TIBETAN YOUTH HOSTEL & INTERVIEW WITH PEMA THINLEY OF THE TIBET REVIEW
Upon arrival in Delhi at 10 PM on May 26, Larry and I were greeted by Jigme Gyaltsen (staff member of the Tibetan Youth Hostel) and record breaking heat. Leaving the airport we made our first priority to stop at a tea (chai) shop. Despite the heat, our first glass of Indian tea was truely a delight. Jigme then escorted us to where we would be staying. After making arrangements to meet us at the hostel the following day, we promptly fell asleep only to awake at 6 AM to an intensely hot day.
The Tibetan Youth Hostel is an impressive compound that houses young Tibetans attending local universities. At this particular time, classes where out of session for summer break, so the hostel was quiet except for a few students hanging around before leaving for their holiday.
Some improvements are underway at the hostel including the renovation of the main meeting hall and moving the library to a larger room. A canteen has been added recently where meals are available all day to students and staff. The hostel is also the current home to the offices of Tibet Communications, a Tibetan run video news and documentary service, and the Tibetan Review, a monthly magazine on all aspects of Tibet.
Here we had the opportunity to talk with Pema Thinley, Editor and Publisher of the Tibetan Review. In his office we found refuge from the heat as a much coveted air conditioner cooled the small room-well, as long as the electric was on. Much of this interview was conducted in the dark due to an Indian trademark, unreliable electricity.
We began by talking about the Hunger Strike Unto Death and what effect it has had on the Tibetan community.
THINLEY: There has never been anything quite like this. Everyday there were Tibetans coming from all over Northern India to stage relay hunger strikes and other demonstrations. It was very encouraging. In the past, I think, fast until death did not go much beyond 10 days, and then it was stopped because The Dalai Lama asked them to stop. This time the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), even before the hunger strike began, encouraged The Dalai Lama not to call off the strike stating that we (Tibetans) have waited for so many years and nothing has materialized and now we must really do something different.
ITIM: We thought that His Holiness' statement was very interesting. Although He said he could not support a violent action, He did not ask them to stop. He said that He was confused.
THINLEY: I don't think that He was confused. I think, perhaps, He was saying what He was supposed to say, but He is also not discouraging them because they are doing what they should do. He is our peace leader, a Buddhist leader, and from that perspective He should be opposed to that sort of thing (hunger strike), but at the same time, He is a political leader and as a political leader He cannot be like a religious leader. There is a strong sense of frustration (in the Tibetan community) that the peace path alone is not going to lead us anywhere. Something more radical must be done, and the TYC has said that this could be the first step towards violence.
ITIM: Have you seen anything behaviorally in the Tibetan community to indicate frustration?
THINLEY: One thing is that previously whatever The Dalai Lama says is 100 percent followed, but this time, even though The Dalai Lama has outrightly said that He is opposed to any kind of violence, the Tibetans have continued to rally around the fast until death. This is a very open manifested expression of difference to what The Dalai Lama has said.
ITIM: People look to Tibetans for a peaceful solution to conflict. Many Injies (westerners) are saying that if Tibetans become more violent they will be shooting themselves in the foot and the Tibetan movement will lose support by becoming more aggressive.
THINLEY: It may lose some, but it may also gain some. The effect would not be too bad. I've seen a lot of people be very frustrated with the Tibetans being too passive. The reality is that people should combine different methods to get better results.
ITIM: We followed the Hunger Stike Unto Death very closely on line and noticed that the first six strikers received a lot of attention. The second batch seemed to be ignored. What happened?
THINLEY: I think the reason is this: When the first batch of strikers were taken away by the Indian police and Thupten Ngodup did self-immolation everyone got involved for only the self-immolation. When Ngodup was taken to the hospital, and then taken to Dharamsala for cremation everybody went up there. The second batch got sort of neglected because of that. When they came around, finally, to focusing on the second batch then came to the decision to suspend the strike.
ITIM: So you think that TYC had too many responsibilities to cover?
THINLEY: Yes.
ITIM: It's been said that if His Holiness where to step down and a leader was elected maybe that would help to active the population to be more involved. It's difficult to have much debate when there is a spiritual leader as the head.
THINLEY: Yes. That is partly true, but the thing is that the current leadership is the main reason for Tibetan unity. Without The Dalai Lama there is no one person for Tibetans to rally around.
ITIM: You don't think that the Tibetan community is ready for a full democracy?
THINLEY: No. I don't think so because there is a mentality to change. Everybody has praised the old system saying what we had was excellent and that is what we should strive for. Now with the Chinese bombarding the exiled Tibetans about how the old society was feudalism and a theocracy, that sort of thing, there is belated acknowledgement that the old society was not perfect. In order for new ideas to take with the Tibetan society we need to understand that there were aspects of the past which were not only not good, but negative. When there is a clear recognition of that then there is a better chance for new ideas to take root.
ITIM: What has been the sentiment in the Tibetan community about the recent nuclear testing?
THINLEY: Well they saw this as anti-China. Some newspapers showed pictures of Tibetans going to meet the Indian Prime Minister to congratulate him. The perception has been that India is too afraid of China, but after the test India can now talk with more confidence and maybe they can talk more openly on issues that they dared not to in the past. Still, there hasn't been much talk about had Tibet remained in it's previous situation this may not have happened. China and India would not share a border.
ITIM: What are some of your thoughts about being a journalist in the Tibetan community? Some people would say that it is very important for the newspapers to grow and thrive and have strong voices as this is an indicator of the maturation of a democracy.
THINLEY: Editorially the Tibetan Review is independent, but in every other respect we are under the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR). Our budget proposal goes through DIIR and all the way to the Tibetan Government In Exile (TGIE), so we can't spend more than what is sanctioned for us. We only get operating expenses: printing, stationary, staff saleries, etc. We don't get money for computers, printers, telephones, that sort of thing. What we have are all donated.
For subscriptions and/or donations contact the Tibetan Review.
PO Box 194 Fishers, Indiana 46038-0194 United States
e-mail: rangzen@aol.com