THE DALAI Lama's frank intervention in the debate on Tibet's future brought last week's meeting of Tibetan exiles in the Indian Himalayan town of Dharamsala to a significant conclusion.
Warning that decisions taken now will shape Tibet for the next generation, he called for renewed dialogue with Chinese leaders and peoples. He argued explicitly against independence from China as an objective for Tibetans, following this year's protests before the Olympic Games.
This meeting brought together some 600 Tibetans from India and around the world, along with representatives from Tibet itself. Many younger Tibetans are impatient with the complete failure of the existing round of talks with the Chinese government to deliver any effective results. They are becoming more vocal in support of independence. Although they remain in a minority, their influence should not be underestimated, especially by the Chinese government which could not make concessions before the Olympics, for fear of being seen to yield under pressure.
The protests at that time were widespread both in Tibet itself and in adjacent parts of China with strong Tibetan populations. They were directed against Chinese settlers, the failure to respond to demands for more autonomy, for human rights and the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet. Independence did not feature in these demands - an important fact which underlines that the so called Middle Way of seeking autonomy still commands most support. This is likely to continue unless the issue is completely mishandled by Beijing.
At the most recent round of talks earlier this month the Chinese side dismissed autonomy proposals as disguised independence and has since tightened security in Tibet. The Dalai Lama called the Dharamsala meeting in response. In a statement he advised Tibetans to maintain their national unity and avoid fracturing into competing fragments. He thus recognised the social reality of widespread Han settlement in Tibet and the huge investments and transfers which have developed it in recent years. Many Tibetans resent the manner and extent of this Chinese presence as colonialist; but they also know an independent country could not sustain these social and economic changes.
They therefore demand more equal treatment of their national distinctiveness. They also know that in practice there is little international support for independence, given China's burgeoning role in world affairs. The Middle Way remains a coherent strategy.