A genuine Buddhist will never tolerate the violent behaviors in the March 14 Lhasa riot, an eminent Tibetan monk said on Friday.

"The basic creed of Tibetan Buddhism is to do more good deeds and deliver all living creatures from torment... We feel heart-struck for those monks who joined the riot," said Losang Qoipei, a senior monk of the Sera Monastery in Tibet Autonomous Region, southwest China.

The 75-year-old monk made the remarks while meeting Tibet's Communist Party chief Zhang Qingli, who was visiting the Zhaibung and Sera monasteries in Lhasa.

Instigated by the Dalai clique and foreign secessionist forces, a small number of monks from the two monasteries rushed out of their temples or rallied on the square, waving flags and shouting slogans for "Tibet Independence".

Losang was exhausted and fell in a faint while trying to stop the monks from participating in the riot.

"Fewer tourists came since the riot, cutting down our tourist income," said Pubu Cering, another monk of the monastery.

Ngawang Dongjue from the Zhaibung Monastery said most of the monks were from the rural area and experienced improved living conditions thanks to the motherland.

Huge amount of tourist income ensured monks' studying and life expense. In addition, the government allocated fund for cultural relic preservation, Ngawang said.

Zhang, who was warmly welcomed in the two monasteries, promised to continue to protect the legal rights and interests of patriotic monks and maintain a good environment for their study.

(Xinhua News Agency April 19, 2008)