Stressing that he was not for independence of Tibet from China, the Dalai Lama said he did not understand why Beijing kept accusing him of having separatist ideas. “We are not seeking independence. The whole world knows that. Only China does not seem to be aware of it,” he said. He said he was still willing to work with the Chinese Government to ensure that peace and stability was restored in the region.

The soft-spoken Tibetan leader blamed China for promoting a “demographic aggression” of Tibet by encouraging ethnic Chinese people to settle in Tibet.

“The number of Chinese people in Tibet is increasing month by month,” he said, adding that the number of Chinese people in Tibet was likely to increase by one million following the Olympic Games in August.

He assured the Chinese Government that it need not worry about the safety of the Olympic torch in India.