Widespread reporting of the Dalai Lama’s press release earlier today is honing in on the statement that he may step down if the violence in Tibet spirals out of control.  Firstly, it is important to note that this comment was made in the context of contrasting his long term, non-violent campaign for the resolution of the Tibetan issue against the current incidents in Tibet.  In effect, I believe he is saying that if the Tibetan people choose violence (unlikely), he cannot lead this as he is firmly committed to non-violence.  Hopefully he will not feel the need to stand down as I believe that His Holiness’ leadership is actually a strong moderating force in this struggle.

I hope our political leaders agree.  I will be encouraging them to demonstrate their support for the Dalai Lama and his non-violent approach, and request that they urge him to stay on to lead the Tibetan people through this troubling period.

Of course, I think most people are smart enough to make up their own mind about the Chinese government’s claim that they have ‘evidence’ that the protests were coordinated by the ‘Dalai clique’. For his part, the Dalai Lama has stated that he welcomes a full investigation into the matter.