Letter to the Editor
The Telegraph (UK)
May 20, 2008

Sir - I hope proper credit will be given to the Dalai Lama for his remarkable and positive response to the Chinese government's activities in Tibet.

He was abused by the Chinese as a "demon" and a "wolf in monk's robes", and, with the violence initiated in Tibet, it seemed as if the killings would continue and the Dalai Lama would become a focus of anti-Chinese opinion, and that the Olympics would become an international embarrassment.

Instead, the Dalai Lama stated that he would look forward to being a Chinese citizen if freedom was restored to Tibet, and he offered to help with the problems created by the earthquake in China.

If the Chinese respond to this peaceful and constructive initiative, it seems likely that Tibet can be restored as a centre of religious freedom, even if responsibility for external affairs is held by China.

When so many cruel divisions have been created in the world on the so-called justification of religion, it is a joy to see a religious leader ignoring the temptation to become an international hero and seeking instead to resolve conflicts.

Sir Teddy Taylor, Thorpe Bay, Essex