TIBETANS PLOT FUTURE, DALAI LAMA REINCARNATION

By Eric Baculinao, NBC News Beijing Bureau Chief

BEIJING – As more than 500 Tibetan exile leaders gather in Dharmsala, India, this week to discuss their struggle against Chinese rule, their movement appears to be at a crossroads.

They are expected to debate whether or not they should abandon the Dalai Lama’s longtime attempt to compromise with Beijing, by pursuing a path known as the “middle way,” or if they should go for a last ditch attempt at independence.

But overshadowing those issues, and heightening the urgency of the gathering, is the age and health of the Dalai Lama himself – he is now 73-years-old and has had two hospital treatments since August.

Image: Tibetan Buddhist monks carry a portrait of the Dalai Lama
AP

Tibetan Buddhist monks carry a portrait of the Dalai Lama in Dharmsala, India, on Monday.

He called the meeting in the Indian hill town that is the base of Tibet’s self-proclaimed government in exile, but was not expected to attend the meeting because he said he did not want to tilt the debate on future strategy.

But as the Tibetan spiritual leader, his continuing influence on the movement is undeniable… [the rest]

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