Published by: World Tibet Network News, Saturday, October 26, 1996

By Scott Hillis

BEIJING, Oct 24 (Reuter) - China has urged the devoutly Buddhist region of Tibet to embrace atheism to counter the influence of the exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and to raise itself out of poverty.

Beijing also lashed out at the European Union for allowing a meeting between officials of the European Parliament and the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing accuses of covertly working for independence for his Himalayan homeland.

"We have expressed our intense dissatisfaction and serious protest to the European side," Foreign Ministry spokesman Shen Guofang told a regular news briefing on Thursday when asked to comment on the meeting.

To check the influence of the Dalai Lama, China called on officials in the restive region to preach atheism and instill socialist beliefs.

"To carry out atheistic education is a neccesary condition for ... opposing the Dalai Lama's disastrous teachings aimed at causing chaos in Tibet and splitting the motherland," the Tibet Daily said in an edition seen in Beijing on Thursday.

"Many people have been fettered by religion and cannot break free of its bewitchment," the newspaper said in its October 14 edition.

Beijing vehemently denies accusations by western rights groups of widespread human rights abuses and religious persecution, pointing to rising living and health standards in the remote mountainous region.

The newspaper said traditional Buddhist beliefs, such as canons against killing animals, including pests, had hampered development of the backward and sparsely populated region.

"A lot of technology, because it violates religious tenets, is difficult to put into widespread use," it said.

The newspaper accused the Dalai Lama of seeking to split Tibet from China and of using his faith both as a weapon against the Tibetan people and as a shield to protect himself from criticism.

"In order to expose the Dalai's trick of keeping the people ignorant and to smash the Dalai's plot to split the motherland...we should implement atheist education," it said.

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 after an abortive revolt against Chinese rule and won the Nobel Peace Prize 30 years later for his peaceful campaign for autonomy.

During his meeting with European Parliament officials in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday, the Dalai Lama reiterated the call for autonomy for Tibet.

"The action of the European Union is open support and connivance with the splittist activities of the Dalai Lama," Shen said.

The Dalai Lama's comments to EU officials were restrained, dismissing any notion of economic sanctions against China over its rule in Tibet and advising that it would be wrong to try to isolate China.

The Dalai Lama frequently meets foreign leaders in a globetrotting campaign to win autonomy for his homeland. China has vehemently opposed such meetings.

A meeting between the Dalai Lama and Australian Prime Minister John Howard last month infuriated Beijing, which demanded that Canberra rectify its mistake or face possible trade retaliation.