"Sad thing": Tibetan government-in-exile as China imposes restrictions ahead of Dalai Lama's 89th birthday
Jul 06, 2024
Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 6 : Tenzin Lakshay, spokesperson of Tibetan government-in-exile expressed regret that the Tibetans living inside Tibet cannot celebrate his holiness's birthday due to the restrictions imposed by the Chinese government.
Spokesperson Tenzin Lakshay said called it a "sad thing" that they are not able to celebrate Dala Lama's birthday in Tibet. 
He further emphasised that in India, all the Tibetans are celebrating his holiness's birthday.
"Thats a sad thing because China often times felt that his holiness is a threat but his holiness, all through his life talks about compassion, love, friendship and he always wish to be a better human being," Lakshay told ANI.
"Its a sad thing that Tibetans inside Tibet cannot celebrate because of the restrictions but, in India all the Tibetans are celebrating," he added.
Saying that it is a joyous moment for all the Tibetans in Tibet, India and other regions, the spokesperson said that everybody is celebrating his holiness the Dalai Lama's birthday.
The Chief Minister of Sikkim is the chief guest of the event.
"Here, we are officially celebrating in the main temple of Dharamshala and we have honourable CM of Sikkim as the chief guest of the occassion," he said.
The Chinese government is intensifying already stringent social media restrictions on Tibetans to keep them from celebrating the July 6 birthday of the Dalai Lama.
Tenzin Paldon, a Tibetan from Belgium, noted that its unfortunate that the Dalai Lama is not here to celebrate his birtdhay because of his knee surgery. 
"But we wish him well," Paldon said.
"We're here to just celebrate with what hopes and expectations. We are celebrating the day to day. We wish for his long, healthy life. And I think this his birthday, really brings all Tibetans together," she said, adding that it is just a happy and joyful day for us.
"Even now, like the third generation of Tibetans in Tibet still have this strong faith and love for his Holiness. And I'm sure they wish they could celebrate with us one day. And we hope for that," she told ANI. 
On China imposing restrictions on Tibetans living inside Tibet on celebrating Dalai Lama's birthday, she said that his holiness legacy will be with us forever.
"His wisdom and compassion, his messages of love and peace will just prevail," she said.
The 14th Dalai Lama, known to the Tibetan people as Gyalwa Rinpoche, is the current Dalai Lama, also the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibet.
Dalai Lama is in United States these days, as he went there for knee surgery.
China considers Dalai Lama, who has been living in exile in India for decades, a separatist intending to split the formerly independent region from the control of China, as per UCA News.
Chinese forces invaded and annexed Tibet in the 1950s under the pretext that it had always been a part of China.
