DHARAMSALA, 30 December 1996 - "We are concerned that the Chinese authorities might use the latest incident of bomb blast in Lhasa as a pretext for increasing political repression in Tibet," said Kalon Tashi Wangdi, the Minister for the Department of Information & International Relations of the Central Tibetan Administration based in Dharamsala.

China blamed the latest bomb blast on Dharamsala which happened in early 25 December in Lhasa and which rocked areas as far as half a Kilometre and injured five people.

"We are sad that five people have been injured," said Kalon Tashi Wangdi.

After the bomb blast, the Tibetan part of Lhasa is reported to be teeming with Chinese security personnel who are conducting random house-to-house searches. Many new check-points have been put up along the Lhasa-Shigatse highway and all vehicles plying on the highway are searched by police.

"We would like to categorically point out that Dharamsala has absolutely nothing to do with this bomb blast nor all the other previous blasts which the Chinese authorities have accused us of," said Kalon Tashi Wangdi.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has publicly stated on numerous occasions that He would abdicate His leadership of the Tibetan people if the Tibetan freedom struggle turns violent," the Minister said. He added, "The Charter of the Tibetans in exile, the de facto constitution of the exile Tibetan community, states that the Tibetan Administration will renounce violence as a national policy.

"Based on this, both His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Administration continued to be committed to be a peaceful, negotiated political settlement as the only realistic and mutually beneficial means to resolve the Tibetan issue." Kalon Tashi Wangdi said "We suspect that the bombing may have been carried out by the Chinese authorities themselves in an attempt to divert Chinese public attention from internal problems in China as well as to justify increasing repression in Tibet to the outside world," Kalon Tashi Wangdi said. "The Chinese government has everything to gain from an incident like this," he added.

Neither in the bomb blast nor in the earlier bomb blasts in Lhasa in January and March this year have the Chinese authorities been able to identify the real people behind the blasts. Without any evidence the Chinese authorities have immediately blamed the most recent bomb blast on Tibetans.

"Even if the detonation has been carried out by Tibetans it is a spontaneous expression of the widespread sense of frustration and desperation in Tibet with the increasing Chinese government repression, especially the current crackdown on all monasteries, the banning of the photos of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Tibet and imposing of a Chinese Panchen Lama on the Tibetans," said Kalon Tashi Wangdi

December 30, 1996

Tempa Tsering

Secretary

Department of Information and International Relations

Central Tibetan Administratin

Gangchen Kyishong

Dharamsala 176 215

INDIA