Beware of the Dalai Lama's separatist ambitions, says Chinese Communist Party official

Cadres in Tibet should be cautious towards the "separatist motives" of the Dalai Lama, according to a senior Communist Party official.

During an inspection trip to Tibet last week, Sun Chunlan, the head of the party's United Front Work Department, urged cadres to "remain vigilant".

"Cadres should be clear about the motives of the 14th Dalai Lama to separate Tibet from China," the official Tibet Daily quoted the department chief as saying.

Officials should help maintain national unity, and contribute to ethnic unity, Sun said.

"Political ideology education for the public should be stepped up," she said, adding that "proper management" should be introduced at Tibetan Buddhist temples, to ensure they helped maintain social harmony.

Representatives of the religious sector should be "politically reliable" role models for the public and "should not let down the expectations of the government and the party".

Sun said such representatives should help to improve public livelihoods and promote the development of Tibet.

Beijing has previously accused the Dalai Lama of seeking to split Tibet from the rest of China and has referred to him as a "wolf in sheep's clothing".

In 2011 the Dalai Lama delegated his political responsibilities to a prime minister elected by Tibetan exiles in an attempt to lessen his own totemic status and secure the movement's future after his death.

An article published by state media in June said the Dalai Lama had become part of an "anti-China" force creating disturbance in Tibetan society.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse