Chinese media slams Dalai Lama’s call for talks with IS

From K J M Varma Beijing, Sep 16 (PTI) The Dalai Lama’s call for talks withthe Islamic State terror group to end the violence has evokedstrong criticism from Chinese media which said the "shocking"suggestion provides a good chance for the monk’s supporters inthe West to see his "true colours". "The Dalai Lama’s recent terrorist-sympathising remarkshave again shocked the world, and provided for those in theWest who used to exchange backing him for selfish politicalgains a chance to see the monk’s true colours," a commentaryin state-run Xinhua news agency said. While traveling in France, the Tibetan spiritual leaderhad mooted talks with Islamic State extremists, saying talksare "the only way" to end bloodshed in Syria and Iraq. "It is not the first time the monk has made such a highlycontroversial remark, which has been savagely criticised inEurope and the wider world," the commentary said. "His call for Europe to take in refugees withoutconditions has also irritated many in the continent, who blamehim for being purely hypocritical and totally devoid of commonsense. That provides a good enough reason for Paris to shunhim," it said. "Although the Dalai Lama has for long claimed to haveabandoned politics and only focus on protecting the Tibetanculture, language and ecology, he devoted his visit to Franceto mainly spreading his political ideas in a bid to maintaininfluence," it said. "It is worth noting that the Dalai Lama, who has beenliving in India for decades, has never uttered one word aboutthe rampant poverty in that country. On the contrary, he hasoften caused division and trouble in the Himalayan region andhelped stunt economic and social development there," it said. "Moreover, despite his repeated denial, the Dalai Lama hasbeen trying to split Tibet from China," it said. The Dalai Lama fled his homeland in Tibet in 1959 after anabortive uprising against Communist rule and has since beenbased in Dharamshala where the Tibetan governemnt-in-exile islocated. China views the 81-year-old Nobel peace laureate as aseparatist seeking Tibet’s independence from the Chinesemainland. PTI KJV KUN AKJKUN