London: The Dalai Lama, the top Tibetan spiritual leader, has claimed he had received reports that the death toll from the violent anti-China protests in Lhasa may be as high as 100, but said he still supported Beijing's staging of the Olympics in August.

Acknowledging that the figure for those killed could not be verified, the Dalai, who is based in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, told BBC that he feared more deaths in Tibet unless Beijing changed its policies towards the Chinese-controlled Himalayan region. He said he had "grave concerns" over the Friday's protests in Lhasa city, the fiercest in two decades which, according to official Chinese media, claimed at least 10 lives.

But, the Dalai emphasised that he still supported Beijing s staging of the Olympics from August 8 to 24. He said the Olympics were an opportunity for the Chinese people to show their support for the principle of freedom.

The latest protests threatened to cast a shadow on the mega sporting event in Beijing amidst concerns expressed by the West over the human rights situation in China. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday urged China to "exercise restraint" in dealing with the protests.
Source : PTI