TODAY'S EDITORIAL: Talk To Dalai Lama

Times of India

China has two options before it to deal with the protesters in Tibet. It could take a cue from Myanmar and use force to suppress the protests or negotiate with dissenters, who include a large number of Buddhist monks.

Reports suggest that Beijing might exercise the second option and offer concessions including amnesty to protesters to buy peace.

The temptation will be there to borrow a leaf from the Myanmarese junta's book and force the monks to disperse. But Beijing should ask itself if such an approach suits China's present interests.

China is not Myanmar. It is a global power and the world expects Beijing to conduct its affairs accordingly. Beijing has taken extra care to underplay the authoritarian features of the Chinese state and project the image of a responsible world power.

The Beijing Olympics, a few months away, are expected to showcase the new China. Blood on the streets of Lhasa would take the shine off China's achievements and pull down its international standing.

Many democracies might even withdraw from the Beijing Olympics. The US and its allies had boycotted the Moscow Olympics in 1980, citing the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan.

Tibet, much as China may disagree, is an international issue. Support for the Tibetan cause is not limited to Tibet; friends of Tibet are spread across the globe.

The Dalai Lama, the spiritual and political leader of the exiled community, is respected in world capitals, mainly because he has been more than reasonable in his dealings with Beijing.

He has not only held the community together but also articulated its genuine demands in non-violent language. Since the Chinese forced him to flee Lhasa and take refuge in India, the Dalai Lama has been forced to dilute his demand from freedom to autonomy under Chinese rule.

Beijing has not reciprocated this concession to negotiate an honourable deal for the Tibetan people.

Beijing should recognise that the Dalai Lama is its best bet to settle the Tibet issue. The Chinese leadership should invite him for talks. Such a gesture would go a long way to show China in a positive light.

It is fatuous for Beijing to imagine that it could sweep dissent under the carpet by enforcing a ban on foreigners in Tibet or YouTube in China. Even the Dalai Lama could run out of patience: it is significant that he has now asked for international agencies to investigate the situation in Tibet, which he describes as a state of cultural genocide.

Equally significant is the support monks in Lhasa have received from people in other Chinese provinces. China could risk international condemnation if it uses excessive force on protesters in Lhasa.