Tibetans say China obsessed with Olympics

“The protests were a response to the Chinese reaction. They are guarding the torch as their own. China is too much obsessed with Olympics. It is an international event and so this kind of reaction,” Gyari told reporters in New Delhi.

The Dalai Lama’s position on the Olympics and the torch relay was “very clear” and the Tibetan leadership does not want disruption of the events, he said.

“The Dalai Lama is well aware that Olympics can create a profound impact on China. It will bring to focus the lack of freedom and human rights violation in China into international focus,” he noted.

Emphasising the need for an independent international probe into the recent incidents, Gyari said, the Tibetan authorities may constitute a probe panel comprising well-known persons to investigate the Chinese crackdown in Lhasa and Beijing’s allegations against the Dalai Lama.

“This is not to counter or contradict the allegations against the Dalai Lama that he has instigated the violence during the ongoing protests,” he said.