Separatist leader's death not worthy of lament

If Tenzin Delek Rinpoche had really believed in Tibetan Buddhism he would not have incited assistant Lobsang Dhondup to stage five bombings in Sichuan province between 2000 and 2003, which killed one person and injured 11 others.

If he had really lived up to his words: "I have always been sincere and devoted to the interests and well-being of Tibetan people", he could not have been blind to the improvement in people's livelihood in the Tibetan area or deaf to the majority of Tibetan people's voices.

And if Tenzin Delek had really acted as a living Buddha - as the Dalai Lama recognized him in 1986 - he would have many opportunities to "develop social, medical, educational and religious institutions for Tibetan people, as well as protect the environment".

Instead, he instigated several separatist movements in China after he was recognized as a "living Buddha" and walked that road until the last day of his free life.

It is a pity that none of these "ifs" existed before the afternoon of July 12 when he died of sudden cardiac death, at 65, as a prisoner for life. It is a shame that he had used, and the clique behind him is still using, all these "ifs" as facts to criticize the Chinese government's unfair treatment of the "religious leader", while simply turning a blind eye to the irrefutable evidence that put him on the wrong side against the people and history.

If killing the innocent can be overlooked for a "religious leader", the questions that his supporters have to answer are what kind of religion the leader is preaching, and what the future would be like if he really became a leader. He was sentenced to death, suspended for two-years, for the two crimes on Jan 23, 2003 in Sichuan, with the penalty commuted to life imprisonment two years later.

His trial was conducted according to Chinese laws. He was convicted of the bombings and splitting the state. Before entering his cell, he was diagnosed with high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and other illnesses.

According to Chinese laws, only criminals sentenced to a set term are entitled to medical parole. Tenzin Delek, a lifer, was not entitled to medical parole.

Despite this, the prison sent him 14 times for check-ups and treatment to the county hospital in Dazhu and once to the Center Hospital of Dazhou city. Doctors from local hospitals consulted about his condition 10 times but he refused treatment or to take medicine. His health was not stable. The authorities tried in vain to save him when a guard discovered him suffering from respiratory failure at 14:35 on July 12.

Tenzin Delek's pseudo identity as a "religious leader" does not make him any different from the others.

Instead of mourning his death, it is the innocent people killed and badly injured in the bombings he planned and his blindness and deafness to realities that are more worthwhile to lament for the human rights guardians while reviewing his life.