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MDTTA
175503
1884
OF DEMOCRATIC VALUES, AND AS A BUDDHIST MONK WAS KEEN TO VISIT HIS CORELIGIONISTS. BUT AS A TIBETAN LEADER HE WAS AWARE THERE WERE SEVERAL PROBLEMS BETWEEN TIBETANS AND THE TAIWANESE WHICH WOULD NEED TO BE RESOLVED BEFORE A VISIT WAS CONVENIENT. THE DALAI LAMA AND CHOU HAD AGREED THAT A TIBETAN DELEGATION LED BY THONDUP SHOULD VISIT TAIPEI TO DISCUSS THESE DIFFICULTIES AND, ALL WENT WELL, TO PREPARE FOR A SUBSEQUENT VISIT BY THE DALAI LA.MA.
ASKED WHAT PROBLEMS THERE WERE WITH TAIWAN, DORJEE RECALLED THAT TAIWAN, LIKE THE PRC, MAINTAINED A CLAIM TO TIBET. OF ITSELF THIS NEED NOT PRECLUDE DIALOGUE. BUT THE KUOMINTANG HAD KEPT IN EXISTENCE A TIBET-MONGOLIA COMMISSION THROUGHOUT THE YEARS AFTER THEIR ESTABLISHMENT IN TAIPEI. AS A RESULT OF TAIWAN'S PHENOMENAL ECONOMIC GROWTH THE COMMISSION HAD BECOME MUCH MORE ACTIVE IN RECENT TIMES AND HAD TAKEN TO DISTRIBUTING LARGESSE AMONGST TIBETAN EXILE COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING THOSE IN INDIA. THESE ACTIVITIES WERE DISTRACTING AND DIVISIVE AND THE 'GOVERNMENT-IN-EXILE' IN DHARAMSALA WISHED THEM TO STOP.
IF
5. DORJEE SAID THERE HAD BEEN NO FURTHER PROGRESS TOWARDS A DIALOGUE WITH PEKING: THE CHINESE HAD CONTINUED, THROUGH THEIR EMBASSY HERE, TO REPEAT UNACCEPTABLE PRECONDITIONS. MR GOODLAD'S RECENT STATEMENT CALLING FOR DIALOGUE WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS WITH TIBETANS, INCLUDING THE DALAI LAMA, HAD BEEN MUCH APPRECIATED IN DHARAMSALA.
COMMENT
6. THE DOMINANT FACTOR IN THE CALCULATIONS OF THE DALAI LAMA'S ENTOURAGE OVER CONTACTS WITH TAIPEI IS PRESUMABLY THEIR DESIRE TO INCREASE PRESSURE ON PEKING TO ESTABLISH A DIALOGUE. BUT IT IS INTERESTING THAT A FURTHER FACTOR IS CONCERN ABOUT TAIWANESE ACTIVITY AMONGST TIBETAN EXILE COMMUNITIES, WHICH IS EVIDENTLY SEEN BY THE TIBETANS IN DHARAMSALA AS THREATENING THEIR OWN
POWERS OF PATRONAGE.
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7 YOU WILL NOTE THAT THIS PROPOSED VISIT VIA HONG KONG TO
TAIPEI WILL COINCIDE WITH THE DALAI LAMA'S VISIT TO THE UK ON
1-16 MAY (NEW DELHI TELNO VISA 289 REFERS). DURING OUR MEETING I TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO DRAW ON THE GUIDANCE TELEGRAMS TO REMIND DORJEE WITHOUT ANY DIRECT REFERENCE TO THE DALAI LAMA'S VISIT OR TO THE DELEGATION'S ONWARD TRAVEL PLANS - OF THE IMPENDING RESUMPTION OF OUR TALKS WITH PEKING OVER HONG KONG. DORJEE SAID
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