China hits out at Tibet protestors

CHINA: China on Tuesday criticised protests staged by Tibetans during President Hu Jintao's visit to India as acts designed to damage relations between the two nations.

"We believe they are carried out by the Dalai Lama's faction to sensationalize issues and to ruin China-India relations," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular press conference.

"Their purpose is to manipulate international opinion and to mislead the public."

On Monday, more than 500 Tibetan demonstrators, including monks, college students and housewives with their children, attended a rally in the Indian capital, demanding that Hu hold talks with India over the Himalayan region. Protesters also want Hu to hold direct talks with the Dalai Lama on the future of Tibet.

Another 500 activists began fasting in the northern Indian alpine town of Dharamsala, home to a Tibetan exiled government since 1959 when the Dalai Lama fled after China crushed an uprising against its rule.

The Dalai Lama, revered by Tibetans as their spiritual leader, has said he no longer seeks independence for Tibet, but wants autonomy under Chinese rule.

Beijing, Wednesday, AFP