This year has witnessed a few cases of self-immolation and violent looting in some Tibetan areas in China. The Dalai Lama group again started a full campaign and tried every means to play up the tension in Tibetan areas. As March set in, the group began another round of pushing "the Tibetan people's uprising" and looked forward to more bloodshed in Tibetan areas. It is nothing new and there are few respondents, but it shows the Dalai group's separatism is becoming more extreme and violent.

In 2001, the Dalai group was caught sending people to immolate themselves in Tibet but failed. In an effort to shirk it, the group immediately made a statement and denied it, claiming that the reputation of the International Campaign for Tibet was based on non-violence and sending people to immolate themselves violated the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism.

But a decade later, when there were again cases of self-immolation, the Dalai and its clique's attitude has totally changed. The Dalai held special ceremonies to honor the people who "sacrificed themselves" instead. The "government-in-exile" and the leaders of various organizations that support the independence of Tibet made statements that regarded the victims as so called heroes.

For over half a century, the Dalai has been using both violent and nonviolent methods to realize his goal of "Tibetan independence." Now he calls for the use of violent means at the price of turning Tibetan Buddhism into a religion of self-immolation. It just shows that his nonviolent methods don't work and he has to resort to violence.

Last year, the Dalai declared his retirement from political activities and handed the power to the "government-in-exile." It immediately caused a power struggle inside the Dalai clique. Some factions were eager to please the Dalai and showed their capability through provoking incidents, which resulted in rapid increase in the extremity and violence of their separatist activities.

In fear of falling behind, the new leader of the "government-in-exile" Lobsang Sangay revealed the Dalai's goal of "Tibetan independence" and "Tibetan autonomy" soon after he came into power. He provoked Tibetan people to immolate themselves on various occasions and claimed that self-immolation can make the outside pay attention to the plight of Tibetan people.

In exile for decades, the Dalai has been relying on the support of some forces in the US and other Western countries. Recently, the Dalai and his supporters have intensified its efforts in persuading the West to pay attention to the so-called tense situation in Tibet. And when interviewed by the Australian media, Sangay begged the Australian and US government to send delegations to Tibet to investigate the situation there.

Some Western forces and media seemed to have forgotten their twisted reports about the March 14 riots in Lhasa in 2008 that infuriated Chinese people and again made deceptive reports. The New York Times published a report headlined Chinese crackdown seals off ethnic unrest on January 28 and matched it with a picture with the caption "Armed Chinese soldiers patrolled Chendu." As a matter of fact, the picture was not taken in Chengdu at all.  

Around the Tibetan New Year, La Croix, a French newspaper quoted the founder of an organization that supports the Dalai as saying that self-immolation is a bright sacrifice and will purify humanity and lead them to wisdom and consciousness. I cannot help wondering why the Dalai and Sangay don't burn themselves if self-immolation is so good. It is just too mean to encourage others to commit self-immolation while they themselves hold their lives dear.

So-called nonviolence used to be an excuse for the Dalai to gain sympathy internationally. Resorting to violence would equal political suicide for him.

Currently, the economies of Tibet and other Tibetan areas have developed a lot and people are living in peace and contentment. Both monks and lay people hate and oppose the violent behavior of the Dalai clique. The Dalai's show will not produce any result he wants save for stripping away his disguise of nonviolence.

The author is a media commentator. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn