China condemns Dalai Lama for ideas on succession

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry condemned the Dalai Lama on Thursday for making a series of suggestions over how his successor as Tibet's spiritual leader might be chosen.

"The Chinese government has a policy of religious freedom and respects Tibetan Buddhism's religious rituals and historic conventions," said ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao.

"The Dalai Lama's related actions clearly violate established religious rituals and historic conventions and therefore cannot be accepted," he told a regular news conference, without elaborating.

Traditionally, a Dalai Lama's death provokes a search for his reincarnation among children born in Tibet at the same time.

Many Tibetans fear the death of the current Dalai Lama, now 72, would be a major setback in their fight for more autonomy within China or for outright independence, creating a leadership vacuum that Beijing could be expected to exploit.

In hopes of circumventing this, the Dalai Lama has long suggested that his reincarnation be sought outside China.

More controversially, he also suggested in Japan this month that his successor could be chosen before his death.

Other options he has considered include having senior lamas follow Vatican conclave practice and elect one of their number to succeed him, and giving Tibetans the chance to vote on whether to do away with the institution of Dalai Lama altogether.

He has talked of a possible referendum, but his spokesman was quick to point out that the idea was not for a general vote to choose his successor.