Who gets to choose the next Dalai Lama?
Key takeaways
- As Tibetans in Australia make their case for the Dalai Lama to choose his successor — as has happened for centuries — there is a real fear the Chinese government will install its own choice.
- Smiles light up their faces as they swirl in the sand, hands aloft, the sea breeze catching their hair.
- This group of Tibetan Australians on Newcastle's Horseshoe Beach are rehearsing for a performance they will give to mark Losar, or Tibetan New Year.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
As Tibetans in Australia make their case for the Dalai Lama to choose his successor — as has happened for centuries — there is a real fear the Chinese government will install its own choice. (ABC Compass: Greg Nelson)
Link copied Share Share article. It could be a beach anywhere in Australia. Toddlers frolic in the shallows, people walk their dogs, a man strips off and dives into the waves. On the shore, not far away, six young people practise intricate dance moves.
Smiles light up their faces as they swirl in the sand, hands aloft, the sea breeze catching their hair. They all wear traditional Tibetan honju, or blouses, as they follow the lead of a young woman in a grey hoodie.