Beijing, March 18:

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has spurned international calls for his government to hold talks with the exiled Dalai Lama over recent unrest in Tibetan areas, blaming the Buddhist leader for violent protests and accusing him of insincerity.

Wen said that supporters of the Dalai Lama had encouraged the “appalling incident in Lhasa”, and “similar incidents in other parts of China”. “There is plenty of evidence proving that Lhasa incident was organised, premeditated and masterminded by the Dalai clique,” Wen told reporters today at the end of the annual National People’s Congress, China’s nominal parliament. Claims by supporters of the Dalai Lama that they wanted peaceful dialogue were “nothing but lies,” he said.

“Even under these circumstances, our original position remains unchanged,” he said when asked about the possibility of direct dialogue with the Dalai Lama. “As long as the Dalai Lama is willing to give up the so-called ‘Tibet independence’ and accept that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, our door is wide open,” Wen said. “We should not only listen to what he says, but also listen to what he does,” Wen said. Wen’s comments came as Tibetan exile groups reported more protests in Tibetan areas of China.

Tibetan students at Beijing’s Central Minorities University held a silent, candle-lit vigil yesterday night for those who died. Yesterday, the government expelled journalists from Lhasa and suspended permits for foreigners to travel to the city.