Rejecting China’s claim on deciding the 84-year-old Dalai Lama’s successor, the US on Thursday said the issue should be taken up by the international bodies, including the UN. China has been asserting that its assent to the Dalai Lama’s successor is a must.
“There are many people who follow the Dalai Lama and don’t live in China. He is a well-known spiritual leader throughout the world and deserves respect and deserves the succession process picked by his faith community...,” US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Samuel Brownback told reporters at a news conference here. Rejecting the Chinese claim, he reiterated that it was an issue that should be taken up in international bodies.
The United States is going to keep pushing on that, said Brownback who was recently in Dharamshala and addressed the Tibetan community.
China accuses the Dalai Lama as a “splittist” working for Tibetan independence. The 14th Dalai Lama fled to India in early 1959 to escape from the Chinese occupation and lives in exile in the hill town of Dharamshala.
“He used to travel so much, was such a great spokesperson. I met him several times when he travelled to the United States – just was energetic and lively and clear,” Brownback said.