Dalai Lama behind violence, China says

China again accused the Dalai Lama of trying to take the Olympic Games "hostage" over Tibet, as a new official toll of those injured in the unrest in and near the Himalayan region topped 700.

The Liberation Army Daily, the People's Daily and most other major papers carried a lengthy opinion piece warning that the "Dalai Lama clique" would inevitably fail to achieve its alleged goal of independence for Tibet.

"In 2008, all the world's people are looking forward to the Olympics, but the Dalai Lama clique aims to take the Games hostage and force the Chinese government to yield on the `Tibetan independence' issue," the article said.

"It doesn't matter if the Dalai Lama and his followers disguise themselves under the pretence of `peace' and `non-violence' -- their splittist sabotage activities are doomed to fail," it said.

The article described a litany of alleged violent incidents over the past five decades, charging that pledges of non-violence by the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, were "a lie from beginning to end."

Tibet's Beijing-appointed administrative leader Qiangba Puncog said "secessionist forces" had to be defeated in the region to ensure the success of the Summer Games in August, state-run Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.

"We must ... win the final victory in all respects against the secessionist forces to help ensure a successful Olympic Games with a stable social situation in the Tibet Autonomous Region," the agency quoted him as saying.

Protests began nearly two weeks ago on the anniversary of a failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule erupted into deadly violence on March 14 in the regional capital Lhasa.

Riots spread from the Himalayan region into other parts of China with significant ethnic Tibetan populations, including Gansu and Sichuan provinces.

The unrest has become a major public relations challenge for China just five months ahead of the Olympics, once again placing the global spotlight on Tibet.

Pope Benedict XVI yesterday called for peace in regions around the world tormented by strife, including Tibet.

Speaking pilgrims in St. Peter's Square, he urged the troubled regions to "seek solutions that will safeguard peace and the common good."

Beijing raised its death toll from the rioting in Lhasa from 13 to 19. Tibet's government-in-exile in northern India has meanwhile put the death toll from the region and neighboring Chinese provinces at 99.

Xinhua 94 people had been injured between March 14 and last Wednesday in clashes in Gansu, including 64 police officers, 27 paramilitary police, two government officials and one civilian.

The report did not give a figure for injured protesters.

This brings to more than 700 the official number of people who sustained injuries in the recent unrest. Xinhua had reported on Saturday that 241 police officers and 382 civilians were injured during clashes in Lhasa.

Verifying from Tibet and surrounding areas is extremely difficult, as the Chinese authorities have severely restricted access granted to foreign journalists.

Also see: Inside the world of Tibet's god-king

Also see: The life of a young Tibetan