Dalai Lama expresses grief over SF torch protests

Seattle: The Dalai Lama arrived in the United States on Thursday for the first time since the recent turmoil in Tibet, serenaded by fellow Tibetans as he prepared to anchor an ambitious conference on compassion.

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader came here a day after demonstrators disrupted the Olympic torch run in San Francisco to protest China's treatment of his people.

With the Dalai Lama in town to attend a five-day conference that starts on Friday, some community leaders said they expected counter-demonstrations from pro-China groups.

But all was peaceful when he arrived at a downtown hotel Thursday, telling local Tibetans who sang to him that he supports non-violent demonstrations but was saddened by the protests in San Francisco.

In Tibet, the recent protests against five decades of Chinese rule have been the largest and most sustained in almost two decades. China has accused the Dalai Lama of being involved in the uprising. The Tibetan leader has said that he wants greater autonomy for the remote mountain region but is not seeking independence.

Organizers of the five-day 'Seeds of Compassion' conference in Seattle say the Dalai Lama's visit is expected to draw more than 150,000 people.

The Olympic torch left San Francisco and arrived in Argentina on Thursday where officials are billing today's torch run as an easygoing street fiesta, set to a tango beat.

But officials are worried enough about anti-China protests to mobilize thousands of police officers after torch runs in other cities caused chaos, and protesters warned of a Buenos Aires "surprise."

The Olympic flame arrived on Thursday under heavy security from San Francisco, where police cut the torch's route in half and sent the flame far away from demonstrators, disappointing many who had gathered to see it.

Argentina is deploying 1,300 federal police, 1,500 naval police and some 3,000 traffic police and volunteers to ensure security "without going to the extreme that nobody will be able to see the torch," said government sports official Francisco Irarrazabal.