Dalai Lama shout out to Uighurs of "East Turkestan" infuriates China

He was speaking in the northern Indian hill town where the Nobel Peace prize winner has lived for five decades.

Calling the province the Chinese call Xinjiang "East Turkestan", the name given to it by Uighur exiles comes at a time of intense repression against the ethnic minority Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking largely Muslim people.

China's heavy-handed campaign against Uighurs seeking more autonomy for their ancient culture triggered an outburst of ethnic violence there last year between Uighurs and majority Han Chinese. There were at least 200 deaths and many Uighurs have been locked up and tortured in China's followup campaign.

China has also used its security services to engage in "extraordinary rendition" of Uighurs from surrounding countries in Asia where it wileds considerable influence.

The Dalai Lama's comments were quick to rile Beijing, which reviles the him as a "splittist" who foments violence. He denies both charges, saying he merely seeks genuine autonomy. He was honoured by a visit to the White House of President Back Obama two weeks ago, where he was given copies of letters sent to him by two US presidents.

An angry commentary in the official Xinhua news agency called the speech "resentful, yet unsurprising", saying it was full of "angry rhetoric".

"Regardless of his allegations of not separating China, the Dalai Lama's request for 'genuine autonomy' on one quarter of the Chinese territory is anything but acceptable for the central government," the Xinhua commentary said, referring to Tibet.

In Dharamsala, thousands of exiled Tibetans, including maroon-robed monks, nuns and many Westerners who support the Tibetan campaign for autonomy, marked the day with a march carrying blue-yellow-red Tibetan flags and banners with anti-China messages.

Police in Nepal arrested over a dozen Tibetan protestors when they tried to storm a Chinese consulate office in the capital Kathmandu. The protestors, who shouted "Free Tibet", were dragged away by riot police to waiting vans.

The Dalai Lama also reached tout to Tibetans working for the Chinese government saying: "I invite Tibetan officials serving in various Tibetan autonomous areas to visit Tibetan communities living in the free world, either officially or in a private capacity, to observe the situation for themselves."

China bans Tibetans who work for the government from visiting exile communities, but many ordinary Tibetans make the hazardous and illegal crossing to study Buddhism in Dharamsala.

The Dalai Lama also vowed he and members of his self-proclaimed government-in-exile would not take any political positions if and when the Tibet issue was resolved.

Protests led by Buddhist monks against Chinese rule in March 2008 gave way to torrid violence, with rioters torching shops and turning on residents, including Han Chinese and Hui Muslims. Tibetans see Hans as intruders threatening their culture.

At least 19 people died in the 2008 unrest, which sparked waves of protest across Tibetan areas ahead of the Beijing Olympics. Pro-Tibet groups abroad say more than 200 Tibetans have died in a subsequent crackdown across the region. Beijing has denied that and said it used minimal force.

The Dalai Lama said Beijing had put monks and nuns "in prison-like conditions", making "monasteries function more like museums ... to deliberately annihilate Buddhism".

But he offered to keep talking to the Chinese, despite what he sees as "little hope" of results.

China and the Dalai Lama's envoys have held several rounds of talks since 2002 but made little progress.
Tibet's spiritual leader also said China is trying to "annihilate Buddhism", as the region marke the 1959 anniversary of the failed revolt against China .
His remarks also recalled the rioting in Tibet killed at least 19 people in 2008.
Tibetan exiles say Chinese security forces killed dozens of protesters. It was the worst unrest in Tibet for 20 years.
In his annual address on the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan uprising, the Dalai Lama stated that "whether the Chinese government acknowledges it or not, there is a serious problem in Tibet".
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"The Chinese authorities are conducting various political campaigns, including a campaign of patriotic re-education, in many monasteries in Tibet.

"They are putting the monks and nuns in prison-like conditions, depriving them the opportunity to study and practise in peace. These conditions make the monasteries function more like museums and are intended to deliberately annihilate Buddhism."

He also accused Beijing of deploying large number of troops across Tibet and placing restrictions on travel in the region.

But the spiritual leader pledged to continue his policy of "the dialogue" with China.

(with reuters)