Reports from Tibet indicate that the Chinese government has stepped up its activities aimed at destroying support for the exiled Dalai Lama. They see the Tibetans' continued allegiance to "His Holiness" as the main obstacle to Tibet's complete absorption into China. This "simple monk," as the Dalai Lama describes himself, seems to scare the shit out of the Chinese government. The latest escalation of the anti-Dalai Lama campaign involves search parties entering the homes of cadres and government workers to remove shrines, pictures of the Dalai Lama, butter-lamps and other religious objects. Part of a larger "anti-splittism" campaign initiated in 1994, the program began with "Patriotic Reeducation" teams taking control of the country's monasteries. The teams demand written denunciations of the Dalai Lama from every monk and nun. Those who refuse to comply are expelled from their monasteries. They are often arrested and tortured. Last year, the reeducation teams began entering the countryside and setting up shop in towns and villages. China's blueprint to wrest control of Tibetan Buddhism from the Dalai Lama arises from something called the "Third National Forum on Work in Tibet." The Forum, composed of China's top leaders identified the Dalai Lama as an obstacle to progress in Tibet. They accused him of, among other things, being a willing tool of the West, particularly the United States. "A number of religious institutions have been used at times by a few people who harbor sinister motives to plot against us and have become counterrevolutionary bases. The influence of our enemies in foreign countries, especially the 'Dalai clique,' is slipping into the monasteries of our religion more than ever. The focal point in our region's fight to oppose splittism is to oppose the Dalai clique. As the saying goes, to kill a serpent, we must first cut off its head." The Beijing authorities are posed with a vexing question: how to present the image that, under China's benevolent guidance, everything is going great in mystical, Buddhist Tibet, while maintaining absolute control over everything Tibetan, including Buddhism? Beijing appears to intend to manage Tibetan culture like some sort of theme park. Reconstructed monasteries, with colorful maroon clad monks, some halfhearted chanting, and lots of incense, perhaps a bit of traditional dancing at tourist festivals. Meanwhile, everything valuable is to be carted off to China proper. Everything essential and meaningful to Tibetans is to be ruthlessly eradicated. The Dalai Lama represents everything essential. The Party authorities of course hit upon the obvious solution of declaring themselves to be the ultimate authority over Tibetan Buddhism and intimidating, arresting or killing any Tibetans who disagree. Above all, the Party decreed, the Dalai Lama must go. "Now that Dalai and his clique have violated the religious doctrine and even have spread rumors to incite one people against another, in what way can he be regarded as a spiritual leader?...Such flagrant deceptiveness and demagoguery constitute a blasphemy to Buddhism." Yet, China's dilemma is more complicated than they will admit. Apart from his enormous popularity outside of China, the Dalai Lama's fierce insistence on peaceful means has enormous influence over Tibetans. The natives of the harsh Tibetan Plateau are no misty eyed new-agers meekly muttering sutras under the oppressor's lash. The Tibetans apply non-violence because the Dalai Lama says it's the right way. Even then, they are restless about it. A big debate among the exiled Tibetans is about how much non-violence is reasonable under the circumstances. Absent the Dalai Lama's example, the situation in Tibet might more closely resemble Xinjiang Province (Eastern Turkestan). There, the native Muslim population is engaged in active, violent unrest. China can't afford to have Tibet enter into open hostilities as well. For his part, the Dalai Lama has repeatedly called upon the Chinese to negotiate. Despite admitting to "confusing signals" emanating from China's government, he renewed his call recently while visiting France. Despite hopeful signs last year from Chinese President Jiang Zemin, the Dalai Lama admitted that negotiations remain elusive. "It seems the policy of China...is more hard-line thinking," he said. "I do not want to make a public response (to China's conditions for dialogue) until some informal discussion with China," he said. Beijing continues to demand that the Dalai Lama admit that Tibet has always been part of China and recently insisted he also declare Taiwan as inseparable from China, as precondition to any negotiations. "The Dalai Lama has never repented for his activities in splitting the motherland and advocating Tibetan independence." Says Beijing. "The Dalai Lama show, staged again in the United States with the usual ploy of 'drop by' meetings with White House politicians, is nothing but a public relations farce, despite the bluff and bluster of the Western media frenzy," stated the China Daily on 12 November, in reference to a meeting between Clinton and the Dalai Lama.

Last June, following President Clinton's urging that he enter into talks, Jiang Zemin publicly acknowledged informal channels of communication with the Tibetan exile government.