The top Chinese diplomat?briefed local media on the truth of recent violent incidents in Lhasa and urged Western media to provide "objective" and "fair" coverage of the recent riots in the region.

"It is unfortunate that a few Western media outlets, including some from the United States, are ignorant of the obvious truths and are basing their reports on distorted facts and unfounded claims," Zhang Yun, the Chinese Consul General in Los Angeles, told journalists Saturday.

While briefing local media about the situation in Tibet, Zhang said the violent incidents since March 14 in Lhasa, capital of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, and other areas of the country are proved to have been elaborately masterminded and organized by the Dalai Lama clique.

Their activities are aimed at sabotaging social stability in Tibet, disrupting the upcoming Beijing Olympics and agitating for the "Tibet independence" movement, the diplomat said.

"We hope the international community and media will recognize the fact that the Dalai clique instigated and plotted the incidents in Lhasa and other places with the intention of splitting China and undermining the Beijing Olympics," said Zhang.

He added that the situation in Lhasa is now peaceful, and that the life of the local people has returned to normal.

He said the Tibet Autonomous Region has undergone significant social and economic improvement since the democratic reforms of 1959, and the Chinese central government's policies to facilitate socio-economic development in the region and protect Tibetan cultural heritage have been welcomed by a vast majority of the local population.

Zhang thanked members of the local Chinese-American community and other well-wishers for their concern for the safety of the consulate and its staff in the wake of recent attacks on Chinese diplomatic missions around the world by Tibetan separatists. He said his officials were on high alert and cooperating closely with local law enforcement agencies to ensure the consulate's security.

According to China's Ministry of Public Security, violent attacks have been carried out on 18 Chinese diplomatic missions overseas by "Tibet independence" separatists and members of so-called international "Tibet support" groups since last month.

(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2008)