Will India turn its back on the Dalai Lama to appease China?
When India attempted to quietly cancel two major events in its capital that featured the Dalai Lama, it seemed to signal a desire to recalibrate its China policy, possibly to the detriment of the 95,000 Tibetan refugees living within its borders.
The events – an interfaith prayer led by the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader to be held on March 31 and a “Thank you, India” organised by the Central Tibetan Administration, or government-in-exile, on April 1 – were both significant because they were to mark 60 years of Tibetans in exile. The Dalai Lama first stepped foot on Indian soil on March 31, 1959.
The events were cancelled – although the “Thank you, India” event will now be held in Dharamsala – after newly appointed Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale sent a note to PK Singh, the cabinet secretary, ordering senior government officials to stay clear of the events.
Interestingly, the Ministry of External Affairs denied knowledge of Gokhale’s note after it was leaked to the media last week, suggesting that even as it attempts to tighten the screws on Tibetan activities in India, New Delhi prefers not to be seen doing so.
The note said the events were taking place at a “sensitive time in the context of India’s relations with China”. But Tibet has always been a sensitive topic for China, so why the sudden interest now? The answer may speak to just how tenuous relations between the two Asian giants have become.
http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2137212/will-india-turn-its-back-dalai-lama-appease-china
