Tokyo, October 24, 1995: As an absolute desperate and self-disgracing move, a couple of state-controlled communist Chinese newspapers, recently carried articles linking the criminal deeds of the Japanese religious cult 'Aum Shinrikyo' with His Holiness the Dalai lama.

While the fabricated reports surprised nobody, they certainly contributed to further damage the already disfigured image of the China's communist regime. Has China been a state of civil law and freedom, the above newspapers would have faced a hundred million dollars lawsuit for their most scandalous and unforgivable allegations against the holy person of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. But since it is not so, and since no thinking person, including the Chinese intellectuals, would trust and rely on the reports of the Chinese state media, such legal actions are seen neither advisable nor necessary.

The outburst of the problems related with the Aum cult and its leader Shoko Asahara are being investigated at two levels - religious and criminal. Whatever little relationship Asahara had with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Lamas fell purely under the religious domain in spirit and deed. It had nothing to do with the world-shocking criminal acts known and alleged to have been committed by the Aum cult. It is unthinkable that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is related with the criminal acts of Aum simply because of his casual spiritual relationship with Asahara. It's somewhat like holding Kark Marz responsible for capital crimes committed by Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party against the Chinese people.

Asahara met His Holiness the Dalai Lama and a few other Tibetan Lamas, not to consult and conspire about his organization's secret plans, but to seek guidance in his private spiritual practices. Sympathizing with the critical situations of the Tibetan people and culture in exile, Asahara did offer some donations to His Holiness the Dalai Lama when he met him. The donations were no "in return" for anything but were voluntary and offered at his own insistence.

As to who is linked with the suspected crimes of the Aum cult founded by Asahara, the pointer seems to move more towards the direction of Beijing than towards Dharamsala. We are confident that the ongoing investigations will ultimately reveal that fact Beijing should know that those who are living in glass houses should not throw stone at others.

Ven. Karma Gelek Yuthok

Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama , Tokyo

Forwarded by: tibetlondon@gn.apc.org (Tseten Samdup)