Dalai Lama to retire from political life

The Dalai Lama is to announce that he will retire from political life within days, writes the Guardian's Jason Burke, aka "the other Jason."  The full text of the speech was also posted on the Internet.

According to the transcript, the revered leader said:

"As early as the 1960s, I have repeatedly stressed that Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power. Now, we have clearly reached the time to put this into effect. During the forthcoming eleventh session of the fourteenth Tibetan Parliament in Exile, which begins on 14th March, I will formally propose that the necessary amendments be made to the Charter for Tibetans in Exile, reflecting my decision to devolve my formal authority to the elected leader."

While the move has long been expected, and the Dalai Lama himself has paved the way for his retirement in several previous speeches, the actual event promises to be a monumental event for the community of Tibetan exiles — especially in India, the seat of the exiled government.