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 Yu Zhengsheng, in charge of religious groups and ethnic minorities
and number four in the ruling Communist Party, stressed the official
line that the Dalai Lama, who fled China in 1959 after an abortive
uprising against Chinese rule, is a violent separatist.
The Dalai Lama, who is based in India, says he is merely seeking
greater autonomy for his Himalayan homeland.
"People of all ethnicities are steadfastly engaged in a struggle
against separatism, continuously thwarting the Dalai clique and
foreign hostile forces' splittist and sabotage activities," Yu said
in front of Lhasa's grand Potala Palace, once the home of the Dalai
Lama and, flanked by mountains under a bright blue sky, the highest
palace in the world.
Yu, who led the central government's delegation to the region, spoke
to officials, Tibetans dressed in ethnic costumes and students
waving Chinese flags.
 A procession of gaudy floats celebrating the achievements of the
Communist Party and others that showed famous Tibet landmarks such
as the Potala Palace paraded down the street after the speeches.
On Monday, Yu urged army, police and judicial staff in Tibet to be
ready to "fight a protracted battle against the clique of the 14th
Dalai Lama", state news agency Xinhua reported.
State media used the anniversary to launch attacks on the Dalai
Lama.
The Global Times, a nationalist tabloid owned by the ruling
Communist Party's official newspaper the People's Daily, called the
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate a "cheater" and a "cruel ruler in exile".
This year marks several sensitive anniversaries for the remote
region that China has ruled with an iron fist since 1950, when
Communist troops marched in and took control in what Beijing calls a
"peaceful liberation".
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It also marked the 80th birthday of the Dalai Lama and the 20th
anniversary of the disappearance of a young Tibetan who was chosen
by the Dalai Lama as the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism.
On Sunday, a senior Chinese official said the young man, six years
old when he disappeared, was "living a normal life".
On Monday, rights group Free Tibet denounced the celebrations,
saying they "may be dressed up in 21st century PR but they belong in
the era of Mao", referring to the founder of modern China, Mao
Zedong.
Tibet remains under heavy security, with visits by foreign media
tightly restricted, making an independent assessment of the
situation difficult.
(Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Nick Macfie)
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