China accuses Dalai Lama of 'separatism' in anniversary speech

Beijing, March 11 : China Thursday accused the Dalai Lama of showing 'his nature of separating the nation' in a speech to mark the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule.

In his own speech Wednesday, the Tibetan Buddhist leader and head of Tibet's government in exile expressed his "solidarity" with the Uighur ethnic minority in China's far western region of Xinjiang and his sympathy for the "great difficulties and increased oppression" they had experienced.

The Dalai Lama's support for the Uighurs "shows his nature of separating the nation and damaging national unity", Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters in Beijing.

Qin said the Dalai Lama "twists the real situation in Tibet" and said Tibetans who protested outside Chinese embassies in Nepal and India Thursday were "separatist forces".

"We hope the Dalai Lama can review the wrongdoings and give up the position of independence or semi-independence and create the conditions for contacts and communications with the central government," the spokesman said.

Although China has long accused the Dalai Lama of being a "splittist", he has repeatedly said he is not seeking independence but greater autonomy for Tibet within China.

In his anniversary speech at his northern Indian home of Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama invited Tibetan officials working in China to visit exiled communities to understand their political aspirations.

The huge military presence and restrictions on travel in Tibet were evidence that there was a serious problem in Tibet whether China recognised it or not, the Dalai Lama said.

"It is good for neither party," he said. "We have to take every opportunity to solve it."

Representatives of the Dalai Lama, who fled to India after a second uprising against Chinese rule in March 1959, have held several rounds of unsuccessful talks with Beijing.

"Judging by the attitude of the present Chinese leadership, there is little hope that a result will be achieved soon," he said. "Nevertheless, our stand to continue with the dialogue remains unchanged."

The Chinese government said it had tightened security in Lhasa, the capital of its Tibet Autonomous Region, ahead of Wednesday's anniversary marking the start of the 1959 uprising.

Wednesday also marked the second anniversary of a memorial protest that escalated into ethnic violence and rioting in Lhasa, leaving at least 18 people dead, according to the government.