Prague, Czech Republic, 12 September 2009 (Phayul) - His Holiness the Dalai Lama said that the key to democracy is unbiased information, education and independent judiciary. The Tibetan leader was speaking in Prague at a conference on Peace, Democracy and Human Rights in Asia, organised by the Forum 2000 Foundation. He said the totalitarian regimes using force against its own people will be counter-productive ultimately. Therefore, dialogue alone is the way.

“The trend in the world in the 21st Century is peace, democracy, openness, dialogue and spirit of reconciliation,” said the 1989 Nobel peace laureate.

Rebiya Kadeer, the exiled Uyghur leader, who also spoke at the conference, denied the Chinese government’s allegations against her. “The Chinese authorities are accusing me and the Uyghur people as terrorist. I am sitting front of you. I am not a terrorist,” said Kadeer. She accused the Chinese government of creating hatred against Uyghurs in the minds of the Chinese people. “We are not against the Chinese people.”

His Holiness also said an Asian union or a regional union of countries should be formed along the line of the EU.

The former Czech President Vaclav Havel said that the conference aims to express support to the fighters for democracy and freedom in China, Tibet, Xinjiang, North Korea, Burma and elsewhere.

This Conference was an initiative of Nobel Peace laureates Lech Walesa, Shirin Ebadi, Frederik Willem de Klerk, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who last year said there was a need for a deeper dialogue about development in Asia.

Later in the evening, His Holiness met the Czech Prime Minister at the latter’s residence, according to His Holiness' Geneva representative Tseten Samdup Chhoekyapa. However, no details were available.

based on report by Oot, Geneva