World Tibet Network News Thursday, April 30, 1998 (II)

NEW YORK, April 30, 1998 (AP) -- The growing desperation of the Tibetan people could lead to violence, the Dalai Lama warned Thursday, urging China to enter into a dialogue over the autonomy of his Himalayan homeland.

The Dalai Lama is the religious and spiritual leader for many of Tibet's six million people. However, as a Buddhist said he could not support actions such as recent hunger strikes and the self-immolation of a Tibetan activist, who died Wednesday in New Delhi.

It was first act of its kind among the more than 100,000 Tibetans campaigning from exile in India to regain freedom for the mountainous country China invaded in 1950 and annexed nine years later.

Despite his opposition to such extremism, the Dalai Lama said he ``admired the determination'' of the activist, Thupten Ngodup.

But he also feared that ``if such determination and emotion is turned around, there is a danger of true violence.''

The Dalai Lama has long discouraged his followers from using violence to resist Chinese rule and sees a ``middle approach'' of dialogue with Beijing as the most beneficial way to reach an agreement.

He repeated his call Thursday for autonomy in Tibet rather than full political independence, and expressed disappointment that such declarations had brought no response from Beijing.

Saying that conditions in Tibet were ``becoming worse and worse,'' the religious leader added ``in order to stop expressions of desperation, I have to offer something (to frustrated Tibetans).''

At the same time, the 60-year-old leader said he supports the U.S. policy of engagement with China, and was hopeful President Clinton's visit in June could promote human rights there.

He even endorsed a decision by the United States and Europe to vote down a motion condemning China at an annual session of the U.N. Human Rights Commission last week.

``I believe the People's Republic of China is in the process of changing, changing for the better,'' he said. ``China, as a big nation, should not be isolated.''

After meeting Thursday with American human rights lawyers who have been campaigning for civil and cultural liberties in Tibet, the Dalai Lama said strong public condemnations of China's human rights record would make it ``more difficult'' for the Chinese leadership to make concessions.

And though many younger Tibetan militants have expressed increasing impatience with his moderate policies, the Dalai Lama gave no indication he is about to change his long-held beliefs.

``Judging by the overall changing situation in China, I think eventually some kind of understanding will come,'' he said. ``So in the long run, I'm optimistic ... I'm very, very hopeful, optimistic. I think within a few years time, things will change.''

The Dalai Lama will spend two weeks in the United States, visiting New York, Boston and Atlanta, among other cities.