IRELAND:LIU BIWEI, China's ambassador to Ireland, talks of the Dalai Lama and the Olympics in an interview with Mary Fitzgerald, Foreign Affairs Correspondent.
The Chinese ambassador to Ireland has defended his government's crackdown on recent violent protests in Tibet, rebuffing the Dalai Lama's calls for an international investigation and repeating accusations that a "Dalai clique" had instigated the unrest.
In an interview with The Irish Times, ambassador Liu Biwei insisted China's handling of the March disturbances had been "proper and 100 per cent in full accordance with the law".
Chinese authorities claim the Dalai Lama's followers orchestrated the violence that broke out following peaceful demonstrations by monks in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.
Beijing says 18 civilians died as a result but Tibetan groups outside China claim the death toll could be as high as 140, a figure they say includes Tibetans killed by Chinese security forces.
Mr Biwei rejected calls for an international inquiry into the events, saying that Tibet was an internal issue for China alone to deal with.
"Some 200 countries recognise that Tibet is an integral part of China's territory. The internal affairs of China cannot be interfered with by others. The Chinese government and people have the capacity to solve our own issues," the ambassador said.
"We don't need the help of others. We are confident that we will be able to settle the Tibetan problem.
"My personal view is that the facts are already crystal clear and I think it is unnecessary for international, independent investigators or observers to go to Tibet."
Asked about calls for the Chinese government to engage in dialogue with the Dalai Lama, Mr Biwei said Beijing already has "some contact channels" with Tibet's exiled spiritual leader.
"Our door is always open to the Dalai Lama - but with some preconditions - as long as he truly and faithfully abandons his ideas of independence, admits that Tibet and Taiwan are both the territory of China and stops his words and deeds of sabotage against the Beijing Olympic Games," said the ambassador.
"Some people always stand by the Dalai Lama and urge dialogue between him and China but we have ample evidence that behind the scenes of the Lhasa incident it is the Dalai clique who organised and instigated that riot. Their intentions are very clear. They just want to separate China and tarnish China's image and sabotage the Olympic Games."
Asked about comments made recently by China's ambassador to Canada accusing the Dalai Lama of "telling lies to the world for decades", Mr Biwei said he "fully agreed" with his counterpart.
"I think some people are just misled by [the Dalai Lama's] appearance and his words.
"The Dalai Lama is not just a simple, pure, religious figure - he is a political exile under the disguise of religious robes. His words and deeds in the last several decades have demonstrated that he never abandoned secessionist ideas and activities.
"The incident in Lhasa with the smashing, burning and looting was carefully masterminded by the Dalai clique and it again demonstrates their secessionist nature and the hypocrisy of their slogans of peace and non-violence."
Tenzin Taklha, one of the Dalai Lama's senior aides, said yesterday that Beijing should cease making what he said were baseless allegations of complicity in last month's unrest and instead begin a dialogue to address Tibetan grievances.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern also emphasised the need for dialogue after meeting with representatives of the Tibet Support Group-Ireland yesterday, adding that he had stressed to the Chinese "the high degree of public concern" in Ireland over the current situation in Tibet.
The ambassador said that China appreciates the Irish Government's position of adhering to "the principle that Tibet is an integral part" of China's territory.
"We understand the concerns of the Irish Government and the Irish people on the Tibet issue and we wish the Irish Government will respect the facts and keep an impartial position," he added.
Mr Biwei shrugged off growing calls for a boycott of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games later this year.
"From now until the games, there will be some unpredictable incidents but, trust me, the efforts of the Chinese people can guarantee a successful Olympic Games," he said.
"We resolutely oppose some organisations' and individuals' to politicise and link some other issues with the games because that just violates the Olympic spirit . . . This is unfair to China, to the Olympic Games and to the athletes who have devoted themselves to preparing for the games.
"Anybody who wants to stop the progress of China or sabotage the Olympics will go nowhere. We are very confident of this."
Asked yesterday if Ireland would consider boycotting the event, Mr Ahern said that the Government does not support the principle of boycotting the Olympic Games on political grounds.