China's torch climbers denounce Tibet protests

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese mountaineers chosen to take an Olympic Games torch to the top of Mount Everest have vowed not to be deterred by the unrest that has shaken Tibet, state media reported on Friday.

The torch that will light the flame of the Games will arrive in Beijing from Greece on March 31.

A separate flame will then go to mountainous Tibet for an attempt to take it to the top of Everest at 8,848 meters (29,030 ft) above sea level on a day in May when the weather conditions are best.

Since last week, Tibet and nearby areas have been convulsed by anti-Chinese protests and riots, with at least 16 dead in the regional capital Lhasa and four in nearby Sichuan province. Exiled Tibetans say many more may have been killed.

But mountaineers recruited by China to take the flame to the top of the world's highest mountain vowed to press on, and -- echoing the Chinese government -- blamed the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, for the recent turmoil.

"We shall go all out to ensure the smooth movement of the torch relay. We must strengthen ethnic unity while hostile forces try to drive a wedge between ethnic groups," Yin Xunping, an official with the Tibet mountaineering effort, told a meeting, according to the Xinhua news agency.

China has repeatedly told critics that it objects to the Games becoming "politicized" by protests.

But the mountaineers' comments suggest that with Tibet in the international spotlight, China wants the torch relay to send its own message of national control and unity and politics will be hard to avoid as the torch crawls up the icy mountain face.

"The more the Dalai clique tries to sabotage the Games and the torch relay, the more we should do in terms of the preparation and operation work," Yin said.