Dharamsala: Tibetan spiritual the Dalai Lama today asked China to allow him to visit the victims in quake-hit Qinghai province, where he was born.
"To fulfil the wishes of many of the people there, I am eager to go there myself to offer them comfort," the 74-year-old Tibetan temporal head, who has not visited his homeland since he fled to India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, said in a statement here.
Over 1,300 people have died while nearly 12,000 have been injured in the 7.1-magnitude quake, which struck the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu on Wednesday.
The Dalai Lama said that when Sichuan was rocked by an earthquake two years ago, he wished to visit the affected areas to pray and comfort the people there. "But I was unable to do so," the exiled leader, who has been demanding meaningful autonomy for Tibetans, said.
"This time the location of the earthquake, Kyigudo, lies in Qinghai Province, which happens to be where both the late Panchen Lama and I were born.
"To fulfil the wishes of many of the people there, I am eager to go there myself to offer them comfort," he said.
He said when Taiwan was struck by a typhoon last year, he was able to visit the affected families and "pray with them for those who had perished in that disaster.
"In providing some solace to the people concerned, I was happy to be able to do something useful," he said.
The visit had, however, angered China.
The Dalai Lama also praised the Chinese authorities "for visiting the affected areas, especially prime minister Wen Jiabao, who has not only personally offered comfort to the affected communities, but has also overseen the relief work.
"I am very appreciative too that the media have been free to report on the tragedy and its aftermath," he said.
"The Tibetan community in exile would like to offer whatever support and assistance it can towards the relief work. We hope to be able to do this through the proper and appropriate channels as soon as possible," he said.
He appealed to governments, international aid organisations and other agencies to extend whatever assistance they can to enable the families of those devastated by this tragedy to rebuild their lives.
Violent protests had erupted in the Tibetan capital Lhasa two years ago on the anniversary of the March 10, 1959, prompting a massive security clampdown by China, which blamed the Dalai Lama for the unrest.
DNA India
