Arrest of Chinese spy in Delhi raises concerns about Dalai Lama’s security

Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, August 17

The recent arrest of a Chinese spy in Delhi who was allegedly involved in a multi-crore hawala racket and was allegedly spying on the Dalai Lama has drawn concerns from the community in exile about their spiritual leader’s safety.

A Chinese spy, who is believed to be involved in a hawala racket involving Rs 1,000 crore, was caught from Delhi’s Majnu Ka Tila---a hub of Tibetan exiles in Delhi.

The arrest has drawn strong reaction from the Tibetan Government in exile, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). CTA deputy speaker Acharya Yeshi Phunsok said in a statement that this was not the first time that a Chinese spy had been sent to snoop on the Dalai Lama.  

“The Chinese had come here for trade but were involved in spying over the Dalai Lama and was involved in illegal activities in India. We are already alert about Chinese spies. Whenever we organise a programme, Chinese spies come in the form of media personnel. Although we know about them, we cannot action against them as they have valid visa from the government of India,” he said, but he gave no specific instances of such past attempts at espionage nor offered any evidence to corroborate the claim.

 “We do not know what damage the arrested spy has done to India and the security of the Dalai Lama. We and the Indian government are already alert on the security of the Dalai Lama. It was good that the Chinese spy has been arrested. We the Tibetans living in exile never trust Chinese nationals. Whenever they come, we thoroughly scrutinise their identities. The Indian government should also not trust the Chinese nationals. I hope the arrest of spy comes as eye opener for Indian government,” he said.

The Dalai Lama current has two levels of security---in addition to his personal security, he has a unit of the Himachal Police headed by an officer of the Deputy Superintendent of Police guard him.

Kangra Superintendent of Police Vimukt Ranjan said he had no information from Delhi Police about the arrest of a Chinese spy.