Tibetans decide to stick to Dalai Lama's "Middle Way"

DHARAMSALA, India (Reuters) - Tibetan exiles reaffirmed their commitment to the so-called "Middle Way" approach to China on Saturday but expressed impatience with the lack of progress in autonomy talks with Beijing.

The decision followed a meeting of hundreds of Tibetans this week in the northern Indian town of Dharamsala, seat of Tibet's government-in-exile, to chart a course after eight rounds of official talks.

The Middle Way, espoused by the Dalai Lama, abandons the dream of an independent Tibet in favor of seeking greater autonomy within China through dialogue.

"We will continue with the Middle Way approach, and if there is no progress within a short period we will consider other options, including independence," Karma Choephel, speaker of the parliament-in-exile, told the gathering.

Chinese troops occupied Tibet in 1950 and the Dalai Lama fled the mountainous region in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

The exiled government consulted thousands of Tibetans inside Tibet before the meeting. Officials said they had agreed to send no more delegations for talks with China unless Beijing came up with a "purposeful proposal."

If China did not respond, a call for independence could be the only option left, Dolma Gyari, parliament's deputy speaker, told reporters.

"But we have no time frame, the time frame will be either made by the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan parliament or the cabinet," Choephel said.

Analysts and many Tibetans think the 73-year-old Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace laureate, called the meeting partly to unite the exile movement around a common approach and prepare the way for his retirement, especially if his health starts to fail.

Others said the meeting would help to empower a political leadership to carry on the struggle.

"The meeting reaffirmed the Tibetan people's faith and allegiance to the Dalai Lama and requested the Dalai Lama not to talk about retirement," Choephel said.

"He is the sole representative of the Tibetan people."

FRUSTRATION

Many younger Tibetans said they want to replace the Dalai Lama's non-confrontational method with a demand for outright independence.

Beijing again firmly rejected that idea in talks this month with the Dalai Lama's envoys over the future of Tibet, where deadly riots and protests broke out in March.

"Our clear goal is the Middle Way approach. We always want to adopt non-violence," exile prime minister Samdhong Rimpoche said. "A small section of people do not agree but their views have also been heard."

In the streets of Dharamsala, some young Tibetans said the meeting had failed to realize that most people inside Tibet wanted independence.

"It is frustrating to know that we are still supporting Middle Way. We want freedom," said Tenzin Ngawang, a Tibetan student born in India.

For some, renewed faith in the Dalai Lama's policy was a way of preparing better for an all-out freedom movement.

"We will now probably have more time to plan our fight for independence," said Sonam Tsering, another student.

(Additional reporting by Tenzin Pema; Writing by Krittivas Mukherjee; Editing by Angus MacSwan)