(23 Mar 2008)
1. Wide of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama exiting elevator in hotel lobby and approaching reporters
2. Cutaway of security security
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Dalai Lama, Tibetan spiritual leader:
"That's baseless. I always support the Olympics, (they) should be hosted by Chinese. Because the host, I mean the Olympics (should) take place in Beijing. So there's more than one billion human beings that means Chinese. They feel proud of it. So sort of (I want to say) the expression of our respect to that great nation. I always support (the) Olympics. (They) should, should take place in China. Thank you. Everybody knows that."
4. Dalai Lama walks away.
Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Sunday denied allegations by the Chinese government that he orchestrated the Tibetan protests in a bid to
mar the 2008 Beijing Olympics calling them "baseless."
"I always support the Olympics," the Dalai Lama said as he exited his hotel in New Delhi on Sunday, for a Buddhist prayer session.
The allegations were published in the Tibet Times which accused the Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, of trying to harm China's image ahead of the summer games.
Another similar allegation was carried by the People's Daily, the main mouthpiece of China's Communist Party.
"The evil motive of the Dalai clique is to stir up troubles at a sensitive time and deliberately make it bigger and even cause bloodshed so as to damage the Beijing Olympics," the article in the Tibet Times said, describing it "a life-and-death struggle between ourselves and the enemy."
"The Dalai clique is scheming to take the Beijing Olympics hostage to force the Chinese government to make concessions to Tibet independence," the People's Daily reported.
Responding to the accusations, the Dalai Lama said he believed the 2008 Olympic Games should be hosted by China.
"The Olympics (should) take place in Beijing. So there's more than one billion human beings - that means Chinese. They feel proud of it. So sort of (I want to say) the expression of our respect to that great nation, I always support (the) Olympics," he said.
The attack on the Dalai Lama- who advocates non- violence and denies being behind the March 14 riots in Lhasa - is an attempt to further demonise him in the eyes of the Chinese public, which is strongly supportive of the Olympics.
The violence has become a public relations disaster for China ahead of the August Olympics, which it has been hoping to use to bolster its international image.
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