(CNN) -- The Chinese government has made life "hell on Earth" for Tibetans during the half-century since a failed uprising against its rule in 1959, the Dalai Lama said Tuesday. "These 50 years have brought untold suffering and destruction to the land and people of Tibet," the 73-year-old spiritual and political leader of Tibetan Buddhists said from exile in Dharamsala, India. "Today, the religion, culture, language and identity ... are nearing extinction; in short, the Tibetan people are regarded like criminals deserving to be put to death." But Chinese officials blame the 50-year conflict on the Dalai Lama, accusing him of seeking an independent Tibet.
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Dalai Lama: "Untold suffering and destruction" brought to Tibet under Chinese rule
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Beijing accuses Dalai Lama of causing conflict, seeking independent Tibet
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Dalai says he seeks autonomy for region, not independence
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Tuesday marks 50th anniversary of failed uprising in Tibet against Chinese rule
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"They want to drive away the @placeholder armed forces on Chinese territory and ask all non-Tibetans to relocate themselves, people who have long spend their lives in that part of the Chinese territory.
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Tibetan exiles say more than 200 people died when Chinese security forces clamped down, but @placeholder denies this, saying 22 people, mostly Chinese civilians, died during riots.
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Tibetan exiles say more than 200 people died when Chinese security forces clamped down, but Beijing denies this, saying 22 people, mostly @placeholder civilians, died during riots.