China Alleges Tibet Organizing 'Suicide Squads'

BEIJING—China has branded the Dalai Lama a "wolf in monk's robes" and his followers the "scum of Buddhism." It stepped up the rhetoric Tuesday, accusing the Nobel Peace laureate and his supporters of planning suicide attacks.

The Tibetan government-in-exile swiftly denied the charge, and the Bush administration rushed to the Tibetan Buddhist leader's defense, calling him "a man of peace."

"There is absolutely no indication that he wants to do anything other than have a dialogue with China on how to discuss the serious issues there," State Department spokesman Tom Casey said.

Wu Heping, spokesman for China's Ministry of Public Security, claimed searches of monasteries in the Tibetan capital had turned up a large cache of weapons. They included 176 guns, 13,013 bullets, 7,725 pounds of explosives, 19,000 sticks of dynamite and 350 knives, he said.

"To our knowledge, the next plan of the Tibetan independence forces is to organize suicide squads to launch violent attacks," Wu told a news conference. "They claimed that they fear neither bloodshed nor sacrifice."

BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Tibetan students who were participating in the March 17 sit-in at the Central University for Nationalities in Beijing were worshipping peace for their families and the region, according to a school authority here on Wednesday.

    "Those students were very reasonable and returned to their dormitories by midnight after talks with teachers," said Xerab Nyi'ma, the university's vice president and a Tibetan himself, during a press conference.

    The students staged a sit-in at the school on the night of March 17 after the Lhasa riot. The silent gathering started at 7:30 p.m. at the Haidian District institution in northwestern Beijing.

    Students earlier told Xinhua they were holding a "candlelight vigil".

    No clashes between the participants and school authorities were reported.