Dalai Lama "appeals" aim to fan unrest in Tibet, says local official

Source: Xinhua | 04-09-2008 13:20

BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The "appeals" and "statements" the Dalai Lama made after the Lhasa violence were aimed to trigger more unrest in Tibet, said Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the Tibet autonomous regional government, here Wednesday.

"The Dalai Lama tries to stir up more unrest in Tibet by his 'appeals' and 'statements' because he is unwilling to see the situation calmed and normal life in Lhasa restored," said Qiangba Puncog at a press conference.

The violence in Lhasa on March 14 had claimed at least 19 lives, with hundreds of shops torched.

Video: "Peaceful protest" of Lhasa lama?

The Dalai Lama first tried to deny the organized violence in Lhasa and characterized them as "peaceful demonstrations," Qiangba Puncog said. "He refused to admit that rioters had committed crimes in Lhasa and tried to keep his clique away from the incident."

His "statements" also attempted to stir up hostility between ethnic groups in Tibet and internationalize the so-called "Tibet issue", the chairman said.

The "appeals" and "statements" show that the Dalai Lama continued to drum up the so-called "Greater Tibet" region and "high autonomy", and still sticked to the "Tibetan independence", Qiangba Puncog said.

Editor:Zhang Ning