China/Tibet

China accuses Dalai Lama of "monstrous crimes"

Article published on the 2008-05-05 Latest update 2008-05-05 13:01 TU

The Dalai Lama (l) and Chinese President Hu Jintao
Photos: AFP/Reuters

China's state press on Monday accused the Dalai Lama of "monstrous crimes", despite an agreement to dialogue with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.

The Chinese government continues to blame the Dalai Lama for the unrest which broke out in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, on March 14, and spread to Tibetan populated areas. Chinese officials and two envoys of the Dalai Lama met in southern China on Sunday for their first talks in over a year, following international pressure on Beijing to reopen negotiations.

The secretive talks were held in an undisclosed location in Shenzen city, and ended with an agreement to meet again, although a date has yet to be set. No breakthroughs were announced following the meeting. Tibet's government in exile said on Monday that the talks were significant despite the current lack of progress. The Tibetan government said before the talks that its main concern was to end repression in the Himalayan region.

Chinese President Hu Jintao said on Sunday that he hoped that progress would be made in the talks and that he hoped that negotiations would remain open in the future. However, the Chinese press has clearly not changed its position on the Tibetan issue.

"Following the March 14 incident in Lhasa, the Dalai has not only refused to admit his monstrous crimes, but he has continued to perpetrate fraud", Monday's edition of the state-run Tibet Daily announced.

The article went on to describe the Dalai Lama's demands for autonomy in the region as "fraudulent", and to accuse the spiritual leader of inciting "ethnic hatred". Meanwhile, the English-language China daily today called the Tibetan Youth Congress, which is run by exiled Tibetans, a "terrorist organisation".

China accuses the Dalai Lama of wanting independence for his homeland and of inciting violence and political unrest in order to attract international attention to Tibet ahead of this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing. The Tibetan government in exile says that 203 Tibetans have been killed and about 1,000 hurt in the Chinese crackdown on the latest unrest.