Dalai Lama May Return To Homeland

Although the Chinese government gives preferential treatment to Tibetans who learn Chinese, many Tibetans want to retain their own Buddhist culture, the Dalai Lama, a Tibetan spiritual leader, said yesterday.

The Buddhist monk, who has lived in exile since 1959, said, "The Chinese attitude is peculiar. They speak of complete freedom of religious practice but through newspapers and in practice they criticize it and speak of the uselessness of religion."

Normalization of relations between the People's Republic and United States may help Tibetans and Inner Monoglians, he said.

The Dalai Lama said he expects to return to Tibet someday. He has maintained contact with Tibetan followers, he added.

"I call myself a world citizen. I believe I am a resident of this world (we believe there are many other worlds) and I have a right to visit other places," he said.