Tibet wants peace - Dalai Lama
2008-05-16 13:31
Bochum, Germany - The Dalai Lama insisted on Friday that he is not seeking independence for Tibet, as he pressed ahead with a five-country Western tour two months after deadly violence erupted in his homeland.
"We want to live in peace with our Chinese brothers and sisters," the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader said in the west German city of Bochum. "We are not seeking independence," but merely increased autonomy.
The 72 year-old made the comments on the second day of a visit to Germany, after which he was due to go to Britain, Australia, the United States and France.
On Thursday, the Dalai Lama had accused China of "suppression" in its military crackdown on violent protests in Lhasa in March that Tibetan leaders say left more than 200 people dead.
China's reaction to the Tibet unrest drew international condemnation and heaped pressure on Beijing ahead of the Olympic Games in Beijing in August, with activists disrupting the global relay of the Olympic torch.
Beijing says Tibetan "rioters" and "insurgents" killed 21 people and accused the Dalai Lama of being behind the violence and fomenting trouble ahead of the Olympics.
Representatives of the Dalai Lama held talks this month with China to try to defuse tensions.
- AFP