TIBETAN EXILE PREMIER WANTS TIBETAN EXILES MORE INVOLVED

WASHINGTON-Tibet's exile prime minister, Samdhong Rimpoche, on Thursday urged Tibetan exiles in the West to take a more active role in campaigning against China�s heavy-handed rule over the Himalayan region. "Tibetans in the West are better educated, economically better off, and politically better informed" than Tibetans inside Tibet or living in exile in India, he said in an interview with Radio Free Asia (RFA). "All Tibetans, and the exile government in particular, must make full use their potential. We appeal to them to get actively involved in our campaign for freedom." Samdhong Rimpoche said he planned to discuss with U.S. Under Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky the possibility of stepped-up cooperation between the United States and Europe toward "resolving the Tibetan issue through dialogue." "We will also be discussing how best the U.S. government, Congress, and other organizations can coordinate for opening a substantial dialogue with the Chinese leadership," he said. Samdhong Rimpoche, elected exile prime minister last August, arrived in New York from Dharamsala, India, on July 4. After Toronto and Washington, he goes on to Minnesota to attend the Conference of North American Tibetan Associations before returning to India July 14. "Many Tibetans who are well educated, experienced, and politically seasoned are now living in North America," he said. "We thought it very important to meet them, inform them of our views and concerns, and also learn their views and concerns." "We also thought it very important to meet members of Congress who have been strong supporters of Tibet and Tibetans for a long time." Samdhong Rimpoche hoped for dialogue "as soon as possible" between Tibetan and Chinese leaders but said there were no indications when that might happen. Meeting with RFA's Tibetan service staff, Samdhong Rimpoche described RFA-which broadcasts to Tibet in three dialects-as "the most extensive and best source of news on Tibet." Some 32,000 exiled Tibetans cast votes at makeshift polling stations around the world on July 29, 2001, with 85 percent favoring Samdhong Rinpoche over his opponent. He will hold the post until 2006. Previously, Tibetan prime ministers in exile were nominated by the Dalai Lama and elected by the Assembly of Tibetan Deputies. Samdhong Rimpoche is a former chairman of the Tibetan exile parliament and a political moderate, who has in the past advocated Gandhi-style nonviolent resistance to Chinese rule in Tibet. Thousands of Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama, have fled their homeland since China annexed the territory in 1950. Radio Free Asia (RFA) broadcasts news, information, and cultural programming to Asian listeners who lack regular access to full and balanced reporting in their domestic media. Through its broadcasts and call-in programs, RFA aims to fill a critical gap in the lives of people across Asia-giving them a voice as well as a means of connecting with the world and with one another. Created by Congress in 1994 and incorporated in 1996, RFA currently broadcasts in Burmese, Cantonese, Khmer, Korean, Lao, Mandarin, the Wu dialect, Vietnamese, Tibetan (Uke, Amdo, and Kham), and Uyghur. It adheres to the highest standards of journalism and aims to exemplify accuracy, balance, and fairness in its editorial content.