Dalai Lama visits town near Tibet, angering China

By MUNEEZA NAQVI Associated Press Writer

TAWANG, India (AP) - The Dalai Lama brushed off Chinese protests and traveled Sunday to this remote Himalayan town near the Tibetan border to lead five days of prayer and teaching sessions for Buddhist pilgrims.

Thousands of poor villagers braved freezing temperatures and icy winds for a rare chance to glimpse the Tibetan spiritual leader. Footage on Indian television showed the Dalai Lama entering the monastery here surrounded by Buddhist monks Sunday morning.

The trip to Tawang, which has strong ties to Tibet and lies at the heart of a border dispute between India and China, angered Beijing and further heightened already raised tensions between the two nations.

China accuses the Dalai Lama of seeking Tibetan independence and is especially sensitive to protests against its control over the Himalayan region following deadly anti-government riots there last year.

In the days leading up to the visit, monks and residents painted the monasteries of Tawang and scrubbed the town. They hung prayer flags along the streets and banners welcoming the Dalai Lamai.

On Sunday, the main monastery was filled with fresh orange, white and red flowers as young monks bustled around making last minute preparations on a cold, windy, sunny day.

Pilgrims arrived in packed trucks, others walked along narrow paths in the Himalayan foothills for as long as five days to hear a man they revere as a living god speak.

"If I can just see him once in my lifetime, then I am not afraid to die," said Dorji Wangdi, 17.

The local administration, which expects 25,000 people, erected a small tent city for pilgrims, while other visitors sought shelter in local monasteries and guest houses.