From Precious Metal: Stand With Tibet, an online petition. Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys asks that you contact your Congressperson. And Young Tibetans Won’t Follow His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Lead on China and autonomy.
Tenzin Tsundue, a 32-year-old Tibetan activist and writer, said the Dalai Lama’s demand for authentic autonomy from China was “wishful thinking.”
In a 2005 interview published by the Tibet Society of South Africa, Tenzin said it was “highly unlikely” China would ever make the changes called for by the Dalai Lama.
“Because the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet would inspire and unite the Tibetans so powerfully, that there’d be a revolution, and China can’t have that happen,” Tenzin said.
“His Holiness has frequently begged for autonomy — but they will not budge, even though he was criticized for doing so by many of our youth for this compromise.”
The Dalai Lama was himself a young man when he was last in Tibet. He was forced into exile, along with about 80,000 others, in 1959 when the Chinese military put down an uprising.
(And this is one expensive Buddha.)
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