The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Narita

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, said on Thursday that China's use of violence was an outdated way to suppress unrest in Tibet but expressed support for Beijing's hosting of the Olympics. "(For) the Chinese government, now time has come to accept reality and try to find (a) solution according to reality," he told a news conference near Tokyo en route to the United States. "Whenever some crisis happens, just using violent suppression is actually (an) outdated method." China blames the Dalai Lama and his associates for orchestrating monk-led protests in Tibet last month that later turned violent as part of a campaign for independence. The Dalai Lama denies involvement. He threw his support behind the Beijing Olympic Games despite the unrest in Tibet and pressure mounting on Western leaders to boycott the opening ceremony. The sDalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule, spoke to reporters during a brief stopover in Japan on his way to the United States for a two-week visit he said was not political.