Dalai Lama urges Japan lawmakers to visit Tibet

The Dalai Lama urged Japanese lawmakers on Tuesday to visit Tibet to find out the reasons for a spate of self-immolations, after Beijing accused him of instigating the deadly protests against Chinese rule.

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader was addressing around 130 parliamentarians including Shinzo Abe, a former premier and the recently re-elected leader of the main opposition.

“I request some parliamentary groups, ‘Visit Tibet,’” including areas where Tibetans have died in “very sad” self-immolations, the Dalai Lama told the meeting in Japan’s diet, or parliament.

“Perhaps the (Chinese) authorities, leaders of China, I think, may get the true picture” of self-immolations if foreign lawmakers report what is actually happening there, the 77-year-old added.

Two Tibetans died in separate self-immolations on Monday, the eighth and ninth people to have set themselves on fire in the last week in protest at Chinese rule.

Reports of their deaths came hours after the Dalai Lama urged the Chinese government seriously to investigate the incidents, saying it is more interested in criticising him than finding the reason behind them.

In response, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei accused the spiritual leader on Monday of encouraging the suicides.