Tibet

Buddhist monks and nuns spruced up their monasteries and hung up welcome banners Friday in anticipation of the Dalai Lama's contentious visit to this remote Indian town near the Tibetan frontier. China has strongly protested the Dalai Lama's visit starting Sunday to the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which lies at the heart of a long-running border dispute between the two Asian powers. The visit also brings the Tibetan spiritual leader to the edge of his Himalayan homeland, which China controls. Regardless of the political tensions, the residents of Tawang see the visit as a rare opportunity to host the Buddhist leader. Buddhist monks ... Read Full Story

The writing on the wall is loud and clear: the Dalai Lama's week-long visit to Arunachal Pradesh beginning Sunday is a rebuff to Chinese claims over this frontier region. "Long Live Indo-Tibet Friendship" - reads a multi-coloured banner close to the Tawang monastery where the Dalai Lama will stay. Similar banners dot this picturesque town perched at an altitude of more than 11,000 feet, close to the border with China. The mountainous state of Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,030-km unfenced border with China. Banners apart, Indian tricolours fluttering alongside Tibetan prayer flags in vantage locations, including the monastery, sum up the local ire against ... Read Full Story

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Saturday greeted the people of Sikkim on the occasion of a five-day 'Tibet Festival' in Gangtok. "I send my greetings on the occasion of a Tibet Festival that is being held in Gangtok from Nov 6 to 10 by the Tibetan community... It is befitting that this festival is being held to coincide with the 50 years of the Tibetan people's life in exile," he said in a statement, according to the website of the Tibetan government-in-exile here. The Nobel laureate also dwelt on how Buddhism contributed to the evolution of the identity of people of Sikkim. "This ... Read Full Story

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, said Saturday that China was overpoliticizing his travels and claimed his decisions on where to go were spiritual in nature, not political. The Dalai Lama, on a visit to Tokyo, said he believed the Chinese government saw him as a "troublemaker" and had read too much political meaning into his frequent travels abroad. "The Chinese government considers me a troublemaker, so it is my duty to create more trouble," he quipped. "The Chinese government politicizes too much wherever I go. Where I go is not political." Despite strong criticism from China, the Buddhist leader, who lives in exile ... Read Full Story

China has hit back at European Union criticism of the execution of two Tibetans over unrest in the Himalayan region last year and warned Europe not to interfere in the issue. The response came after the 27-nation European bloc on Thursday issued a statement condemning the executions and questioning whether the Tibetans had received fair trials. "We express strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to the statement issued by the European side," foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a response posted on the ministry's website late on Friday. Ma said on Tuesday that the two Tibetans had been executed for their role in deadly ... Read Full Story