Dalai Lama: China has created 'hell on earth' in Tibet

The Dalai Lama marked his 50th year in exile from Tibet by accusing China of having brought "hell on earth" to his homeland, AFP reported. Speaking at his base in northern India, the exiled spiritual leader made yet another demand for "meaningful autonomy" in Tibet. He spoke of "untold suffering and destruction" brought by China, saying the wave of repressive campaigns since a failed uprising in 1959 had cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of his people. Last year’s anniversary saw peaceful protests by Buddhist monks in Lhasa erupt into riots across Tibet and other parts of western China with Tibetan populations. The death toll was said to exceed 200. As of Tuesday, there were no reports of protests in Lhasa. Beijing has deployed a massive security presence in Tibet and has made attempts to seal the region from independent observers and foreign reporters.