World Tibet Network News Tuesday, April 28, 1998

Recently, six Tibetans undertook a hunger strike unto death, organized by the Tibetan Youth Congress. When I visited the hunger strikers at the beginning of this month, I told them that I was against any form of violence, including hunger strike unto death.

Yesterday, we witnessed the most unfortunate incident of a Tibetan man burning himself alive. I am deeply saddened by this. For many years, I have been able to persuade the Tibetan people to eschew violence in our freedom struggle. Today, it is clear that a sense of frustration and urgency is building up among many Tibetans, as evidenced by the unto-death hunger strike and the tragic incident of yesterday.

This frustration stems from the fact that the Tibetan people, with their unique cultural heritage, are being gradually wiped out from the face of the earth. This is a tragedy for the whole world as the Tibetan culture has tremendous potential to benefit the world most of all millions of Chinese brothers and sisters

Although I disagree with their method, I do admire the motivation and determination of these Tibetans. They were prepared to die not for their selfish ends, but for the rights of six million Tibetans and the survival of their culture.

I request the international community to enhance its support to the cause of Tibet in a more substantial way. I request the governments and international fora to make earnest efforts to resolve the problem of Tibet peacefully.

The Dalai Lama

28 April 1998