"Whether intentionally or unintentionally, some cultural genocide is taking place," he told reporters in Dharamshala in northern India, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile and the Dalai Lama's home in exile.

"There is some kind of discrimination: the Tibetans in their own land quite often are treated as second-class citizens," he said.

"They (the Chinese) simply rely on using force in order to simulate peace, a peace brought by force using a rule of terror."

"Please investigate, if possible... some international organisation can try firstly to inquire about the situation in Tibet," he said.

The Buddhist spiritual leader refrained from calling for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics, as many Tibetan exiles have been demanding.

"The Chinese people... need to feel proud of it. China deserves to be a host of the Olympic Games," he said, however saying Beijing needed to be "reminded to be a good host of the Olympic Games."

He appealed to China to recognise his long-held position that he wanted autonomy for Tibet, and not independence, and that his campaign was non-violent.

"I have no such power," he said, when asked if he could bring an end to Tibetan protests.

The unrest in Tibet followed three days of protests by hundreds of monks in Lhasa, India and elsewhere around the world marking the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule.

Agencies

Güncelleme Tarihi: 16 Mart 2008, 17:14