China says only socialism can "save" Tibet

Protest in Tibet (Photo: AP)

Sun Mar 7, 2010
By Ben Blanchard
BEIJING

(Reuters) - The new Chinese-appointed governor of Tibet said on Sunday that only socialism can "save" the remote region and guarantee its development, and blamed the Dalai Lama for Tibet's problems.

China has defended its iron-fisted rule in Tibet, saying not only did it free a million Tibetan serfs but it also poured billions of dollars into the Himalayan region for development.

Padma Choling, an ethnic Tibetan appointed governor in January, blamed the region's problems on exiled spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner the Dalai Lama, a man reviled by Beijing as a "separatist" and instigator of anti-Chinese violence.

"The main source of instability in Tibet is the Dalai Lama, and it is also he who causes trouble for Tibet's economic development and socio-economic progress," Padma Choling told reporters on the sidelines of the annual meeting of parliament.

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