By The Associated Press

From: owner-tsg-l@VM1.MCGILL.CA

June 1, Denver- The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader and a Nobel Prize winner, grabbed a shovel and helped students plant a 6-foot pine tree in a "Peace Garden" on the Regis University campus Saturday.

The Buddhist monk was in the Denver area for PeaceJam, a two-day gathering of about 200 high school students from across the country and Canada. The Denver-based organization arranges for young people to meet with Nobel Prize winners.

The Dalai Lama, who arrived Friday, was also scheduled to speak on the University of Boulder campus Saturday night and at an interfaith gathering at McNichols Arena in Denver today.

The "Peace Garden" will be maintained in perpetuity in honor of the Dalai Lama, Regis officials said.

The theme of the PeaceJam conference was "Ecology and the Human Heart." While in Denver, the Dalai Lama also met with fellow Tibetan refugees.

He urged the United States and other governments to keep the pressure on China to stop oppressing Tibet. The Clinton administration this week recommended the opposite, allowing China to keep its most-favored-nation status.

"Many governments must openly express their frustration to China regarding Tibetan problems. The Chinese government should open dialogue with me."

It has been his message since China occupied Tibet 47 years ago. Historically the political and religious leader of the Tibetan people, he has campaigned around the world to restore the freedom once enjoyed by the mountain kingdom.

The Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his nonviolent efforts to resolve the Tibetan conflict, arrived at Denver International Airport in a claret-red robe, wearing designer walking shoes and a wrist watch.