Pre-reading questions:
- If you could visit any place in the world for free, where will you go? Why?
- Which country do you think is the safest?
Vocabulary:
- refugee – a person who leaves his or her home or country to find safety
The increasing number of refugees due to terrorism is very alarming. - human rights – the basic rights to fair and moral treatment that every person is believed to have
I’m a big supporter of human rights. - political asylum – the protection given by a government to foreign people who have left their own country because they disagree with their own government
Anyone can seek political asylum in my country. - territory – is land which is controlled by a particular country or ruler
For many years, nations fought over territories. - dispute – an argument or disagreement
The management and workers were able to resolve the dispute over working conditions.
The 14th Dalai Lama is a Buddhist monk and Tibet’s political and spiritual leader. He was born in Tibet but began a permanent exile in India in 1959. He was forced into exile because of Tibetan rebellion. With the approval of the Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, the Dalai Lama formed The Tibetan Government in Exile in Dharamsala, India. The Dalai Lama and the refugees who followed him created a society wherein Tibetan language, culture, arts and religion are practiced and promoted. The Dalai Lama has also been fighting for the human rights of Tibetan refugees for a long time.
The Dalai Lama sought political asylum in the Tawang area, a northeastern part of India. Tawang is an Indian territory, which China also claims as its own. The Dalai Lama on the other hand, has been branded a traitor by Beijing before. It is no surprise then that the visit of the Dalai Lama to Tawang last April posted a threat to the China-India relations amidst the two nations’ territorial dispute. With the controversies surrounding the Dalai Lama’s visit, he remained positive and true to his duty to serve the Buddhists.
Comprehension Questions:
- Why was the Dalai Lama forced into exile?
- When did the Dalai Lama flee to India?
- What kind of society has the Dalai Lama and the refugees who followed him created in Dharamsala, India?
- Why is Tawang a very controversial area?
- How did the Dalai Lama handle the controversies surrounding his visit to Tawang?
Express Your Opinion:
- Should countries accept refugees from another country? Please explain your answer.
- What do you think about territorial disputes? Discuss.
- Would you agree that a bigger territory ensures greater wealth? Please explain your answer.
- What do you think is the best way to settle a territorial dispute?
- Why are territorial disputes risky?