In awarding the Nobel Peace Prize, officials noted that the Dalai Lama of Tibet ”consistently has opposed the use of violence” in his crusade to regain his people`s rights and freedom since the Chinese invaded his country in 1959 and he fled to set up a government in exile in bordering India.
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The Dalai Lama said he has three options for spending the $469,000 prize money: helping Tibetan refugees and starving people in Africa; funding ”Peace Universities,” such as the one he recently visited in Costa Rica; and/or sponsoring a peace conference of educators and others.
The Dalai Lama also spoke about:
The politics of nonviolence: ”I`m always telling my people not to use any form of violence, because even if it gives temporary satisfaction it won`t solve the problem with the Chinese. With violence the Chinese will find it easy to deal with the Tibetans. But without violence the Chinese authorities will find it more difficult.”
The Tibetan situation: ”Since the imposition of martial law in Lhasa last March, Tibet has been sealed off, and while global attention has been focused on the tragic events in China, a systematic effort to crush the national identity of the Tibetan people is being pursued by the Government of the People`s Republic. . . The Government is practicing a form of genocide by relocating millions of Chinese settlers into Tibet. I ask that this be stopped.”
The Chinese uprising: ”The Chinese students have given me great hope for the future of China, Tibet and the world.”