Dalai Lama speech to appeal to elite in Tibet to visit communities of exiled Tibetans

Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will appeal to the elite in the Chinese-run Himalayan region in a speech on Wednesday, inviting them to visit communities of exiled Tibetans.

In an address marking 51 years since he fled into exile after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, the Dalai Lama will also pledge he and members of his government-in-exile will not take any political positions if and when the Tibet issue is resolved.

He will also deplore conditions in Tibet and offer his support for Xinjiang, another restless part of China populated by an ethnic minority, Muslim Uighurs, according to an advance copy of his speech obtained by Reuters.

China reviles the Nobel Peace Prize winner as a separatist, and says he foments violence. The Dalai Lama denies both charges, saying he merely seeks genuine autonomy for the remote region.

Reaching out to Tibetans working for the Chinese government, the Dalai Lama will say: "I invite Tibetan officials serving in various Tibetan autonomous areas to visit Tibetan communities living in the free world, either officially or in a private capacity, to observe the situation for themselves."

China bans Tibetans who work for the government from visiting exile communities, but many ordinary Tibetans make the hazardous and illegal crossing to study Buddhism in the Indian town of Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama has lived for five decades.

"Let me reiterate that once the issue of Tibet is resolved, I will not take any political position nor will members of the Tibetan administration in exile hold any positions in the government in Tibet," the Dalai Lama will say.

On Sunday, Tibet's new Chinese-appointed governor said only socialism could "save" the region and guarantee its development, and blamed the Dalai Lama for Tibet's problems.

Protests led by Buddhist monks against Chinese rule in March 2008 gave way to torrid violence, with rioters torching shops and turning on residents, including Han Chinese and Hui Muslims. Tibetans see Hans as intruders threatening their culture.

At least 19 people died in the 2008 unrest, which sparked waves of protests across Tibetan areas ahead of the Beijing Olympics. Pro-Tibet groups abroad say more than 200 Tibetans have died in a subsequent crackdown across the region. Beijing has denied that and said it used minimal force.

The Dalai Lama will say Beijing has put monks and nuns "in prison-like conditions", making "monasteries function more like museums ... to deliberately annihilate Buddhism".

But he will also offer to keep talking to the Chinese, despite what he sees as "little hope" of results.

China and the Dalai Lama's envoys have held several rounds of talks since 2002 but made little progress.

In a move certain to further enrage Beijing, the Dalai Lama will call Xinjiang "East Turkestan", the name given to it by pro-independence exiles. Ethnic violence there last year between Uighurs and majority Han Chinese led to at least 200 deaths.

"Let us also remember the people of East Turkestan who have experienced great difficulties and increased oppression," he will say in the speech. "I would like to express my solidarity and stand firmly with them."