The mainland's propaganda campaign against supporters of Tibetan independence shows no sign of letting up, with the government mouthpiece branding the Tibetan Youth Congress a terrorist group.
In a commentary yesterday, the People's Daily accused the Indian-based group behind protests along the Olympic torch route of being responsible for providing training on explosives techniques and staging guerilla warfare.
The article also accused the group of attacking Jin Jing , a wheelchair-bound torch-bearer who has become a national heroine for protecting the torch from protesters in Paris.
It quoted the group's president, Tsewang Rinzin, as saying in a recent interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that 'the use of suicide bombers could be a measure in the development of the Tibetan independence movement'.
'[The fact that it] never cares about human lives, be they innocent civilians or its own 'warriors', clearly shows the Tibetan Youth Congress' violent and terrorist inclination,' the commentary said.
Since the outbreak of riots in Lhasa on March 14 and later in other parts of China's Tibetan-populated areas, Beijing has been accusing the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and the so-called 'Dalai clique', of masterminding 'violent and separatist crimes'.
Founded in 1970 and boasting a global membership of 30,000, the Tibetan Youth Congress is regarded as a more radical group among Tibetan activists.