Dalai Lama condemns China's 'cultural genocide' of Tibet

The Dalai Lama has called for an international investigation into the crackdown against protesters
Watch: The Dalai Lama wants an international investigation into the crackdown against protesters

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, has condemned China's "rule of terror" in Tibet and accused it of "cultural genocide".

He called for an international investigation into China's crackdown on demonstrators in Tibet, which witnesses said had left more than 100 people dead.

The Dalai Lama has called for an international investigation into the crackdown against protesters
Watch: The Dalai Lama wants an international investigation into the crackdown against protesters

"Some respected international organisation can find out what the situation is in Tibet and what is the cause," he told reporters in Dharmsala, the town in northern India where Tibet's government-in-exile is based.

"Whether the (Chinese) government there admits or not, there is a problem. There is an ancient cultural heritage that is facing serious danger.

"Whether intentionally or unintentionally, some kind of cultural genocide is taking place."

The Dalia Lama said the international community had a "moral responsibility" to remind China to be a good host for the Olympic Games, but added "the Olympics should not be called off".

He also appealed to China to recognise his long-held position that he wanted autonomy for Tibet, and not independence, and that his campaign was non-violent.

"I have no such power," he said, when asked if he could bring an end to Tibetan protests.

Police and troops have locked down Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, two days after ugly street protests against Chinese rule.

Tanks rolled through the streets of the Tibetan capital Lhasa yesterday, as eyewitnesses put the death toll from the Chinese crackdown on demonstrators at more than 100.

One witness said monks and students were gunned down in front of the Jokhang Temple, the most sacred Buddhist shrine in the region.

"I personally saw more than a hundred Tibetans killed when the Chinese fired at the crowd. Many of those killed were young Tibetans, both boys and girls," he said.

Another witness also put the death toll at more than 100 and claimed that the Chinese authorities had imposed martial law.

The Chinese official news agency put the death toll at 10 and said they had been burned to death.

The Tibetan government in exile said at least 80 people had been killed in unrest following the protests.

Tibet protests turn violent
Tibet protests turn violent

The first group of tourists to leave Lhasa after Friday's bloody clampdown told how they watched police round up protestors and soldiers surround monasteries.

One American, who asked not to be identified, described standing on the roof of the Jokang Temple on Tuesday as the first protests were broken up in the square below. "The amount of enforcement people they brought immediately was amazing to me," he said shortly after arriving in Kathmandu, the capital of neighbouring Nepal. A female companion said: "Our guide was terrified, she was begging us to back off."

Later the group attempted to visit Gamdem monastery but were turned away by several truck loads of soldiers who had just arrived. Along with Sera and Depung, the monastery was still surrounded on Saturday.

"We heard from our Tibetan guide that there are more than 20 dead people," said Gepke Pals, from Holland. Her companion, France Plooij, said: "Last night [Friday], early in the evening, there were more than 100 trucks of soldiers entering the city. And this morning I saw another 40 trucks of soldiers and 36 tanks - I counted them. They came down on the Tibetan people really hard."

On the streets of Lhasa, soldiers from the Chinese army had replaced police. Gunfire could be heard around the city and plumes of smoke rose above the rooftops.

Tanks and armoured vehicles rolled through the streets, firing off tear gas in an attempt to suppress the groups of protesters who darted in and out of a warren of alleyways, burning shops, cars and Chinese flags.

The killings drew widespread international diplomatic criticism and there were demonstrations in a number of cities around the world.

Police dispersed crowds in India, Australia and China as tempers flared.

Barack Obama, the US Democratic presidential hopeful, raised the subject of this summer's Beijing Olympics as he called on the Chinese government to respect the basic human rights of the people of Tibet.

"This is the year of the Beijing Olympics. It represents an opportunity for China to show the world what it has accomplished in the last several decades," he said.

"Those accomplishments have been extraordinary and China's people have a right to be proud of them, but the events in Tibet these last few days unfortunately show a different face of China."

But China's Olympic organisers denied that the furore surrounding the crackdown in Tibet would have any impact on the Games.

Sun Weide, a spokesman for the organising committee, said preparations to carry the Olympic torch up Mount Everest and across Tibet "have been proceeding very smoothly and according to schedule."

He said protesters represented only a tiny minority of global opinion and said the organisers opposed "any attempt to politicise the Olympic Games because that runs counter to the very spirit of the Olympic Games."

Tibet protests turn violent
Tibet protests turn violent

Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, avoided overt criticism of the Chinese.

"We are very concerned about what is happening in Tibet. We have asked for more information about what is going on and we will keep this matter under review," he said.

Campaigners including exiled former political prisoners were last night holding a prayer vigil in London. Ngawang Sangdrol, a Buddhist nun who served 11 years in Chinese prisons, said: "Governments around the world should speak out."

Until now, pressure groups have stopped short of calling for athletes not to attend the Games in August, but instead have asked dignitaries to stay away.

However, Matt Whitticase, of the UK-based Free Tibet Campaign, said last night that the activists were rethinking this position because of the Chinese response to disturbances in Lhasa in recent days.

"The landscape in Tibet is clearly very different after these protests," he said.

"We will have to reassess our position on the Olympics. We will have to readdress the boycott issue. Any decision we make will be based on the action of the Chinese government, and so far they are acting with repression."