There is little hope for the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet if he doesn't completely give up his separatist attempts, a Tibetan official said on Thursday.

 

"If the Dalai Lama doesn't completely give up his pursuit of 'Tibet independence', the hope for him to return is slim," said Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region, on the sidelines of the ongoing annual full session of the Tenth National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature.

 

The DalaiLama fled China after a failed rebellion in 1959. Qiangba Puncog said the Dalai Lama has done nothing good to Tibet in the past 48 years, though the central government has treated him with utmost tolerance and kindness.

 

He said that the central government had never closed the door of communication with the Dalai Lama.

 

But "we will never recognize the so-called 'government-in-exile' of the Dalai Lama, and will never have dealings with it," said Qiangba Puncog at a panel discussion of lawmakers from Tibet open to media coverage.

 

The Tibetan official said that the attitude of the central government toward the Dalai Lama is "clear-cut".

 

"He (the Dalai Lama) must completely give up his pursuit of 'Tibet independence'. He must recognize that Tibet is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory since the ancient times. And he must also recognize that Taiwan is a part of China," he said.

 

"What matters most is that he must truly give up the 'Tibet independence' activities," the official said.

 

Commenting on the Dalai Lama's recent proclamation that he would give up his pursuit of "Tibet independence" in exchange for a "high degree of autonomy" in a so-called "Greater Tibet", Qiangba Puncog said that the Dalai Lama actually "harbored ulterior motives".

 

"He (the Dalai Lama) aims at influencing international public opinion, winning the sympathy of some people with little knowledge about the Chinese history and the true situation in Tibet, and internationalizing the so-called 'Tibet issue'," the official elaborated.

 

In the mean time, China sets no restrictions on Tibetan compatriots in India who want to come back, said Raidi, vice chairman of the NPC standing committee.

 

"Some of them are willing to come back home and some are not. Those who would like to pay a visit to Tibet or come back home to visit their families have freedom to travel, and we also allow them to live in Tibet if they want," said Raidi.

 

(Xinhua New Agency March 9, 2007)