9th November 2014 Dear Dalai Lama, During your press conference in Pomaia, Italy on June 12th 2014, you stated to all of the journalists present, In a democratic society people have the right to know the truth and journalists should inform the public of the reality. You also encouraged journalists to investigate politicians and other public figures. Comparing journalists to elephants you said that they should use their long noses to smell in front and behind public comments to reveal the truth. As you know I am a journalist and I have been investigating the issues surrounding Dorje Shugden in the Tibetan exile community. You have now finished your visit to the United States and yet there are questions which remain unanswered about incidents which arose during your time in the country. On 29th October 2014 your close friend and confidant, Robert Thurman, attempted to solicit the Anonymous hacking group to target the Twitter accounts of some of the people who were protesting during your visit. Anonymous released a public statement to their 1.3 million followers on Twitter, as did Mr Thurmans employers, Columbia University. You have refused to issue a statement about this incident - why? Given that Mr Thurman is a very close friend of yours, that he was acting to try and protect your reputation, and was on stage with you during your public appearances in New York City, it is appropriate for you to explain to the public what your role was in this hacking scandal. Did you know of Mr Thurmans intentions? Did you approve of them? Were you in any way partly responsible for them? As you will be aware Mr Thurman has been reported to both the NYPD and the FBI for his role in this scandal, so whether you like it or not you will have to answer questions about this. You can of course wait until you are compelled to answer the questions of federal investigators, however it is more usual in such circumstances for a public figure, such as yourself, to respond to the media to allay any concerns about your involvement in this scandal. I am therefore asking you, as someone who publicly supports the role of journalists in exposing the truth to the public, to issue a formal statement about this hacking scandal and your level of involvement in it. Also during your visit to the US the issue of the ban of Dorje Shugden Buddhists from certain sections of society arose in the media. Through your representatives and media spokespeople your view that there is no ban was repeatedly made. This statement was made to the media in Birmingham, Princeton, Boston as well as New York City. However on your final day of public appearances in New York City, Dr. Robert Barnett, the founder and director of the Modern Tibet Studies Program at Columbia University, NY, confirmed to me that there is a ban and that there is discrimination within the exile community towards Dorje Shugden Buddhists. Dr. Barnett is the most senior academic in the west to have confirmed the existence of the ban and is one of the most highly qualified experts to be able to verify its existence independently. His view directly contradicts your public statements about the existence of the ban and discrimination. It also directly contradicts statements made to the media by your representatives during your tour of the US. It is therefore appropriate for you to comment on this and clarify this issue for the public. In light of Dr. Barnetts comments do you now accept that there is a ban on Dorje Shugden Buddhists within certain sections of the Tibetan exile society? If not, can you explain why Dorje Shugden Buddhists are banned from working for the Tibetan government (CTA) and why not one of your 600 civil servants is a Dorje Shugden Buddhist? Do you now accept that there is segregation and discrimination against Dorje Shugden Buddhists within the Tibetan exile society? If not, can you explain why your ex-Kalon Tripa, Samdhong Rinpoche spoke at length to children at Suja TCV School stating that Dorje Shugden Buddhists are no longer a part of normal Tibetan exile society? Whilst I am just one journalist I can assure you that several of my colleagues are likewise waiting for you to answer these questions. These issues of the hacking scandal, now known in the media as LamaGate, and the discrimination that exists within the Tibetan exile community are now of interest to the public worldwide. As you have said that people have the right to know the truth and it is the job of journalists to inform them of the truth, it is now your responsibility to answer these questions with some form of public statement. I await your formal statement in response to these questions. Kind regards, Indy Hack
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 09:26:44 +0000
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