Dalai Lama turns 75

The Dalai Lama turned 75 yesterday, a milestone marked by celebrations in his hometown-in-exile but also reflection on 50 years of fruitless negotiations with China on the future of Tibet.

In apparently fine health, the Buddhist spiritual leader broke with recent birthday tradition and greet well-wishers in person.

"This time, as it's his 75th birthday, he also wanted to join the function," said Tashi Norbu, an official in the Tibetan government-in-exile based in nearby Dharamshala.

Elsewhere, Tibetan communities in North America, Europe and Australia geared up for cultural events to celebrate the day, while numerous internet campaigns collected birthday messages.

At an age when most others are putting their feet up, the Dalai Lama keeps up a globe-trotting schedule that would tire someone half his age, travelling to countries willing to defy Chinese pressure not to grant him a visa.

China vilifies the exiled monk as a separatist. He denies the charge, maintaining he only wants "meaningful autonomy" for Tibet under Chinese rule.

In an average year, he is away from home for about half the time and in the past 12 months he has visited France, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Poland, the US (twice), Taiwan and most recently Japan.

As the years go by, however, thoughts are inevitably turning to the issue of succession.

The Dalai Lama has been in hospital twice in recent times - for a pinched nerve in February last year and for surgery to remove stones from his gall bladder in October 2008.