Dharamsala: Just as the Chinese Ambassador in Austria said that relations between the Dalai Lama and the Austrian politicians were not good for the Sino-Austrian relationship, an envelope containing a white powder has been found at the Tibetan centre at Brussels.
Though the two incidents were separate, this again brings to attention, the alleged Chinese threat to the security of the Dalai Lama. An official at the Yeuntenling Buddhist centre at Huy, Belgium, said that tests were being conducted on the white powder found in an envelope. This incident has occurred only a day prior to His Holiness' fifth visit to Yeuntenling where he is to address a large gathering, consecrate the newly built prayer hall and receive honorary citizenship of Huy.
Though the centre denied any further comments on the issue, the Tibetan Government in exile had taken up the matter of the security of His Holiness the Dalai Lama very seriously after recieving several reports of Chinese intelligence agencies' efforts to train fundamentalists and collect status of His Holiness' health.
Meanwhile, Shi Mingde, the Chinese Ambassador to Austria told Xinua that "Austria should not provide room for the separatist activities of the Dalai Lama". The Ambassador said that Tibetans are living well in China even if the group around the Dalai Lama wants to lie to the world about its standard of living, adding the average life expectancy in the region has increased from 35 to 67 years since 1959.
But Shi Mingde does not take into account the various Human rights reports of Tibetan suppression, forced resettlement of nomads, forced sterilization of Tibetan women, suppression of monasteries amongst other human rights violations. "The recurrent self-immolation of Tibetan monks in a few monasteries were orchestrated and instigated" he said.
China has been known to denounce His Holiness of "splittism" and downplay the Tibetan issue and the Ambassador's views conform to the same.
His Holiness is currently travelling through Europe and his last stop is Vienna, Austria. While in Vienna, among other programmes, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the elected Tibetan political leader, Dr. Lobsang Sangay, will address the European Solidarity Rally on Saturday, 26 May 2012. The theme of the Solidarity Rally is 'Tibet Needs You Now'. The rally aims to call on the governments of Europe to act on the Tibetan issue and to promote a peaceful resolution to the issue of Tibet through dialogue and negotiations.
