Pressure mounts for West to act on Tibet talk

By Paul Eckert, Asia Correspondent - Analysis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Strife in Tibet has raised pressure on the Dalai Lama's many admirers worldwide to translate moral support into helpful action, but the trick is finding ways to exert more than marginal influence on China.

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, called on Sunday for an international investigation as Tibetan rioting against Chinese rule spread to provinces outside the Himalayan region. Tibetan exiles said 80 people had been killed.

China's crackdown on the fiercest display of Tibetan resistance to Chinese rule in 20 years has drawn calls for restraint from the United States and other governments.

So far, moral support is all that has been offered to the Dalai Lama, who has won the Nobel Peace Prize, the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal and the admiration of millions around the world, including major political, religious and entertainment figures.

"China is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and they are an economic powerhouse. There are only a couple of ways we can exert pressure," said T. Kumar, Asia advocacy director for Amnesty International USA.

"The person who can make a difference at this moment is President Bush."

Kumar noted that, as of Sunday, the White House had issued statements but the U.S. president had not spoken publicly about the bloodshed in Tibet.

He said Washington should "take the lead" and call for an outside fact-finding mission to Tibet to assess the problem.