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Dalai Lama starts US visit in Seattle

Flanked by security personnel, the Dalai Lama made his way through a downtown hotel lobby as fellow Tibetans bowed and raised their voices in song.

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader made his first visit to the US since the recent turmoil in Tibet to anchor a five-day conference on compassion that began yesterday.

As he arrived at the Grand Hyatt Seattle hotel on Thursday, the Dalai Lama said he supports nonviolent demonstrations but was saddened by this week’s protests in San Francisco, where authorities had to reroute the Olympic torch run after human rights activists scuffled with pro-Chinese crowds.

In Tibet, the recent protests against 50 years of Chinese rule have been the largest and most sustained in almost two decades.

China has accused the Dalai Lama of being involved in the uprising.

He has said that he wants greater autonomy for the region but is not seeking independence.

Organizers of the five-day Seeds of Compassion conference in Seattle say the Dalai Lama’s visit is expected to draw more than 150,000 people.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels planned to present the visitor with a key to the city, and the University of Washington will present him an honorary degree.

The Dalai Lama was determined to attend the Seattle conference because of his commitment to global peace, organizers said.

Earlier on Thursday, during a stopover in Japan, the Dalai Lama said he has always supported China’s hosting of the Olympic Games this summer, but said Beijing cannot suppress protests in Tibet with violence or tell those calling for more freedom in his homeland “to shut up.”

He strongly denied Chinese allegations he and his followers have used the run-up to the Olympics to foment unrest.

“Right from the beginning, we supported the Olympic Games,” he told reporters near the airport outside Tokyo. “I really feel very sad the government demonizes me. I am just a human; I am not a demon.”

After Seattle, the Dalai Lama is scheduled to speak at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor next weekend, then at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, on Tuesday.

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