City of Tallinn has allowed the Institute of the Rights of People to stage a public rally on Vabaduse square on August 17 with Dalai Lama as the keynote speaker.
Dalai Lama is scheduled to start his speech on Vabaduse square in Tallinn at 2 pm. The speech will be translated into Estonian. Access to the rally is free.
It is the third visit to Estonia for Dalai Lama. During the visit, he will unofficially meet cabinet ministers Mart Laar, Ken-Marti Vaher, Juhan Parts and Jaak Aaviksoo.
It has been announced that parliamentary speaker Ene Ergman and prime minister Andrus Ansip will not participate at the unofficial meeting.
Toomas Hõbemägi
The key in Estonia was the Citizen's Comittees movement - something that the old communists substantially put the kibosh on, but which is a "secret weapon" that Estonia has not been perceptive enough to properly explain to the world. For coming out from under occupation, the Citizen's Comittees model is an absolutely brilliant Estonian invention - something easily transferable to others. If only it had been applied better here - applied right!, and not been substantially sabotaged!
What with young Tibetans chafing at the bit and the Chinese cranking up the pressure on their occupied country, the Dalai Lama may have realized by now that his earlier attempts at detente with China have not been rewarded by Beijing. To the contrary - the Chinese have used the time wickedly to the detriment of the Tibetans. The relatively recent train connection constructed by the Chinese is having a devastating effect. The role of the DL has become less significant since he recently ceded his political role to the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government in exile. It's sad that the non-violent and conciliatory strategy of the Dalai Lama has not borne fruit. He is such an outstanding individual in respect to the goodness of his heart.
Posted by: Jüri Estam | August 15, 2011 at 00:43
He needs help, with current siege of monastary in Tibet by Chinese police. Interestingly I saw a group of Tibetan monks performing rituals as they visited a major, huge monastary in China in Chengdu, Sichuan, a few weeks ago when i was there lecturing in the post-quake new progressive schools in traditionally poor rural Dujiangyan. I remember Dalai Lama switching from wanting freedom in Tibet to agreeing to autonomy,but perhaps now he wants political freedom too. Tibet is referred to in China as "the Autonomous Region of Tibet" but it doesn't really ring true, as Chinese are being brought in for jobs, etc. as they modernize tibet. Sort of like the Russification in Eesti.Eesti freed itself, and I know that is what Dalai lama wants to understand -- ie how. When his delegation remained in Eesti in 1990 after he left, I asked his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gori, why the Dalai Lama visited Eesti. And that is what he told me. The motivation was a desire for more political/cultural freedom for his homeland than religious. He said that the Dalai Lama wanted to understand how Estonians were able to get so much worldwide media attention.
Posted by: Mare Tiido (pen name Britton) | August 13, 2011 at 07:31