Tibetans say Olympic torch on Everest provocative

By Abhishek Madhukar

DHARAMSALA, India (Reuters) - Tibetan exiles in India and Nepal reacted with pain and anger at the Olympic torch reaching the Everest peak on Thursday, saying it was a clever ploy by China to reinforce its claim over Tibet.

Many Tibetans in Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile, watched news of the torch's journey to the top of the world on television.

Exiled Tibetan officials said taking the Olympic flame to the Everest peak through Tibet was in bad taste and not in keeping with the spirit of the Games.

"During these times when the situation in Tibet is very grave and grim we felt it is very provocative to take the Olympic torch to the Tibetan side of the mountain," Thubten Samphel, secretary of the exiled government's information department, told Reuters.

"The Chinese are suppressing the Tibetan people ... it is not in harmony with the spirit of the Olympics."

The flame's global relay was dogged by anti-China protests that Beijing says were orchestrated by the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

But the Dalai Lama has denied the charge, saying he supported the Games and was happy with China hosting them, a stand that many young Tibetans disagree with.

"The moment I saw the torch lit on top of Mount Everest I felt very hurt," said Tenzin Loseal, an Internet cafe owner.