( 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 . `` The Dalai side still insists on establishing a so-called Greater Tibet on a quarter of China 's territory , '' Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told reporters last week . `` They want to drive away the Chinese 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 . You call this person a religious figure ? '' Yang said China 's `` contradictions '' with the Dalai Lama `` is not about religious , human rights , ethnic or cultural issues but whether or not China will remain unified . '' Watch a former Chinese government spokesman discuss Tibet » . The Dalai Lama has repeatedly denied China 's accusations . He says he seeks genuine autonomy for the region -- not independence -- and advocates the `` Middle Way '' of non-violence . The Dalai Lama has won a Nobel Prize for advocating peace and is revered as an iconic figure overseas , but the Dalai Lama has never been allowed to return to Tibet , after fleeing his homeland in 1959 . His emissaries have held sporadic talks with Chinese officials . But the talks , encouraged by the United States and other countries , have failed to break the impasse . Watch an online address by the Dalai Lama » . `` Looking back on 50 years in exile , we have witnessed many ups and downs , '' the Dalai Lama said . `` However , the fact that the Tibet issue is alive and the international community is taking growing interest in it is indeed an achievement . '' `` I have no doubt that the justice of Tibet 's cause will prevail , if we continue to tread the path of truth and non-violence , '' he said . China has ruled Tibet since 1951 , a year after sending troops to `` liberate '' the region from what it said was serfdom under the Dalai Lama . China has decreed that March 28 -- the day the Dalai Lama fled into exile in India -- is to be celebrated as `` Serfs Emancipation Day . '' Watch a recent history of Tibet » . In recent years , the region has seen an influx of Han Chinese and other ethnic groups , enticed by business and job opportunities . Although some Tibetans have benefited from the economic expansion , others have not . China 's critics complain of `` cultural genocide '' and repression of religious freedom . Resentful Tibetans say they are often treated as second-class citizens . Last March , resentment spilled over when a peaceful protest in the Tibetan capital Lhasa turned violent , as mobs burned vehicles and shops and attacked ethnic Chinese . China blames the Dalai Lama for inciting protesters -- an allegation he has denied . Tibetan exiles say more than 200 people died when Chinese security forces clamped down , but Beijing denies this , saying 22 people , mostly Chinese civilians , died during riots . Tension was high ahead of the 50th anniversary . China prohibited journalists from traveling into Tibet , but there are reports that extra security troops were deployed to the region to avert a repeat of last year 's unrest .
Dalai Lama : `` Untold suffering and destruction '' brought to Tibet under Chinese rule . " The Dalai Lama's statement is a clear indication that China has no intention of allowing the Tibetan people any autonomy or self-determination. Dalai says he seeks autonomy for region , not independence . Tuesday marks 50th anniversary of failed uprising in Tibet against Chinese rule .