On India visit, Li to discuss Dalai’s ‘anti-China’ acts

BEIJING: China on Friday unveiled plans to turn the village in which the Dalai Lama was born into a city complete with "urban boulevards, commercial centres, a sewage treatment plant and drinking water facilities". The move comes after protests and self-immolations by several Tibetans monks in his home province of Qinghai demanding the return of the Tibetan leader.Simultaneously, China's official media unleashed a fresh attack on the Dalai Lama accusing him of instigating self-immolations — an indication that premier Li Keqiang will raise the issue of the Dalai Lama's "anti-China activities" during his tour of India from May 19. Beijing had earlier sought assurances from New Delhi that it would check such activities on Indian soil, and India has blocked anti-China demonstrations.A Chinese scholar confirmed to TOI on condition of anonymity that Li will raise the Dalai Lama issue. "Self-immolations have created a different situation, and there is evidence that the suicide attacks are directed from India. I think the premier will request India to go a step further and restrict the Dalai Lama's activities," he said.The $224 million urbanization programme in Qinghai has been endorsed by the state council, China's cabinet. The new city in the Dalai Lama's village of Hong'ai, formerly known as Taktser, in Haidong prefecture, will be called Haidong. Haidong prefecture's capital, Ping'an, will become a district within the new city. Ping'an has a high-tech industrial base with a dozen technology companies, Xinhua said.China Central Television also ran a programme showing tourists enjoying restaurant-like services in the Chinese section of Mt Chomolangma, the Chinese name for Mt Everest. It said "commercialization" of the peak benefits local communities, mountaineers and tourists although some people fear that it would "spoil" the natural beauty.The purpose of the documentary was to "let the international community recognise the truth about self-immolation," CCTV said. The documentary will be released in English, French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian. China has persuaded a few foreign governments to deny visa to the Dalai Lama and expects to expand this move.The documentary accused the "Dalai clique" and members of the Tibetan government-in-exile in India of posting "self-immolation instructions" on the internet to incite Tibetans in China to set themselves on fire.