On Lhasa riots anniversary, China targets Dalai Lama

BEIJING: China today accused the Dalai Lama of being a "political opportunist" and said his ulterior agenda of disintegrating the country may prove to be a "disaster" for the world.

"A disintegrating China, with Tibet independent, would be a disaster for everyone," state-run Xinhua news agency said in a commentary on the sixth anniversary of deadly riots in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

"The secessionists may not understand that building lasting peace and prosperity of the world requires an indispensable part played by a stable, strong and robust China, but the West surely does," it said.

The commentary also accused the Dalai Lama of "masterminding" the unrest in 2008.

"Friday marks the sixth anniversary of the deadly Lhasa riot masterminded by the Dalai Lama and his secessionist followers," it said.

Several people were killed and injured in the protests led by Buddhist monks in Tibet.

"Despite the Dalai Lama's preaching of peace, tolerance and benevolence, his main political objective has always been to pursue 'Tibet independence,' an ulterior agenda that might be presented as something else," the commentary said.

"Even with the so-called 'middle-way' approach, the Dalai Lama is still what he was a half century ago, a political opportunist who fancied a 'Greater Tibet' that had never existed in history," it said.

The commentary termed the recent move by US President Barack Obama to meet Dalai Lama as ill-conceived.

"Wise politicians in the West should not use the Tibet issue to irritate China. Nor should they pursue ties with the Dalai Lama at the expense of their relations with China," it said.