Published by: World Tibet Network News, Sunday, Jun 09, 1996

NEW DELHI, India, Jun 5, 1996 (Reuter) - Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has sworn in a new government-in-exile following elections last month, a spokesman for the Buddhist god-king said Wednesday.

Jampal Chosang told Reuters in New Delhi that eight cabinet ministers took the oath of office and secrecy May 31 in the Indian Himalayan town of Dharamsala, where the administration is based.

"The senior-most member of the cabinet, whose functions and duties are similar to those of a prime minister, is Kelsang Yeshi, who was formerly the cabinet minister in charge of the Department of Religion and Culture," he said.

"His Holiness the Dalai Lama advised the new cabinet they have to be very cautious for the welfare of the Tibetans both inside and outside Tibet," he added.

The Dalai Lama fled across the Himalayas to India in 1959 with thousands of his followers after an abortive uprising agains Chinese rule. Tibetan officials say there now are more than 100,000 Tibetans living in India.

The Tibetan Parliament-in-exile is a policy-making body for the 120,000 refugees who fled Tibet and most of whom are living in India. No government, including India's, recognizes the Dalai Lama's government-in-exile as the legitimate authority of Tibet.

The Dalai Lama, winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, lives in Dharamsala, 400 miles north of New Delhi.

In a speech Tuesday to nearly 10,000 followers, the Dalai Lama said the Chinese had closed temples and monasteries and threw monks and nuns out, violating the basic tenets of human rights.

He said some monks and nuns were butchered by police in April when they protested the action of the Chinese authorities. Last month, nearly 100 monks and nuns were injured in a clash with the security forces at Danden monastery, east of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, he said.

Many Tibetans remain loyal to the Dalai Lama, who fled from Tibet in 1959 after a failed anti-Chinese rebellion. Since the Communist Party's military entered Tibet in 1950, Beijing's rule has been largely repressive.

"Despite this repression, ours is a just cause and we have achieved international support and created goodwill at the international level," he said. "What we want now is an agreement on internal autonomy for Tibet."

The Dalai Lama said he was ready to open talks with China any time.

He also regretted that China started a campaign to discredit him after he named a six-year-old boy as the Panchen Lama last year. The Panchen Lama is the highest spiritual leader in Tibet.