China: Dalai Lama behind self-immolation protests

China has accused the Dalai Lama of being behind a Tibetan exile's self-immolation protest in India's capital days before the Chinese president visits there.

China has accused the Dalai Lama of being behind a Tibetan exile's self-immolation protest in India's capital days before the Chinese president visits there.

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But Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei offered no evidence on Tuesday linking the Tibetan spiritual leader to the exile who lit himself on fire and ran shouting through a demonstration in New Delhi on Monday.

Hong says the Dalai Lama and his associates have been instigating Tibetan independence and "creating all kinds of disturbances."

The Tibetan self-declared government-in-exile has rejected the Chinese government's accusations and issued statements discouraging self-immolation.

About 30 such protests have occurred over the past year in ethnic Tibetan areas of China.