Urgent Press Release from the Kashag
Press Release
16 August 2012
The recent conflict between the Buddhist and Muslim communities of Myanmar (Burma) has created some misinterpretation and misunderstanding about Tibetans, and led to some unfortunate incidents. The misunderstanding about Tibetans has arisen mainly from the misuse of a photo of Tibetan monks which appeared in different websites about violence against Muslims in Burma. The photo of Tibetan monks was in fact about the funeral during the devastating earthquake in Yushul in eastern Tibet, in April 2010. During the earthquake, hundreds of Tibetans died and given the urgency, mass funeral of the dead were performed by Tibetan monks. So there should not be any misinterpretation and misunderstanding about those photos.
Kalon Tripa, during his recent visit to south India, met Chief Minister of Karnataka, prominent people of the state, and security officials and briefed them about this issue.
The Tibetan Settlement Officers should visit and meet prominent Muslim leaders including religious leaders and members of state assembly to apprise them with the real information on the issue. The Muslim leaders should be informed about the historically good relationship between the Tibetan Muslims and Buddhists, particularly the consistent commitment and advice of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to promote religious harmony during his visits around the world, his pilgrimage to mosques and efforts to strengthen ties with Muslim religious leaders. They should be also informed about the sadness expressed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the recent violence in Assam, and his statement can be viewed on the official website of CTA.
We want to thank all our Muslim friends and Indian authorities for helping us in clearing the misunderstanding and calm the situation.
The Kashag
Dharamsala
16 August 2012