Tibetan PM in-exile demands international probe against China

Dharamshala, Mar 18: Tibetan Prime Minister in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche on Tuesday demanded that China allow an international team to visit Tibet to verify Premier Wen Jiabao statement that no cultural genocide had taken place in Tibet.

Reacting to Jiabao's statement, Rinpoche said: "The cultural genocide is a fact. They should ask independent international observers whether there was a cultural genocide or not. Cultural genocide is not a hygiene thing, so it can be verifiable at a very clear ground level."

Rinpoche also charged the Chinese authorities with arresting a large number of people even before the deadline for surrender had ended.

"Stability under guns remains, and before the deadline is over, the arrests and disappearances had begun," he added.

Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama expressed his helplessness over developments in Tibet and said that the international community had the "moral responsibility" to remind China to be a good host for the Olympic Games.

ANI