Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal will proceed as planned

The fourteenth Dalai Lama , Tenzin Gyatso

Dharamsala, India: With doubts mounting that the Indian foreign service would ask the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to call of his proposed visit to the north-eastern border state of Arunachal Pradesh, it has now been clarified by the Tibetan Government-in-exile here that the spiritual leader's plan to visit the northeast remains 'unchanged'.

'There is no question in change of Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. People of the area had been anxiously waiting and all arrangements are in place,'' prime minister of the Tibetan Government-in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche informed Indian media.

For some time now China has been carrying out a deliberately provocative campaign aimed at dissuading the Indian government from allowing the Dalai Lama's visit to go ahead. China claims the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh as its own and accuses the Dalai Lama of 'indulging in separatism'.

Asked to comment, Tibetan PM-in-exile, Rinpoche strongly refuted the Chinese allegation.

''China should tell what activities Dalai Lama is indulging in. Tibetans are seeking autonomy under Chinese constitution, not separatism'' he added.

''The Indian foreign minister said that Dalai Lama is free to visit Arunachal Pradesh and we stand by position'' said Thupten Samphel, spokesman of Tibetan Government–in-exile.