Chemical detectors to be added to Dalai Lama's security

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The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the elected government of exiled Tibetans based here, said on Sunday it would add chemical detectors to the Dalai Lama's security.

"We are working to add chemical detectors to his security," Minister for Security Ngodup Dongchung told reporters here.

The spiritual leader had spoken of a threat to his life from Chinese agents, and that Tibetan women were being trained to harm him.

In an exclusive interview with Sunday Telegraph in Britain May 8, the 76-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner revealed he had received reports that Chinese agents had trained Tibetan women for a mission to poison him while posing as devotees seeking his blessings.

On the presence of Chinese spies in this town, in the Himalayan foothills, Dongchung said: "We can't rule out the possibility of the presence of agents of Chinese and even rival Shugden sect."

"We have our own mechanism to keep tab on suspicious activities of the exiles and the guests. But we can't claim that it's 100 per cent fool proof. We are doing our best," Dongchung added.

Minister for Religion and Culture Pema Chhinjor said: "Although the Dalai Lama takes security threat (at the interview) to his person lightly, there are a variety of threats to his well-being that the security agencies are obliged to take it seriously."

Citing reports received from Tibet in June 2010, Chhinjor said in a statement: "Chinese intelligence agencies are making concrete plans to harm His Holiness by employing well-trained agents, particularly females."

"It's also learnt that they are exploring the possibility of harming him by using ultra-modern and highly sophisticated drugs and poisonous chemicals," Chhinjor said.

Chhinjor, who is officiating as the prime minister-in-exile, said in another report received in October 2011, that Chinese intelligence agencies have stepped up their clandestine efforts to collect intelligence on the status of His Holiness's health, as well as collecting physical samples of his blood, urine and hair.

"They are reportedly co-opting Tibetans inside Tibet to visit India with the intention of seeking an audience with him to this end," he said.

According to Chhinjor, in recent years the Chinese government has launched an unprecedented offensive campaign against the Dalai Lama inside Tibet and has issued instructions to organise protests by overseas Chinese communities against him during his visits outside India.

Currently, India is home to around 100,000 Tibetans.