Tibetans likely to back "Middle Way"

By Bappa Majumdar

DHARAMSALA, India (Reuters) - Tibetan exiles meeting in northern India have failed to find a viable alternative to the Dalai Lama's "Middle Way" approach to China, and admit they can do little more than hope for a softening in Beijing's stance.

In the meantime, they must redouble efforts to maintain their struggle, remain united and determined, and do what they can to preserve their ancient culture, leaders said.

"The only thing we can do now is wait for some signals from the Chinese government that there has been a rethinking and a reconsideration of their position on the issue of Tibet," Kelsang Gyaltsen, the Dalai Lama's special envoy to China told Reuters.

"If that signal arrives, then the Tibetans will discuss how to respond to it."

Hundreds of Tibetans are meeting this week in Dharamsala, the headquarters of Tibet's government-in-exile, to look for a way forward after eight rounds of official talks on autonomy with Beijing failed to make any progress.

They split into 15 groups of 40 each to brainstorm ideas, and came together on Friday to discuss their conclusions before presenting their ideas to the government-in-exile on Saturday.

There is an acknowledgement that the Middle Way, which abandoned the dream of an independent Tibet in favor of seeking greater autonomy within China through dialogue, has also failed. Beijing again firmly rejected that idea in talks this month with the Dalai Lama's envoys over the future of Tibet, which saw deadly riots and protests in March.

On Friday China's official Xinhua news agency again accused the Dalai Lama of trying to achieve independence covertly and of promoting racial hatred.

Unhappy at the lack of progress, many younger Tibetans said they want to replace the "Middle Way" with a demand for outright independence.

"It is very frustrating to see people still sticking to the Middle Way," said Tenzin Choeying, president of the Indian section Students for a Free Tibet, which says its represents 25,000 to 30,000 young people across the world.

"We will follow the path of a more forceful Middle Way."

The speaker of the Tibetan government-in-exile's parliament told Reuters this week the cabinet consulted thousands of Tibetans inside Tibet ahead of the meeting for their opinions on policy.

More than 5,000 of those asked called for a change to the "Middle Way" approach, 2,000 said it should continue as it is, while 8,000 said they would follow any future decision taken by the Dalai Lama, Karma Choephel said.

Some groups at the meeting want to give China two years to resolve the Tibetan issue or face more radical protests.

But an overwhelming majority said they wanted to stick to the non-violent path, and most said there was little alternative to the Dalai Lama's approach.