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DHARAMSHALA, India : Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama came in for tough criticism on Monday from prominent radical exiles demanding a review of his non-violent campaign for autonomy within China.
The leader of the pro-independence Tibetan Youth Congress publicly criticised his refusal to call for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics and urged protests in the Himalayan region to continue.
Tsewang Rigzin said an explosion of protests and rioting in the vast Himalayan region signalled the 72-year-old Dalai Lama, who has lived in northern Indian since fleeing Tibet after a failed uprising in 1959, was out of step with his people.
"China does not deserve to host the Olympics. Human-rights issues inside Tibet have deteriorated. It's evident they do not deserve the Olympics," Rigzin told reporters in Dharamshala, the hilltop base of the Tibetan exile community.
The Dalai Lama had on Sunday condemned China's "rule of terror" and "cultural genocide" in Tibet, but said Beijing should be "reminded to be a good host" of the Olympics - and did not call for a boycott.
According to Tibetan exile leaders and aides to the Dalai Lama, the Chinese crackdown in Tibet left about 100 Tibetans dead, though it could be "hundreds."
China has rejected those estimates, saying on Monday that Tibetan rioters killed 13 "innocent civilians" during the protests and also said it did not use lethal force to quell the rioting.
Rigzin said there was now mounting frustration among Tibetans over the Dalai Lama's so-called "Middle Way" policy - a non-violent campaign for autonomy rather than independence for his homeland, a region that China considers to be an undisputed part of its territory.
"I disagree with his stance," Rigzin said.
"There is a ground frustration within the Tibetan community, especially in the young generation. After six years of dialogue (with Beijing), there are still fundamental differences," the prominent activist said.
"There are a lot of frustrations. I certainly hope the Middle Way approach will be reviewed," Rigzin said. "As we can see from the protests here and all over the world, the Tibetan people remain committed to achieving independence."
The ever-cheerful Dalai Lama argues his approach is the most realistic, with China certain to never give up its sovereignty over Tibet.
But many younger Tibetans say this considered approach has not yielded any results, with his people continuing to flee their homes and China continuing to cement its grip over Tibet.
"Everyone knows my principle - knows (it is) completely non-violence. Violence is almost like suicide," the Nobel peace laureate said on Sunday.
Tibetan exile leader Samdhong Rinpoche also said the alternative to non-violence was difficult to even contemplate, saying: "I cannot easily believe the Tibetan people would resort to violence."
But Lhagyal Tsering, a teacher in Dharamshala, signalled many of the over 100,000 refugees living in India may start looking elsewhere for leadership.
"We're demanding a peace dialogue between His Holiness and the Chinese. But at the moment, Dalai Lama is out of the picture. It's a Tibetan people's movement," he said.
The speaker of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, Karma Chophel - who is a radical often at odds with the Dalai Lama - called for unity.
"We should all recognise that the situation is very urgent. Whether the middle way or something else, we should get together," he said.
Meanwhile, India on Monday pressed neighbouring China for a "non-violent" solution to unrest in Tibet, as opposition lawmakers stormed out of parliament saying New Delhi's response was insufficient.
"We are distressed by reports of the unsettled situation and violence in Lhasa," Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told parliament.
"We hope all those involved will work to improve the situation and remove the causes of such trouble in Tibet... through dialogue and non-violent means." - AFP/de
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