In a wide ranging two hour media conference in Dharamsala yesterday evening, the Dalai Lama repeated his long standing position that he might be forced to resign as a spokesperson for the Tibetan people if violence in Tibet became “out of control”.

Statements supporting the people of Tibet have been released by Hillary Clinton and John McCain, following an earlier statement by fellow presidential hopeful Barack Obama.

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) today called on the Chinese Government to permit the Tibetan people to demonstrate peacefully and called for an international investigation into serious allegations that the Chinese security forces have carried out human rights violations during the recent protests in Lhasa and other locations.

As the ‘midnight ultimatum’ set by the Chinese government passed, worldwide calls for Chinese authorities to exercise restraint have continued. Protests have also spread as far as Beijing.