China: Dalai Lama Behind Self-immolation Protests

BEIJING (AP) — China has accused the Dalai Lama of being behind a Tibetan exile’s self-immolation protest in India’s capital days before the Chinese president visits there.

But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei offered no evidence Tuesday linking the Tibetan spiritual leader to the exile who lit himself on fire and ran shouting through a demonstration in New Delhi on Monday.

Hong says the Dalai Lama and his associates have been instigating Tibetan independence and “creating all kinds of disturbances.”

The Tibetan self-declared government-in-exile has rejected the Chinese government’s accusations and issued statements discouraging self-immolation.

About 30 such protests have occurred over the past year in ethnic Tibetan areas of China.