Beijing: Dalai Lama harms unity of China

08:19, March 12, 2010      

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China's Foreign Ministry Thursday called on the Dalai Lama to stop separatist activities aimed at separating Tibet from China, and must create benign conditions for talks with the central government.

"The Dalai Lama distorts the truth in Tibet. He attacks and insults the central government's policies on Tibet to trumpet his separatist claims of independence or semi-independence," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said during a regular news conference in Beijing.

The Dalai Lama had accused the Chinese government of putting "the monks and nuns (of Tibet) in prison-like conditions", and deliberately "annihilating Buddhism" during an address to mark the 51st anniversary of his exile, in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala, Wednesday.

The Dalai Lama on March 10, 1959 fled China after his armed rebellion to secede Tibet from China was foiled.

To insult the Central Government and patriotic Chinese people, the Dalai Lama also referred to China's northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region as "East Turkestan", the name given to it by the separatists.

"This exposes and proves his intent of splitting up China and wrecking ethnic unity," Qin said.

No country in the world recognizes Tibet Autonomous Region as an independent nation, nor do they acknowledge the "exiled government", he said. Qin also praised India for its efforts to ban anti-China movements in the country.

The Dalai Lama's address came just four days before the second anniversary of the March 14 Lhasa riots in 2008 which left 19 dead and injured more than 400 people.

People's Daily Online

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