Dalai Lama calls for international probe into Tibet crackdown

By The Associated Press | International Herald Tribune
March 16, 2008

The Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama called Sunday for an international investigation into the crackdown against protesters in Tibet, which he said is facing a "cultural genocide."

"Some respected international organization can find out what the situation is in Tibet and what is the cause," he told reporters in Dharmsala, the Indian hill town where Tibet's government-in-exile is based.

"Whether the (Chinese) government there admits or not, there is a problem. There is an ancient cultural heritage that is facing serious danger," he said. "Whether intentionally or unintentionally, some kind of cultural genocide is taking place."

It was not immediately clear if he was referring to China's overall policies in Tibet when he spoke of a genocide, or the recent crackdown.

The Dalai Lama's comments came after protests by Buddhist monks against Chinese rule in Tibet turned violent in recent days, leading to a crackdown by Chinese authorities in the region's capital, Lhasa.

Thubten Samphel, spokesman for the Dalai Lama's government-in-exile, said multiple sources inside Tibet had counted at least 80 corpses since the violence broke out. He did not know how many of those bodies were protesters.

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