China renews Dalai Lama attack as Tibetan envoys arrive
Saturday, 03 May 2008 14:07
China has renewed its attacks on Dalai Lama as Tibetan envoys arrive for talks
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The Dalai Lama has sent two envoys to China to reopen talks with its government about its crackdown on unrest in Tibet as China's state media renewed its attack upon the spiritual leader.
Talks between the representatives of the Tibetan spiritual leader, Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, are set to begin in the southern China city of Shenzhen tomorrow, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Thubten Samphel, a spokesman for the Dalai Lama, said that the envoys "will convey His Holiness the Dalai Lama's deep concerns about the Chinese authorities' handling of the situation and also provide suggestions to bring peace to the region".
Tibetan prime minister-in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche played down the significance of the talks after six rounds of meetings came to nothing in 2007.
"It is not the seventh round of talks, it is only an informal consultation", he said.
While there has been no official comment from China about the talks, state newspaper the Tibet Daily said today: "The Dalai clique's hopes of achieving Tibetan independence are increasingly dim, and at this time when their hopes have been destroyed, the Dalai clique launched a bloody violent event - their last bout of madness."
Meanwhile, the Olympic torch today had a trouble-free journey through Macau, the final leg of its global tour before heading into mainland China.
The Olympic torch passed the gambling haven of Macau without incident, reports AFP, with the parade noted for its pleasant weather and lack of any protests. The torch is headed to the southern Chinese holiday resort of Hainan this evening.