By Annelie Rozeboom

Note: The following comes from an important new book, Waiting For the Dalai Lama, published by Hong Kong's Blacksmith Books (www.blacksmithbooks.com). The author, a Dutch journalist who worked in China and now lives in Madagascar, presents views from all sides on one of the world's prickliest issues -- the Chinese occupation and human-rights abuses in Tibet. Since 1959, Tibet's religious leader, the Dalai Lama (aged 75), has lived in exile in India.

DHARAMSALA, India – The Dalai Lama has a round face and tiny eyes. He silently stares at me. I think back to a scene in Kundun, the Hollywood movie about his life. I saw it the day before on a shaky TV screen. In the movie, a Chinese messenger brings an official document that will force Tibet to become part of China. The young Dalai Lama sits on a high throne in his medieval Potala Palace in Lhasa. He wordlessly stares the Chinese official down.

The gaze is the same, even if the circumstances are not. Almost 50 years later, the Dalai Lama is seated in an upholstered chair in a Western villa in India. Opposite the iron gate of his house is his temple. Even that institution looks like an average house. Only when you come up the stairs do you see an enormous golden Buddha statue.... Hundreds of Tibetan monks sit praying in front of it, dressed in their red robes. For them, the Dalai Lama is a Buddha and a king. He regularly leads them in prayer.

But life in exile changed their leader. The ‘simple monk’, as he likes to call himself, spent the last 50 years traveling the West looking for political support. He learned English and talks like a modern politician who knows his business. When home, he holds half-hour ‘audiences’ with journalists.... Before me, an Indian TV crew gets its 30 minutes, and afterwards there is a French journalist.

The Dalai Lama waits for me outside the reception room. “Dutch press,” someone behind me says. I am immediately tongue-tied, so he leads me inside.... The Dalai Lama sits down and starts his staring session.... The first two questions I ask he answers with “yes” and “sure”. Talk about a difficult beginning....

But after that, we have a nice conversation..... He doesn’t regret anything, he says..... “Here, in exile, I've built democracy and I took care that the youth get well educated, all good policy. No, as far as I can see, I didn't make any major mistakes.”

There is always the hope to go back to Tibet. “Of course! That day will come. I don't know when, but it could be possible within a few years.”

I ask him what he expects from the new generation of Chinese leaders. He thinks it's too early to say anything about them. “The current government is a collective leadership and I'm not sure if that is good for us or not. When Deng Xiaoping was alive, you had the advantage of just having to talk to one person. He decided everything. During his lifetime, I really thought we would be able to find a solution. On the other hand, it's also good that there isn't just one strong leader in China. China's leaders now work under completely different circumstances to their predecessors. Even if they don't want to change, the situation in China has changed so much that they'll have to adjust. That also improves the chances that they'll deal with our problem in a more flexible way.”

After all the criticism I have heard from the Tibetans about Western policy towards China, I ask the Dalai Lama which path he thinks Western countries should take. “China is a big country. We shouldn't isolate it, that wouldn't be good for anybody,” the Tibetan leader replies. “I think the Chinese should become part of the international community as much as possible. And I also think that we need to negotiate with them on friendly terms. To totally isolate a country is one extreme. The other extreme is just wanting to do business with China, without caring about anything else. We shouldn't forget to put pressure on them about human rights and democracy. The West should be firm and clear on these issues. As long as Western countries try seriously to do something about the situation in China and Tibet, I think they're on the right track. But I see a dangerous trend of just looking at the big Chinese market to trade and to forget about human rights.”

Negotiations between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government have never led to any results. “I don't know if we will be able to have serious negotiations. We have tried many times in the past, but every time, China comes with new conditions. In fact they have never tried to have a real conversation. But I am always willing to talk as soon as there is a positive sign from Beijing.”

He laughs at the question whether time is on the side of the Tibetans or the Chinese. “Ha, ha. Half and half, I think. Every month that we wait, the damage that the Chinese do to Tibet increases. There is cultural genocide and the environment is destroyed. So in that way, our time is running out. If we wait much longer, there won't be anything left. On the other hand, the world and the international community are more and more aware of the situation in Tibet. And that becomes a growing problem for the Chinese government. They know they'll have to come up with a solution. The government is made to defend itself more and more. Even in its own country, there are writers and artists who start to ask questions. The government can't go on giving excuses and making up lies. They will have to do something constructive eventually.”

The religious leader does not let himself be influenced by the call for tougher actions by the Tibetan Youth Congress. “We have discussed a lot among the Tibetan community about which policy we should follow. We asked the people what they wanted: complete independence or my Middle Path, meaning more autonomy. We even collected some opinions from people in Tibet. And the majority of Tibetans inside and outside of Tibet still think that my Middle Path is the best. Of course they don't trust the Chinese, but the Tibetans in Tibet especially say that it is the most realistic policy.

“...As soon as I go back to Tibet, I will... become a simple monk again. I know the Tibetan people trust me and love me. And until I die, I will do whatever I can for them. And not only for them, for anybody who needs help. But I see my future role more as one of spiritual and moral leadership....”

Does he think it would be unsafe for him to return? “Under the current circumstances it would be completely useless for me to go back. I'm not afraid of anything, but the local authorities in Tibet will try to use me as a marionette for their propaganda....  The issue here is the future of the Tibetan people. As long as the Chinese don't come with a serious resolution for the Tibetans, it's not time for me. We will have to work on establishing trust because we won't get anywhere with all this mistrust.”

But that is already a huge task. How do you ask trust from refugees who tell terrible stories about torture and aggression? “When you compare the Chinese communists to those of 20 years ago, the ones now have become more trustworthy. In those times, they would say something, and would do the opposite. Their policies changed all the time. Nowadays they are much more predictable and that makes negotiations and trust easier. Of course, it is still difficult, but what else can you do? It's better to try than to give up beforehand. If we do that, we'll be sure to go nowhere....”

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