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Hindustan Times
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
The Dalai Lama, a tireless advocate for Tibet and its people
* The Dalai Lama, a tireless advocate for Tibet and its people Dalai Lama's peaceful advocacy for Tibetans has earned him respect worldwide * He may say more about successor around his 90th birthday * China sees him as a dangerous separatist By Krishna N. Das DHARAMSHALA, India, - The Dalai Lama, the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism, has often called himself a simple monk, but for more than 60 years armed with little more than charm and conviction, he has managed to keep the cause of his people in the international spotlight. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, fled into exile in India in 1959 with thousands of other Tibetans after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Since then, he has advocated for a non-violent "Middle Way" to seeking autonomy and religious freedom for Tibetan people, gaining the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. He has met with scores of world leaders, while inspiring millions with his cheerful disposition and views on life such as "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." But his popularity irks China which views him as a dangerous separatist, with one former Communist Party boss describing him as "a jackal" and having "the heart of a beast". The Dalai Lama turns 90 on Sunday, a particularly important birthday as he has flagged that he may say more about a potential successor around then. Tibetan tradition holds that the soul of a senior Buddhist monk is reincarnated in the body of a child upon his death. In a book, "Voice for the Voiceless", published earlier this year, he said Tibetans worldwide want the institution of the Dalai Lama to continue after his death and specified that his successor would be born in the "free world", which he described as outside China. The statements were his strongest yet about the likelihood of a successor. In previous years, he has also said that his successor might be a girl and it is possible that there might be no successor at all. He has, however, stated that any successor chosen by China, which has piled pressure on foreign governments to shun him, will not be respected. FLIGHT INTO EXILE The Dalai Lama was born Lhamo Dhondup in 1935 to a family of buckwheat and barley farmers in what is now the northwestern Chinese province of Qinghai. At the age of two, he was deemed by a search party to be the 14th reincarnation of Tibet's spiritual and temporal leader after identifying several of his predecessor's possessions. China took control of Tibet in 1950 in what it called "a peaceful liberation" and the teenage Dalai Lama assumed a political role shortly after, travelling to Beijing to meet Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders. Nine years later, fears that the Dalai Lama could be kidnapped fuelled a major rebellion. The subsequent crackdown by the Chinese army forced him to escape disguised as a common soldier from the palace in Lhasa where his predecessors had held absolute power. The Dalai Lama fled to India, settling in Dharamshala, a Himalayan town where he lives in a compound next to a temple ringed by green hills and snow-capped mountains. There, he opened up his government-in-exile to ordinary Tibetans with an elected parliament. Disillusioned with how little he had gained from his efforts to engage with Beijing, he announced in 1988 that he had given up on seeking full independence from China, and instead would be seeking cultural and religious autonomy within China. In 2011, the Dalai Lama announced he would relinquish his political role, handing over those responsibilities to an elected leader for the Tibetan government-in-exile. But he remains active and these days, the Dalai Lama, clad in his customary maroon and saffron robes, continues to receive a constant stream of visitors. He has had a number of health problems, including knee surgery and walks with difficulty. Despite that, he expects to live for a long time yet. "According to my dream, I may live 110 years," he told Reuters in December. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Factbox-Who are Pakistan-based LeT and JeM groups targeted by Indian strikes?
By Krishna N. Das and Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - India said on Wednesday it hit nine sites in Pakistan "from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed", following last month's deadly attack in Kashmir. The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought two wars since independence from colonial ruler Britain in 1947 over the mainly Muslim region that both rule in part, while claiming in full. New Delhi blamed last month's attack in a scenic Himalayan meadow on a group linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist militant outfit based in Pakistan. Pakistan, which denies any involvement in the Kashmir attack, said the Indian strikes killed 26 civilians and its forces downed five Indian fighter jets. It vowed to respond "to this aggression at a time, place, and means of our own choice". India said seven of its targets were used by Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, both Islamist groups designated "terrorist" organisations by the U.N. Security Council. For decades Hindu-majority India has accused Pakistan of supporting Islamist militants in attacks on Indian interests, especially in Kashmir. Pakistan denies such support and in turn accuses India of supporting separatist rebels in Pakistan, which New Delhi denies. LASHKAR-E-TAIBA Lashkar-e-Taiba, or the "army of the pure", is based in Pakistan's most populous province of Punjab and has long focused on fighting Indian rule in Kashmir. The U.N. Security Council says it has conducted "numerous terrorist operations" against military and civilian targets since 1993, including November 2008 attacks in India's commercial capital of Mumbai that killed 166. Hafiz Saeed, who founded LeT around 1990, has denied any role in the attack. The United Nations says LeT has also been implicated in attacks on Mumbai commuter trains in July 2006 and a December 2001 attack on India's parliament. Muridke, just outside Punjab's capital of Lahore, is believed to be home to the sprawling 200-acre (81-hectare)headquarters of organisations affiliated with LeT. India says it struck Muridke's Markaz Taiba, a site about 25 km (16 miles) from the border, where the Mumbai attackers had been trained. The term Markaz means headquarters. Pakistan says the group has been banned and neutralised. Arrested in 2019, Saeed was convicted of numerous terrorism financing charges and is serving a 31-year jail term. Critics say the group, rebranded in the guise of a charity, maintains a strong network in the region. JAISH-E-MOHAMMAD Also based in Punjab is Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), or Army of the Prophet Mohammad, founded by Masood Azhar on his release from prison in India in 1999. The deal was an exchange for 155 hostages held on an Indian Airlines flight hijacked to Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar, the U.N. Security Council has said. Pakistan banned the group in 2002 after it, along with LeT, was blamed for the 2001 attack on India's parliament. The group had links with al Qaeda, founded by Osama bin Laden, and the Taliban, the U.N. Security Council has said. JeM is believed to be based in Pakistan's central city of Bahawalpur, also in Punjab. It has claimed responsibility for numerous suicide bombings in Kashmir, where India has battled an armed insurgency since the late 1980s, though violence has abated in recent years. India said it attacked Bahawalpur's Markaz Subhan Allah, which it called JeM's headquarters, located about 100 km (62 miles) from the border. Despite Pakistan's 2002 ban on JeM, U.S. and Indian authorities say it still operates openly there. Azhar has disappeared from the public eye except for sporadic reports of his presence close to the city, where he runs a religious institution. (Reporting by Krishna N. Das in New Delhi and Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam in Islambad; Additional reporting by Sarita Chaganti Singh and Shivam Patel in New Delhi; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
India snubs Bangladesh on medical visas, opening way for China
By Krishna N. Das, Shivam Patel and Ruma Paul NEW DELHI/DHAKA (Reuters) - India is resisting pleas by Bangladesh to resume issuing normal volumes of medical visas, citing staffing shortages amid worsening ties, six sources said, giving China rare space to expand similar offerings and build people-to-people ties. The bulk of India's visas for Bangladeshis in 2023 went to those seeking its affordable private healthcare and Bengali-speaking hospital staff, helping to cement ties between the neighbours and limit China's regional influence. "When there is a vacuum, others will come and fill the space," one of four Bangladesh sources, most of them diplomats, told Reuters. "Some people are going to Thailand and China." Since August, India has handed out fewer than 1,000 medical visas each working day, down from a figure of 5,000 to 7,000, said the sources, who all sought anonymity, citing their terms of employment. The numbers have fallen as relations have cooled after Bangladesh's interim government, led by Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, replaced India's long-term ally Sheikh Hasina. Fleeing deadly protests that unseated her in August, Hasina sought refuge in New Delhi, and India has not responded since to Bangladesh's request to send her home for trial. In 2023, India issued more than 2 million visas to Bangladeshis, most of them on medical grounds, government data from both countries shows. But its withdrawal since has opened an enticing gap for China. Just this month, a group of Bangladeshis visited the southwestern province of Yunnan for treatment, in a bid to "explore the potential of the medical tourism market", said the Chinese ambassador, Yao Wen. And at least 14 of its companies have invested more than $230 million in Bangladesh since the interim government took office, the most of any country in that period, Wen said last week. Bangladesh's de facto prime minister, Yunus, is set to visit China this month to meet President Xi Jinping. China, with which India is only slowly restoring ties after Himalayan border clashes in 2020, is also considering opening a friendship hospital in Dhaka, the government of Bangladesh has said, and eased access for Bangladeshis seeking treatment there. China is willing to work together with Bangladesh to continuously deepen and explore mutually beneficial cooperation, a spokesperson of its foreign ministry said. "The cooperation between China and Bangladesh is not targeted at any third party, nor is it influenced by third-party factors," the spokesperson told Reuters. The foreign ministries of India and Bangladesh did not respond to requests for comment. ALIENATION India's tardy visa processing was alienating not just the government of Bangladesh, but also the wider population, the four sources said, which could keep India out of Dhaka's favour for a long time, as a swift comeback by Hasina's party is unlikely. India has repeatedly cited staff shortages in its Dhaka embassy for the visa problems, said the diplomats and Indian government sources added that they were concerned about staff security. New Delhi evacuated many diplomats and their families from its missions in Bangladesh in August after public opinion turned against it for sheltering Hasina, with protesters in the Bangladesh capital attacking an Indian cultural centre. The Indian government sources said they wanted Bangladeshis with medical conditions to secure access to treatment in India, adding that staff would be added to missions in the neighbouring country when there is "stability in Bangladesh". One of them also attributed the fewer medical visas to the finding that some were being misused by people looking to "try and escape difficult conditions in Bangladesh". The visa bottlenecks come against the backdrop of Indian credit lines of more than $7 billion extended to Bangladesh for projects from rail links and Indian economic zones at two ports to nuclear power plant infrastructure and defence purchases. This month, India's foreign ministry said some of its projects in Bangladesh had been affected and the two sides had discussed "rationalising the project portfolio". Ties between Bangladesh and China are gathering pace, however. While a source said India had not formally engaged with any politicians in Bangladesh, a delegation led by a former minister of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party recently went to China at Beijing's invitation. This week, Yunus told Wen that Bangladesh was ready to further open its market to China, after top solar energy player Longi Green Energy agreed to set up an office in Bangladesh and invest in manufacturing. Wen has also met a top BNP leader over what he called "issues of mutual concern", but gave no further details. By contrast, the first meeting between Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected only next month on the sidelines of a conference in Thailand, two Indian sources said. China's regional influence is growing, an Indian analyst said. "South Asia is undergoing a major strategic shift in which China is becoming one of the biggest players," said Happymon Jacob, who teaches international relations at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in the Indian capital. "With every South Asian country, the traditional primacy that India enjoyed is being questioned."
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dalai Lama says his successor to be born outside China
By Krishna N. Das NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Dalai Lama's successor will be born outside China, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism says in a new book, raising the stakes in a dispute with Beijing over control of the Himalayan region he fled more than six decades ago. Tibetans worldwide want the institution of the Dalai Lama to continue after the 89-year-old's death, he writes in "Voice for the Voiceless", which was reviewed by Reuters and is being released on Tuesday. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. He had previously said the line of spiritual leaders might end with him. His book marks the first time the Dalai Lama has specified that his successor would be born in the "free world", which he describes as outside China. He has previously said only that he could reincarnate outside Tibet, possibly in India where he lives in exile. "Since the purpose of a reincarnation is to carry on the work of the predecessor, the new Dalai Lama will be born in the free world so that the traditional mission of the Dalai Lama - that is, to be the voice for universal compassion, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and the symbol of Tibet embodying the aspirations of the Tibetan people - will continue," the Dalai Lama writes. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, fled at the age of 23 to India with thousands of other Tibetans in 1959 after a failed uprising against the rule of Mao Zedong's Communists. Beijing insists it will choose his successor, but the Dalai Lama has said any successor named by China would not be respected. China brands the Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for keeping alive the Tibetan cause, as a "separatist". When asked about the book at a press briefing on Monday, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said the Dalai Lama "is a political exile who is engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion. "On the Tibet issue, China's position is consistent and clear. What the Dalai Lama says and does cannot change the objective fact of Tibet's prosperity and development." 'REPRESSIVE COMMUNIST CHINESE RULE' Beijing said last month it hoped the Dalai Lama would "return to the right path" and that it was open to discussing his future if he met such conditions as recognising that Tibet and Taiwan are inalienable parts of China, whose sole legal government is that of the People's Republic of China. That proposal has been rejected by the Tibetan parliament-in-exile in India. Supporters of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan cause include Richard Gere, a follower of Tibetan Buddhism, and Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. His followers have been worried about his health, especially after knee surgery last year. He told Reuters in December that he might live to be 110. In his book, the Dalai Lama says he has received numerous petitions for more than a decade from a wide spectrum of Tibetan people, including senior monks and Tibetans living in Tibet and outside, "uniformly asking me to ensure that the Dalai Lama lineage be continued". Tibetan tradition holds that the soul of a senior Buddhist monk is reincarnated in the body of a child on his death. The current Dalai Lama was identified as the reincarnation of his predecessor when he was two. The book, which the Dalai Lama calls an account of his dealings with Chinese leaders over seven decades, is being published on Tuesday in the U.S. by William Morrow and in Britain by HarperNonFiction, with HarperCollins publications to follow in India and other countries. The Dalai Lama, who has said he will release details about his succession around his 90th birthday in July, writes that his homeland remains "in the grip of repressive Communist Chinese rule" and that the campaign for the freedom of the Tibetan people will continue "no matter what", even after his death. He expressed faith in the Tibetan government and parliament-in-exile, based with him in India's Himalayan city of Dharamshala, to carry on the political work for the Tibetan cause. "The right of the Tibetan people to be the custodians of their own homeland cannot be indefinitely denied, nor can their aspiration for freedom be crushed forever through oppression," he writes. "One clear lesson we know from history is this: if you keep people permanently unhappy, you cannot have a stable society." Given his advanced age, he writes, his hopes of going back to Tibet look "increasingly unlikely".
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
India's first transgender clinics close after USAID freeze
By Krishna N. Das NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's first three clinics for the transgender community closed last month following a stop-work order from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that funded them, disrupting services for nearly 5,000 people, two sources said on Friday. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day pause on all foreign aid in January pending a review to ensure all projects funded with U.S. taxpayer money are aligned with his "America First" policy. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Trump has repeatedly criticised what he called USAID spending $21 million on "voter turnout" in India. The Indian government said last week it was investigating. Among the main losers following the fund freeze have been three Mitr (friend) Clinics in India that are run mostly by doctors, counsellors and other workers from the transgender community and that serve up to 5,000 people, said the sources. Both declined to be named, citing the sensitivity of the matter. Trump ally Elon Musk and Republican Senator John Kennedy have both criticised the transgender funding. "That's what American tax dollars were funding," Musk said on X on Friday in response to a post about the closure of the first of the Mitr clinics, launched in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad in 2021. The other clinics are located in the western cities of Kalyan and Pune. All provided services including guidance and medication on hormone therapy, counselling on mental health as well as on HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, and legal aid, in addition to general medical care, a website for the three clinics said. Each of them needed up to 3 million rupees ($34,338) a year to run and employed about eight people, said one of the sources, adding that they were looking for alternate sources of funding, public or private. Organisers of the clinics, however, have got a waiver from USAID to keep running certain life-saving activities, including providing antiretroviral medication to HIV-infected people, the sources said. Up to 10% of all clinic clients are infected by HIV, one of the sources said. "We did some really good work at Mitr Clinics," said one of the sources, a doctor. "I am proud of what we achieved there." ($1 = 87.3650 Indian rupees)
