Olympics should be held in China: Dalai Lama

New Delhi, Mar 23 (UNI) Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama today maintained that Olympics should be held in China despite the growing confrontation between Tibetans and Chinese authorities in and around Lasha for the past few days.

Talking to reporters on the sidelights of a spiritual discourse he is attending here, he said: ''I support the Olympics being held in Beijing.'' Addressing a press coference in Dharmshala recently, from where he runs his government in exile, the Dalai Lama had expressed similar sentiments on Beijing Olympics.

The 72-year-old spiritual leader's remarks came just hours after Beijing accused him of using unrest in Tibet to back demands for Tibetan independence ahead of the August Olympic Games in Beijing.

Unrest in Tibet began when Buddhist monks demonstrated in the capital Lhasa on March 10, the 49th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule, and on subsequent days.

The Dalai Lama has in recent days criticised the violence and said he wants talks with China to negotiate autonomy, but not independence, for his homeland.

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