The Dalai Lama group has never abandoned the use of violence to achieve their ultimate goal of full independence, says a white paper issued on Wednesday.
With the evolving international situation since the late 1970s, the Dalai group's use of violence was steadily losing public support, says the white paper "Tibet's Path of Development Is Driven by an Irresistible Historical Tide."
"It turned to a new dual strategy: constantly provoking incidents of violence to keep up the pressure on the central government, while publicly proclaiming non-violence to deceive his international audience," says the white paper issued by the Information Office of the State Council.
In the 1980s, a succession of violent incidents took place, planned or instigated by the Dalai party, according to the white paper.
On Sept. 21, 1987, the 14th Dalai Lama made a speech to the U.S. Congress, calling for independence. On Sept. 27, in the square of Jokhang Temple, a group of lamas shouted separatist slogans, attacked police, and injured many civilians.
On Oct. 1, a small gang of rioters raided the police station on Barkhor Street in Lhasa and burned seven cars, leaving dozens of policemen injured. The rioters proclaimed that the Dalai Lama was fighting for Tibetan independence. They demanded the support of bystanders and the general public, and threatened personal retaliation on those who failed to join them.
On March 5, 1988, during the Monlam Prayer Festival, a gang of rioters stormed into local Party and government offices and police stations around the Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street, smashing and burning cars and shops, leading to 299 police and civilian casualties.
From March 5 to 7 of 1989, Lhasa witnessed another riot in which one policeman was shot dead and 40 others were injured, and 107 shops and 24 government offices, primary schools and neighborhood committees destroyed.
On March 11, 1992, nine Tibetan separatists attacked the Chinese embassy in India with fire bombs.
A much more serious riot took place on March 14, 2008. During the incident, there were over 300 cases of arson, while 908 shops, seven schools, 120 houses, and five hospitals were damaged. Ten bank branches were looted, at least 20 buildings were burnt to the ground, and 84 vehicles were torched.
Most seriously, a total of 18 people were burnt or hacked to death, and 382 people were injured - 58 of them seriously.
"There is ample evidence that the March 14 riot was organized, masterminded and instigated by the Dalai group," the white paper says.
For the Dalai party, "peace" and "non-violence" are no more than fig leaves, and in truth they have never abandoned the use of violence to promote their ultimate goal of "Tibetan independence", it says.
