(17 Jan 2009)
1. Various of Tibetan Spiritual Leader Dalai Lama being greeted
2. Various of Dalai Lama planting sapling
3. Low angle shot of armed security
4. Wide of Global Congress on Religion
5. Wide of audience
6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dalai Lama, Tibetan Spiritual Leader:
"Since our contact with Chinese officials becoming difficult, then I often, you see, mentioning our faith towards (Chinese) government now becoming thinner and thinner. However, our faith towards Chinese people never shaken."
7. Various of audience
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dalai Lama, Tibetan Spiritual Leader:
"Now President Hu Jintao very much emphasis the promotion of harmonious society, it's very right. Now the real sort of effective method to bring harmonious society is freedom, transparent rule of law, these are essential things. Simply tight control by gun, impossible to develop harmonious society."
9. Various of audience
10. Mid of Dalai Lama greeting people and turning to leave
STORYLINE:
Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, said on Saturday that contact between his government-in-exile and Chinese officials was becoming "difficult".
He told an interfaith meeting in the Indian capital that Tibetan faith towards the Chinese government had become "thinner and thinner".
The Dalai Lama welcomed Chinese President Hu Jintao's emphasis on promoting a harmonious society, but said that required freedom and a transparent rule of law.
"Simply a tight control by gun is impossible to develop a harmonious society," he said.
Meanwhile, the Tibetan government-in-exile said on Saturday it was yet to receive a Chinese response to its memo on autonomy presented by the Dalai Lama's envoys two months ago.
But, according to Samdhong Rinpoche, the prime minister of the government-in-exile, Beijing has started discussing it with the United States and some European countries.
He said the memo was an open letter and everybody knew about it.
In November, Zhu Weiqun, a vice minister of the Chinese United Front Work Department, had described the memo on autonomy submitted by the Dalai Lama's emissaries as an attempt to undermine Beijing's authority in the region.
The Dalai Lama, who fled to India amid a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, says he does not seek Tibetan independence but wants meaningful autonomy that would ensure the survival of the region's unique Buddhist culture.
Critics and rights groups say an influx of majority Han Chinese to Tibet combined with Beijing's tight restrictions on the practice of Tibetan Buddhism are eroding the people's identity.
The Dalai Lama's envoys have met Chinese officials nine times since 2002, including the latest round, held from October 31 to November 5.
Rinpoche said on Saturday that no time or dates have been fixed for the next round of meeting.
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