WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2003--Tibet's government in exile has denied a reportby Radio Free Asia (RFA) that it requested a future visit to China by 10senior members of the exiled Tibetan comunity. A spokesman for the exilegovernment says a request for such a visit, conveyed to Chinese authoritieslast year, was strictly unofficial. China has rejected the proposed visit.
"The Tibetan Government in Exile has made no request to the Chinesegovernment in this regard and has no involvement in the group's proposedvisit," Thubten Samphel, spokesman for the exile government, said in astatement to RFA's Tibetan service. "This group of Tibetans intends to makea private visit... unrelated to the dialogue which was initiated between theEnvoys of His Holiness [the Dalai Lama] and the Chinese government," hesaid.
The request was first proposed a year ago by Gyalo Dhondup, a brother ofTibet's spiritual leader in exile, the Dalai Lama. The proposed visit wouldaim to promote understanding and make contact with Tibetans living underChinese rule, and Chinese authorities were widely expected to approve thevisit.
Sources inside China who are familiar with the arrangements told RFA'sTibetan service that the central Chinese government had rejected the plannedvisit on grounds that some members of the proposed delegation had engaged in"splittist" or separatist activities. "They were afraid of a negativeinfluence from the delegation," one source said.
The 10 Tibetans who had been expected to visit China were: Sonam Topgyal andTenzen Namgyal Tenthong, former heads of the Tibetan exile cabinet inDharamsala; Alak Jigme, auditor general of the Tibetan exile government;Pema Chinjor, former head of the Security Deparment of the Tibetan exilegovernment; Rinchen Dharlo, former head of the Office of Tibet in New Yorkand current head of the Tibet Fund in New York; Pema Gyalpo, former head ofthe Office of Tibet in Tokyo; Amdo Dhondup and Thinley Paljor from Nepal;Namgyal Tsering from Australia; and Gyurme (Eds: one name) from the Libraryof Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, India.
Several members of the proposed delegation said in interviews that GyaloDhondup had urged them to make the proposed trip.
"Last year when Gyalo Dhondup returned from Tibet and China, he told me thatit would be good if there were visits of private [Tibetan] delegations forenhancing contacts and better understanding," Sonam Topgyal said. "He alsotold me that it would be good if I could go as one of the members of such adelegation."
Rinchen Dharlo also said Gyalo Dhondup "mentioned to me the importance ofdeveloping contacts between Tibetans and the Chinese. A delegation may leavefor China and Tibet. I was told that I am one of them."
Special envoys for the Dalai Lama have been permitted two visits to Chinaand Tibet in the last two years. Gyalo Dhondup also visited the region on amonth-long trip in 2002. Whether the denial of this visit might affectfuture visits by Tibetan envoys and Gyalo Dhondup was unclear.
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