The Tibetan spiritual leader, speaking in Japan, said hard-line officials had created a “desperate” situation. Eleven young Tibetans have set themselves on fire this year in apparent protest against Chinese rule. The most recent was a nun in Dawu County, who died after setting herself on fire last week.
“Chinese communist propaganda create (a) very rosy picture,” the Dalai Lama told journalists in Tokyo. “But actually, including many Chinese from mainland China who visit Tibet, they all have the impression things are terrible.” “Some kind of policy, some kind of cultural genocide is taking place.”
Most of the incidents have taken place in Aba County, near the Tibetan Kirti monastery. A total of nine monks and two nuns are reported to have set them on fire in Sichuan province this year.
However, China has blamed the Dalai Lama for the self-immolations. State-run Xinhua news agency reported that the latest case was “masterminded and instigated by the Dalai Lama clique”.
“Not condemning self-immolations but playing them up and inciting others to follow examples is challenging the common conscience and moral bottom line of human kind,” Chinese Foreign ministry representative Hong Lei said last week.
(아주경제 앤드류 이 기자)
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com