Commenting on the visit of Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US Congress, to the town tomorrow, Rinpoche said it was scheduled long back. “Pelosi is a well-known advocate of the Tibetans and a close friend of the Dalai Lama,” he said. When asked if the government-in-exile would discuss the issue of the Chinese crackdown in Tibet with her, he said: “We can’t avoid the situation.”

Earlier, giving an update on the news pouring in from Tibet, Rinpoche said the Chinese police had arrested over 600 persons since Sunday. “We have also received reports that the police have laid siege to the Sera monastery, which has a strength of around 600 monks. They are without water and food for the past five days.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Human Rights put the number of those killed by the Chinese at 65. “This is the number that we have verified several times, though news about more killings continues to pour in,” said Tenzin Norgay, who has been monitoring the situation closely since March 10.

When asked about his views on the peace march being spearheaded by five NGOs, Rinpoche said he felt the same way as the Dalai Lama.

In an interaction with the media earlier in the day, the Dalai Lama had said though he had no moral authority to ask the peace marchers to the China border to shut up or stop, he had held talks with them yesterday. “I can’t order them, but I can intervene when things get critical,” he said, adding that he had told the representatives of the five organisations that China might manipulate their march to the border to show them in a negative light. “I have warned them of the consequences, now I am waiting for their decision,” he said.