive branch in the offing from
Beijing authorities to the Tibetan leadership in exile.
In an interview with Hong
Kong-based Asia Weekly, Jin Wei, a director of ethnic and religious affairs at
the Central Party School at Beijing think tank Central Party School, also
suggested that China’s policy in Tibet may not be working.
She called for restarting negotiations
with the Dalai Lama’s representatives and has proposed that the Dalai Lama
might even be invited onto Chinese soil, Hong Kong and Macau as well discussing
the issue of reincarnation with the Dalai Lama himself.
Tibet watchers believe that it is
best to adopt a wait-and-see approach if the China government matches their
words with actions.
“If she really is transmitting a
message, then we should take note of it and wait and see first because what
they say does not matter, you have to see what they actually do on the ground,”
Dodin said.
Given China’s hard-line policy,
Tibetans have demonstrated a mixed response to the news, ranging from guarded
optimism to outright skepticism.
Since 2009, as many as 119
Tibetans living under China’s rule have set themselves on fire demanding
freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from exile. 102 of the self-immolators
died in agony while the condition of more than 10 remains unknown.
Tsering
Namgyal, a journalist based in New York,
is the author of a new biography of the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
published last month by Hay House, India. He is also the author of a recently
published novel, The Tibetan Suitcase.
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