'China should have no role in succession process of Dalai Lama'

Dharmashala: The United States emphasised that the Chinese government should have no role in the succession process of Tibet's spiritual leader Dalai Lama and Beijing's interference in the matter is an "outrageous abuse of religious freedom".

Replying to a question on President Joe Biden's position on the issue of Dalai Lama's reincarnation, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said, "We believe that the Chinese Government should have no role in the succession process of the Dalai Lama."

He further said, "Beijing's interference in the succession of the Panchen Lama more than 25 years ago, including by, "disappearing the Panchen Lama as a child and attempting to replace him with a People's Republic of China (PRC) government-chosen successor remains an outrageous abuse of religious freedom."

Speaking to reporters in Dharmashala, Dr Lobsang Sangay, President of the Tibet Government-in-exile said that he has raised his voice against the oppressive policies of China in Tibet.

"On the same day, US President Joe Biden has said that China cannot interfere in the process of choosing the heir of the Tibetan religious leader the Dalai Lama and there is also a law for this. Nevertheless, if the Chinese government interferes with this process, then the US government can take action on China," Sangay said.

The Chinese government occupied Tibet in 1950 and has ever since tried to control the region. The Buddhist figure, who is currently 85-year-old, had earlier announced that upon turning 90 he will decide whether he should be reincarnated.

The Dalai Lama, whom China views as overseer of an "evil clique" that seeks to split Tibet from China, escaped to India in 1959 and the 10th Panchen Lama (Lobsang Trinley Lhundrup Choekyi Gyaltsen) stayed behind in Tibet. He spoke against Chinese rule many times and wrote a report chronicling Tibet's famines in the 1960s.

In recent years, China has intensified its efforts to eradicate the Dalai Lama from the religious lives of Tibetans to crush their identity. During a meeting, Mao Zedong had told the 14th Dalai Lama, that "religion is poison." The Chinese government's State Religious Affairs Bureau had published a document in 2007 laying out "management measures" for the reincarnation of living Tibetan Buddhas.

(With inputs from ANI)