New Delhi, November 9. The Dalai Lama's office in India Wednesday welcomed China's release of four prominent Tibetan activists but said it had more to do with Beijing's economic ambitions than respect for human rights. It said in a statement that China had released Yulo Dawa Tsering, Thupten Namdrol, Chungdak and Tsewang Palden. "Although the Chinese authorities have made great publicity about reducing the sentence period of the four political prisoners, in reality they were all due for release within a year or two, according to their initial sentences", it said. The statement, issued in New Delhi said 500 Tibetans were still in prison for their opposition to Chinese rule of the Himalayan territory. (EuroTibet News nr.5)