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Protests Reflect Two Approaches: Solemn and Furious
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"His holiness the Dalai Lama made an appeal to them to halt the march because he wants the efforts to focus on getting the international community to put pressure on China," said Chhime Chhoekyapa, secretary to the spiritual leader. "He said it is an unrealistic march. They would have to cross many mountains and many hurdles. It will take months to reach the border, and the Chinese troops will capture them or shoot them. How does it help anybody? But the Dalai Lama also told them that he is committed to democratic principles and would not order them to stop, but merely appeal."
At a news conference Tuesday, the Dalai Lama had also voiced his concerns about not upsetting the Indian government, which maintains close relations with China.
The representatives of the five groups walked out of their meeting with the Dalai Lama calmly, but without making any assurances. They immediately huddled together to evolve a response. Meanwhile, fiery protesters continued to walk Dharmsala with sore feet under the hot sun. They seemed oblivious to the negotiations over whether to stop the march to Lhasa.
"I would be very disappointed if we were asked to stop. Our people are waiting for us inside Tibet to come and help the movement," said Penpa Tsering, 29, one of the marchers with the Tibetan Youth Congress. "This is the time to do something dramatic, although we are still wedded to nonviolence."
The activists say they are impatient because the Olympic Games offer them a unique but narrow window of opportunity to get the world to put pressure on China. And despite the Dalai Lama's conciliatory approach, six rounds of talks with the Chinese government since 2002 have not yielded any results.
"The Dalai Lama says the middle path is working, working. Why should we wait?" said Tsering Norbu, 26, who has led daily demonstrations in the past week and has lost his voice because of all the shouting. "He is 73. I am 26. I want to go back to my homeland as soon as possible and will take nothing short of total independence."
Meanwhile, a delegation of 43 Tibetan lawmakers joined in a hunger strike in New Delhi, urging the U.N. Security Council to investigate the Chinese crackdown.
"If we fail," said Karma Yeshi, a member of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, "it is not just a failure of the Tibetan people, but the failure of nonviolence as a means of resistance."
