WITH a blast that shook Lhasa on Christmas Day, Tibet, the traditional sanctum of Buddhist non violence, fully entered the age of bombs and terrorism, confirming the worst fears of the exiled Dalai Lama.
Repeatedly in recent months he has told Beijing that the Tibetan people, faced with Chinese intransigence, will adopt more violent methods of protest, which he personally condemns.
Last week's bomb is the biggest in a series of unpublicised incidents which began more than a year ago, and the first to be acknowledged by Chinese officials, who have confirmed that Beijing has a terrorist problem.
On Monday a spokesman for the Dalai Lama repeated his warning that he will "abdicate the leadership of the Tibetan people" if the separatist movement renounces non violence. The implication is that he will give up trying to negotiate with Beijing, which has always rebuffed his overtures, and confine himself to religious teaching.
A statement from his Indian headquarters at Dharamsala warned that the latest incident will be used by Beijing to "increase political repression in Tibet".
Chinese authorities have responded to the bomb by starting a search across Tibet, with security checks of airports and returned exiles, and are offering a reward of $120,000.
New evidence has emerged of a shift towards violence as Tibetan militants decide that peaceful protest can achieve nothing. China identifies political bombing as a main target in applying its nation wide anti crime campaign known as "Strike Hard" to Tibet.
The Chinese appointed governor of Tibet has described "cases, involving explosions committed by [Tibetan] separatists" as the most important part of the campaign.
Three smaller explosions were reported in 1996, following at least four in 1995, according to the London based Tibet Information Network.
It is not known who carried out last week's bomb attack in Lhasa. The bomb exploded early in the morning outside the offices of the Lhasa Metropolitan District Office on the main shopping street, injuring five people.
Witnesses report that there was little co ordinated response by the security services at first.
An official broadcast on December 27th compared the bombing to terrorist incidents elsewhere in the world. This is the first time China has admitted it has a terrorist problem similar to those in other countries.
The Dalai Lama has made a series of proposals to Beijing for negotiations seeking genuine autonomy for Tibet while ruling out independence. Last October he stated, in the most explicit terms so far, his willingness to negotiate "on an agenda that does not call for the separation and independence of Tibet".
His moderate line, first aired in 1988, has aroused mistrust among militant Tibetans while failing to entice the Chinese. Ironically it has helped to drive some activists to adopt violent methods, which then strengthen the hardline view in Beijing.
Recent Chinese policies have only deepened the Tibetan sense of hopelessness. New restrictions on religious activity in 1996 include a ban on photos of the Dalai Lama and the despatch of "work" groups" to investigate political loyalty in the monasteries.