China Can’t Be Trusted, India Should Recognise Tibet As Occupied Land

NEW DELHI: Tibetan leader Dolma Gyari comes across as a person who doesn’t mince her words. So she says she wants India to shed its cautious approach on Tibet and recognise it as a territory that’s under the illegal occupation of China. In this interview with StratNews Global Deputy Editor Parul Chandra, Gyari also wants New Delhi to use the ‘Tibet card’ to greater effect with the Chinese. Gyari’s words have great import as she’s a possible Sikyong (Prime Minister) of the Tibetan-Government-In-Exile, formally known as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). Gyari, while all praise for India in standing up to Chinese attempts at expansionism in eastern Ladakh and also says that Beijing cannot be trusted. A former home minister in the CTA, Gyari is all set to contest the elections for the Sikyong to be held early next year. She’s a strong contender for the post, having previously been the home minister and a four time member of Parliament of the CTA. If Gyari wins, she’ll become the first woman to occupy the post. While Gyari says she believes in the Middle Way approach on Tibet–autonomy within the Chinese framework–she doesn’t want the approach to be a passive one, warning that China can be “mischievous” otherwise. Watch this interview for more: