World Bulletin
Thursday, 11 March 2010 14:19

Chinese officials quickly reacted with anger to a speech by exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in which he said Buddhists were living in prison-like conditions and expressed sympathy with the people of East Turkestan.

In an address on Wednesday marking 51 years since he fled Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, the Dalai Lama referred to China-named Xinjiang as "East Turkestan", as Uighurs call.

The Dalai Lama's support for the Uighurs "shows his nature of separating the nation and damaging national unity," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters in Beijing.

"Let us also remember the people of East Turkestan who have experienced great difficulties and increased oppression," Dalai Lama told about 3,000 Tibetans in Dharamsala, the northern Indian hill town where he has lived for five decades.

"I would like to express my solidarity and stand firmly with them".

Qin said the Dalai Lama "twists the real situation in Tibet" and said Tibetans who protested outside Chinese embassies in Nepal and India Thursday were "separatist forces."

"We hope the Dalai Lama can review the wrongdoings and give up the position of independence or semi-independence and create the conditions for contacts and communications with the central government," the spokesman said.

Nearly 200 people were killed and up to 1,600 injured when unrest exploded into street riots in Urumqi.

Several dozen death sentences have been handed down in those cases. Most of the names of those sentenced to death appeared to be Uighur.

Many Uighurs say Han migrants have flooded into the region and receive most of the benefits of government programs and Uighur mineral wealth. The government also enforces strict controls over Uighur culture and religion.

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

Representatives of the Dalai Lama have held several rounds of unsuccessful talks with Beijing.