Hundreds of demonstrators protested outside a hall at the University of Washington here on Monday, as the Dalai Lama gave a speech on the campus inside.

The Dalai Lama arrived in Seattle on Thursday to attend a five-day conference.

Demonstrators, mostly from the local Chinese community, waved Chinese flags and carried placards and banners printed with slogans criticizing Western media bias and the recent riots in China that were instigated and led by Tibetan separatists.

They accused the Dalai Lama of being behind the recent unrest in the Tibet autonomous region and other adjacent provinces.

Some carried banners accusing him of being a liar and a "CIA-funded militant".

One of the protesters, Li Jiange , said: "I think people are misinformed."

"Tibet was freed 50 years ago."

The crowd also chanted slogans such as "We love Tibet", "Stop lying" and "Dalai, your smiles charm, your actions harm", as they marched outside the university's conference hall.

A light aircraft flew overhead, it too carrying a banner that echoed the sentiments of the angry protesters.

The Chinese community in Seattle is the city's largest Asian immigrant group, according to figures from the United States Census Bureau.

The Dalai Lama has visited the city several times.

Inside the conference hall, he was presented with an honorary degree.

While his visit to the United States has been billed as nonpolitical, the Dalai Lama is expected to meet with a senior government official next week.

(China Daily April 16, 2008)