LUQU, China — Tibetan monks in western China called for the return of their exiled spiritual leader Wednesday as a top official warned that any disruption of the Olympic torch in Tibet would be severely punished.
At the Labrang monastery in Xiahe, a town in Gansu province, a few monks started yelling slogans as journalists on a government-organized trip entered the nearby main prayer hall.
“We want human rights. We want the Dalai Lama back. We want to preserve our religion and culture,” one monk said.
Seven or eight monks in red robes raised the snow lion pennant of independent Tibet, labeled a “reactionary flag” by China’s communist regime. Their numbers grew to about two dozen during the 10-minute incident.
Tibet’s governor told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday that he was prepared for Tibet activists to cause trouble when the torch passes through the region next month.
Champa Phuntsok said he believes supporters of the Dalai Lama, blamed by Beijing for instigating unrest in Tibet and western China, will use the relay to publicize their cause.
“For these separatist forces, the Olympics in Beijing will be a rare opportunity,” he said. “During the torch relay in Tibet and in climbing Mount Everest, if anyone should attempt to disrupt or undermine the torch relay, then they will be dealt with severely according to the law.”
