Chinese students protest Dalai Lama's US tour

MICHIGAN: Hundreds of Chinese Americans and Chinese nationals gathered in US' northeastern state of Michigan to voice their support for the Beijing Olympics and protest against the violence in Tibet which they say was incited by Dalai Lama supporters.

The protest, organised by Chinese students studying at the University of Michigan and the State University of Michigan, was held Sunday outside the Ann Arbor stadium where the Dalai Lama was delivering a speech.

They chanted "One World, One Dream" and "Olympics go".

"We overseas Chinese students were infuriated by the violence in Tibet March 14 and the interruption on the Olympic torch relay wire-pulled by the Dalai clique, so we decided to stage this protest to make our voice heard," said Chen Jinhui, a student at the University of Michigan and one of the organisers.

Some $10,000 have been donated online or through cheques within one week in support of the protest, according to Chen and other fundraising volunteers.

The protestors displayed pictures, diagrams and historical records on the facts of Tibet's history and development, as well as the violence and crime in Lhasa March 14 and the interruption of the Olympics torch relay in Paris and London.

Demonstrations against Tibet separatists' attempt to sabotage China's sovereignty and the forthcoming Beijing Olympics have been held in a series of US cities as the Dalai Lama was touring this North American country.