10 March 2006
Dalai Lama urges China to respond
On the 47th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan national uprising, the Dalai Lama urged China to make clear indications of its willingness to talk if it sees any positive outcome from present contacts. Speaking at his government in exile's official commemoration ceremony, he said: "(...) I would like to tell the People's Republic of China that if it sees benefit in sincerely pursuing dialogue through the present contact, it must make [a] clear gesture to this effect. I urge the Chinese leadership to give a serious thought to this. A positive atmosphere cannot be created by one side alone”. The anniversary was marked across the world by demonstrations of solidarity toward the Tibetan people. In Kathmandu, for the first time in many years, an impromptu demonstration was held around the Boudha stupa, Kathmandu. The protest was unusual because of a Nepalese government ban on such activities and the tense relationship between Tibetan refugees and the Nepalese authorities.