Dalai Lama's Envoy Has Left India For Chinese Talks

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The envoys are scheduled to meet in China on Saturday for informal talks. The representatives of the Dalai Lama will state their thoughts of concern over the Chinese governments handling of the crisis in Tibet and offer suggestions that they believe will bring peace back into the region.

The Chinese government last week agreed to meet with the envoy but had a list of preconditions for such a meeting. They include that the Dalai Lama unambiguously recognize Tibet as a part of China.

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 wants to achieve meaningful autonomy for Tibet rather than independence from Chinese rule.

The last time the two government groups were in talk was 2006. Those talks ended with no true changes. Although both governments have tensions they have managed to keep an open channel for dialogue. The Dalai Lama's special envoy Lodi Gyari has led the most recent discussions with China. Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen are the envoys that will be in discussions for Tibet's government-in-exile during these talks.

The issue at hand are the recent protests and violence that have left at least 22 people dead in Tibet. The protests focused on China's policies that stem to change the Himalayan region's Buddhist culture. Tibet has challenged the number of dead saying many more than the 22 reported have died.