New York, Mar 12 : The revered 73-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, is China's best hope for resolving its dispute with Tibetans, an editorial in the New York Times claims.

Though the Dalai Lama has so far managed to deflect demands for independence, Tibetans are increasingly getting frustrated, and according to the article, when the Dalai Lama dies, Beijing will lose its best interlocutor.

The Dalai Lama is a man of peace and forbearance. So it is a measure of Tibet's suffering and growing desperation that he accused Beijing on Tuesday of turning Tibet into a "hell on earth."

We only hope Beijing heeds his warnings before it is too late, says the NYT.

The Tibetan spiritual leader still advocates a "middle way" of non-violence. But China stubbornly refuses to pursue serious compromise on Tibet.

The Dalai Lama spoke out on the 50th anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising. After the Chinese military crushed the rebellion, the Dalai Lama was forced to flee across the Himalayas to India.

Since then, he said, Beijing has suppressed Tibet's religion, culture, language and identity to near extinction. He charged that Chinese authorities viewed the Tibetan people as "criminals deserving to be put to death."

China has invested heavily in recent years to improve the quality of life in Tibet. But that is canceled out by harsh restrictions on the Tibetans' rights. That repression has increased significantly after anti-China riots erupted in Tibet's capital last year.

Beijing insists that the Dalai Lama's real plan is to break Tibet away from China, even though he has repeatedly endorsed autonomy. It is long past time for serious talks to test the Dalai Lama's intentions. (ANI)