China dismisses Dalai Lama's allegation of assassination plot

Beijing, May 14: Dismissing the

's allegations of

training women agents to kill him, Chinese state-run media today accused him of playing "insidious trick" and plotting "more separatist acts" ahead of this year's Communist Party meeting to elect new leadership.

"If the central government wanted to eliminate Dalai Lama, why has it waited for such a long time? Isn't it foolish to take action against Dalai at such an old age?" state-run Global Times daily said in its editorial titled 'Dalai assassination claims mind boggling'.

"Some believe he is playing an insidious trick. He could use his claims as an excuse for any diseases he has in the future. Even if he dies of a normal illness, the speculation would be that he was poisoned," it said. "This claim by the Dalai Lama has no credibility, not only because there is no benefit for Chinese agents to poison him, but also because of the fact that since the establishment of People's Republic China the country has never assassinated its political opponents in exile. China won't change its practice and principles for the Dalai," it said.

"The Dalai has been rather active after betraying his country. He travels safely around the world and doesn't receive any punishment for instigating violent activities in Tibetan region. This is a result of China's stable political culture. If his country was the US, Israel, Russia or Turkey, he wouldn't have lived such a stable life," the paper said.

"Now the Dalai has accused the Chinese government of plotting to assassinate him, but this time, he seems to be weakening about his lie in a way that reveals his murky psychology. The Dalai is not a noble religious man as he pretends to be in front of the Western public," it said. "Let the Dalai live his life. His existence is not a crisis for China. He is a problem, but one that China can well afford to ignore," the editorial said.

The tabloid newspaper of the ruling Communist Party of China also carried a front page story alleging that "Dalai Lama could mastermind more separatist acts ahead of the 18th National Congress of the CPC later this year, after the exile accused Beijing of plotting to assassinate him". It published 76-year-old Dalai Lama's allegation made in an interview to Britain's Sunday Telegraph stating that "some Chinese agents training some Tibetans, especially women, you see, using poison - the hair poisoned, and the scarf poisoned - they were supposed to seek blessing from me, and my hand touch."

Xiong Kunxin, a professor of ethnic theory and policy at Minzu University of China, told the Global Times that the Dalai Lama's words were aimed at demonising China and creating attention for the exile himself.

PTI