His Holiness
renews calls for Tibetan autonomy
TibetNet
Thursday, 20 September 2007
Vienna:His Holiness the Dalai Lama reiterated the wish of six million Tibetans for real autonomy, yesterday on the last day of his participation in a meeting between religious leaders and philosophers in Austria.
The wish for autonomy was closely connected with concerns about Tibet's environment, His Holiness was quoted as saying by the Austrian press agency. While not being generally opposed to modernization, this must not be used for exploiting Tibet's resources and speeding up population transfer, His Holiness said.
His Holiness warned that Tibetans already were a minority in their own country, making survival of Tibetan Buddhism very difficult. He expressed hope that more Chinese Buddhists would come to Tibet, than Chinese only wanting to make money.
Regarding speculation over his possible return to Tibet from Indian exile, His Holiness said on that day he would stop being the Tibetan head of state and put his fate in the hands of the Tibetan authorities.
His Holiness had been preparing for that step since democratising the exile government in 2001. "I am already half retired," His Holiness said.
Speaking to journalists at the sidelines of the meeting, His Holiness said he might meet Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer Thursday.
--Published by
Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA)