CHINA is involved in a "life-and-death struggle" with the Dalai Lama and his followers, Beijing declared yesterday, in the latest attempt to drive a wedge between the exiled spiritual leader and Chinese citizens.
Officials described the Dalai Lama as a "wolf in monk's robes" and blamed him for organising protests in order to embarrass China during this summer's Olympic Games.
The Buddhist leader now finds himself at the centre of a global row over China.
Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, yesterday bowed to pressure and agreed to meet the Dalai Lama when he visits Britain in May.
A Downing Street spokesman said Mr Brown has told the Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao, of his plans. "We think there is a possibility for resumption of dialogue between Chinese authorities and the Dalai Lama, which is something we and the rest of the world would like to see," said the spokesman.
The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet during the 1959 uprising, suggested China may have fomented unrest in Lhasa and other nearby provinces to discredit him. He has also hinted he would resign as head of the Tibetan government-in-exile if violence got out of control – potentially handing Beijing a propaganda coup.
"The Dalai is a wolf in monk's robes, a devil with a human face but the heart of a beast," said Zhang Qingli, head of the Communist Party in Tibet. "We are now engaged in a fierce blood-and-fire battle with the Dali clique, a life-and-death battle between us and the enemy."
Building on such comments, Tibet's former governor accused the India-based Tibetan government-in-exile of engineering the riot to "disturb the social stability at such a sensitive time".
Chinese state media, meanwhile, reported more than 100 protesters had surrendered to police in and around Tibet's regional capital of Lhasa, where peaceful protests against Chinese rule first turned violent last week. The communist government had promised leniency for those who handed themselves in – and harsh punishment for those who did not.
"Those criminals … shouldn't think they can get lucky. All criminals will definitely be caught in the net," the official Tibet Daily newspaper website reported.
Foreign media are banned from Tibet, and China's entirely state-controlled media have faithfully reported only the official version of events, in which the government had said rioters killed 16 people. The government said troops did not fire on protesters and has denied claims by overseas Tibetan groups that at least 80 people were killed.
The Lhasa protests marked the biggest challenge in almost two decades to Chinese rule in the Himalayan region, which People's Liberation Army occupied in 1950 after several decades of effective independence.
Initially led by monks, the demonstrations began peacefully on 10 March, the anniversary of the failed uprising in 1959 against Chinese rule, and then spiralled out of control.
Critics say China fuels anger through harsh restrictions on Tibetan culture and Buddhism – including routine villification of the Dalai Lama, who is still deeply revered by most Tibetans.
The full article contains 515 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
