Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari

Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, Special Envoy to the Dalai Lama, speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, on November 2.

It is no surprise that local Chinese diplomatic representatives objected to my participation at a dinner hosted by the Institute on Religion and Public Policy on Sept. 12 (“Religious leaders end 10-day trip to America,” World, Monday).

While Chinese officials repeatedly object to perceived “interference in internal matters,” their own attempts to interfere with the activities of governments, independent organizations and individuals undermine this stated position.

Those who closely follow Tibet-China relations may find the actions of local officials baffling, to say the least, as I often travel to Beijing to meet with leaders and senior officials.

The reason for my absence from this particular gathering was that I was presiding over the memorial service for Taktser Rinpoche, the eldest brother of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who sadly passed away on Sept. 5, and not due to the withdrawal of my invitation.

My greetings were duly conveyed to the delegation of senior Chinese officials present, as was my appreciation to the IRPP for extending the invitation, and a representative was sent on my behalf.

LODI GYARI

Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Office of the Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Washington, DC

This letter was published in the Washington Times on September 17 and can be found online.