Economic Times, 27 July 2016
NEW DELHI: It was not just meetings between the three Chinese journalists and the Tibetan community that had irked authorities here leading to refusal of visa extensions. The genesis is in sectarian divide in the Tibetan movement and the three scribes from state-run Xinhua who have been directed to leave India by end of this week were allegedly in touch with the anti-Dalai Lama faction in Tibetan settlements in Bylakuppe and Mundgod areas of Karnataka.
Visits to these settlements by these scribes since this April and their interactions with anti-Dalai Lama faction did not go down well with the Indian authorities, indicated persons familiar with the developments.
The Indian authorities, in recent times, have been worried over ‘Dorjee Shugden Tibetan’ sect based in Bylakuppe and Mundgod and running a global campaign against Dalai Lama, authoritative sources informed. The Communist Party of China has been accused of encouraging this anti-Dalai Lama faction in the Tibetan community to weaken the anti-Beijing movement, according to experts on the subject.
The Serpom Monastic University at Bylakuppe and Shar Ganden monastery in Mundgod are among the main centres of the Dorje Shugden sect in India. The Dalai Lama had to witness demonstration by the members of the Dorje Shugden sect during his visits to the UK and the US. Hundreds of western Shugden practitioners have staged demonstrations against the Dalai Lama, most recently in 2015 in Cambridge, and 2014 in San Francisco, Berkeley, Washington DC, Oslo, Rotterdam, and Frankfurt.
The three Chinese scribes had used fake names to travel to the Tibetan settlements in Karnataka to meet members of Dorje Shugden sect, alleged sources.
According to investigation by a global news agency China’s ruling Communist Party backs this sect that is behind the protests against Dalai Lama in various countries. The sect, according to the media reports, is a Chinese government tool to discredit the Dalai Lama. Western media quoted a leaked Chinese Communist Party document as saying Shugden issue as “an important front in our struggle with the Dalai clique.” Beijing officially accuses Dalai Lama of “religious tyranny” and sponsoring secessionism.
The visas granted to Wu Qiang and Lu Tang, who respectively headed Xinhua’s bureaus in Delhi and Mumbai, as well as to She Yonggang, a reporter in Mumbai bureau of the agency, had expired several months ago. However, they had been granted fortnightly extensions and the Xinhua was asked to send their replacements. Xinhua is yet to send replacements for the three scribes.
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