(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-04-01 20:20

BEIJING - The Dalai Lama has been quite engaged in making statements recently; however, many of his words were merely lies, said a commentary carried on a leading Chinese newspaper on Tuesday.

The article referred to an open letter by the Dalai Lama on March 28. "I assure you I have no desire to seek Tibet's separation," the Dalai Lama told his "Chinese brothers and sisters" in the letter.

It was also him, ironically, that told an Indian TV channel on April 8 last year that half a century ago, Tibet was a "de-facto independent country", said the article in the overseas edition of the People's Daily.

"I have no wish to drive a wedge between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples," the Dalai Lama said in the March 28 letter. But didn't he? The commentary gave two revealing examples.

In a statement on March 10, the Dalai Lama said that in Tibet, "the non-Tibetan population has increased many times, reducing native Tibetans to an insignificant minority in their own country."

On March 25, he told the US-based Newsweek that although he had met affluent Tibetans who live good lives and have good houses, they felt indescribable discrimination from the Hans, according to the commentary.

The Dalai Lama said in the open letter the Chinese government has accused him of having orchestrated the demonstrations that erupted on March 10. Was he wronged? The commentary told what went on around that time.

The Dalai Lama, on March 10, time and over again expressed his "appreciation" and "pride" in the "courage" and "resolution" of the Tibetan people in China, and arranged meetings with organizations like the Tibetan Youth Congress, the article said.

Picking up the Dalai Lama's hints, the Tibetan Youth Congress on March 10 vowed to fight for "Tibet independence" at the cost of blood and life, the commentary said.

The Dalai Lama's "appreciation" finally led to the smashing, looting, beating and arson in Lhasa and the death of innocent civilians and police on March 14, the article said.

On that day, Dalai said he would respect the Tibetans' will and not ask them to stop no matter what they did. However, as more people began to condemn the violence, he knew he had said the wrong thing, and corrected himself on March 18. He said, "If things become out of control then my only option is to resign." He then offered to pray for the victims of the "peaceful protest."

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