China blames Dalai Lama for riots

Last Modified: 18 Mar 2008
By: Sue Turton

The Chinese Premier Wen Jia Bao uses his last major press event before the summer Olympics to blame the Dalai Lama for inciting and organising violent protests, aimed, he said, at sabotaging the games.

It's a battle that's moved from the streets of Tibet and India to the press conference hall.

With the Beijing Olympics looming the Chinese premier used his annual news conference today to put the blame for the violence uprising away from his door and said rather the unrest was organized, premeditated, and masterminded by the Dalai Lama himself.

Jia Bao said: "There is ample evidence to prove that this incident was organised, premeditated, masterminded and incited by the Dalai (Lama) clique.

"They wanted to sabotage the Olympic Games in order to achieve their unspeakable goal. This has revealed that the consistent claims made by the Dalai clique that they pursue not independence but peaceful dialogue are nothing but lies."

However, the image of Tibet China is promoting today is that of shops reopening, children going back to school - business as usual.

"There is ample evidence to prove that this incident was organised, premeditated, masterminded and incited by the Dalai (Lama) clique."
Chinese premier Jia Bao

But the pictures handed out by Free Tibet campaigners this morning told a different story.

At Kirti Monastery, a place of prayer in the Sichuan Province images of what appear to be bodies on the streets cannot be independently verified.

Recently a handful of people assaulted police on duty in the streets of Lhasa and engaged in beatings, smashing, looting, and arson.

Over 30 buildings and 100 civilian houses including schools, hospitals, banks and shops were burnt. Scores of civilian and police cars were set on fire.

10 innocent civilians were burnt or stabbed to death and 12 armed police seriously injured.

But the Tibetan government in exile said it had cross checked its figures and believed 99 protestors had died - 19 were killed in fresh protests today.

A statement from the Chinese embassy released today still put the number of innocent civilians killed at just 10.

The Dalai Lama has threatened to step down as Tibet's leader if the violence spirals out of control.

The exiled leader set up his own news briefing to send a clear message to the protestors - dialogue not bloodshed or he would resign he said.

He said: "If things go completely out of control then I will go."