Dalai Lama blamed for burnings

China has accused the Dalai Lama and his associates of planning the self-immolation of a Tibetan exile in India days before a visit by the Chinese president, repeating past assertions blaming the spiritual leader for dozens of such protests.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei yesterday offered no evidence linking the Tibetan spiritual leader to the actions of an exile who set himself on fire and ran shouting through a demonstration in New Delhi on Monday.

Mr Hong said the Dalai Lama and his associates had been instigating “disturbances” as part of a campaign for Tibetan independence, and that showed they had “single-handedly” planned the man’s self-immolation.

“These acts aimed at achieving Tibetan independence and separatism through taking people’s lives will never possibly be successful and will be severely condemned by the international community,” Mr Hong told reporters yesterday.

About 30 such protests have occurred over the past year in ethnic Tibetan areas of China, while another Tibetan set himself on fire last year in India, where many exiles reside.

The Tibetan self-declared government-in-exile has rejected the Chinese government’s accusations and issued statements discouraging self-immolation.

“In the long-term interest of the Tibetan cause, we urge Tibetans to focus on secular and monastic education to provide the necessary human resources and the capability to strengthen and sustain our movement,” the group said yesterday. “We once again remind Tibetans to refrain from drastic actions.”

Tibetans say China’s crackdown is so oppressive, those who choose such a horrific form of protest feel they have no other way to express their beliefs.

Jamphel Yeshi, 27, set himself on fire during a demonstration against Chinese rule over Tibet and against Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to India this week.