Tagged: Tibet

China's leaders continue to impose oppressive policies on the people of Tibet out of fear, the Dalai Lama said earlier today on Morning Edition.

They fear what might happen if Tibetans were allowed to live freely and others under Chinese rule started to demand more respect for their rights. That has meant, he said, that "they ignore ... reality and they impose their rules. ... That's the problem."

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

We're going to hear now from a religious leader revered by Tibetan Buddhists and admired by countless others - the 14th Dalai Lama. A year ago he stepped down as the political leader of Tibet's government in exile to devote himself to spreading a spiritual message of compassion and peace. Still, he's been drawn into talking about violence since a wave of deadly protests swept through the Tibetan areas of China.

MORNING EDITION's Renee Montagne sat down with the Dalai Lama to talk about these events in Honolulu, Hawaii. He's been speaking with young people there as part of a visit called Pillars of Peace.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Good morning.

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Jamphel Yeshi has died. The 27-year-old Tibetan exile, who on on Monday set himself on fire in New Delhi, was the latest in a small but growing number of Tibetans who in the past year have burned themselves in protest of China's rule over their country.

As we reported Tuesday, at least 30 Tibetans have taken that dramatic step in the past year.

The number of Tibetans who have set themselves on fire in the past year to protest Chinese rule over Tibet is now estimated to be at 30. Most have died.

And more self-immolations are likely.

Not only are many young Tibetans increasingly anguished over what they see as China's oppressive actions, but those that choose to take such a dramatic action are seen "in a very positive light" by others in their community, Nottingham University professor of contemporary Chinese studies Steve Tsang tells The Guardian.

"I can't really see how it is going to stop," he adds.