Separate Note attached to His Holiness' Letter to Deng Xiaoping of March 23, 1981
In recent times, in accordance with the contacts made by Beijing
through Gyalo Thondup three fact-finding delegations have already
visited Tibet. The fourth one is scheduled to leave in April this year.
Although Beijing had already agreed to the deputation of 50 teachers
from India to different schools in Tibet for a period of two years and
the opening of a liaison office in Lhasa to facilitate mutual contacts,
recently Gyalo Thondup received the following message from Beijing
through the Xinhua News Agency in Hong Kong:
- As regard the fourth
fact-finding delegation, nothing has been confirmed so far. A response
will be given later either through Hong Kong or the Chinese embassy in
New Delhi.
- Although we have agreed in principle to the opening of a
liaison office in Lhasa and the deputation of teachers, it would be
better to defer the opening of the liaison office and instead more
contact should be made through Hong Kong and the Chinese embassy in
Delhi.
- The teachers having been brought up in India with all good
facilities would find it difficult to live in Tibet where facilities
are lacking at the moment. This could harm their morale. It is
therefore suggested that the sending of teachers to Tibet be deferred.
For the time being some teachers may be deputed to the nationalities
schools inside China from where they could gradually be sent to Tibet.
(Subsequently, a message received through the Chinese embassy in Delhi
conveyed that the fourth delegation should be postponed for this year.)
The following is our response to the above matters:
- We
agree to the postponement of the fourth delegation for this year, as
well as the opening of the liaison office in Lhasa for the timebeing.
- On the matter of sending teachers to Tibet, since the
teachers are already aware of the difficult conditions in the schools
in Tibet, this will neither lower their morale nor come in the way of
carrying out of their tasks. Above all, the main reason for sending the
teachers is to uplift the standard of education of the students living
in difficult conditions. We hope you will reconsider this matter. The
teachers will be concerned solely with educational matters and will not
indulge in any political activities. There is, therefore, no need to
worry on this point.
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