The harsh reality is that his decades of campaigning have achieved little, in contrast to his status as one of the world's most admired men -- greeted with near universal acclaim wherever his gruelling itinerary takes him.

In Dharamshala, the Indian hill town where he and his fellow exiles are based, the Dalai Lama's predicament is shared by the whole community.

"The last 50 years have been extremely difficult, perhaps the toughest period in the history of the Tibetan people," Ngawang Woebar, a former political prisoner who escaped from Tibet in 1991, told AFP.

"His Holiness the Dalai Lama has done a lot but we accept that he has not received the due response required from China."

Woebar, 40, fled over the Himalayas on foot after serving a prison sentence for his political activities and fearing he was about to be arrested again.

"Even though we agree that the Dalai Lama's policies have failed to bring about a solution, we think that he can still secure progress," he said, reflecting the Tibetans' continuing loyalty to their leader.

And, despite China's complete rejection of the Dalai Lama's pleas for "meaningful autonomy" for Tibet, Woebar struck a note of defiance ahead of events in Dharamshala to mark the Nobel peace laureate's 50th year in exile.

"We don't believe it will take another 50 years to go back home because a lot of things are changing," Woebar said. "Globalisation and the spreading awareness of human rights are two areas that give us hope."

The failure of the Dalai Lama to negotiate any concessions from China was brought into sharp focus last year when he publicly acknowledged that his "middle way" policy -- as it is dubbed -- may have run out of steam.

Such an outburst of frustration was uncharacteristic for the 73-year-old, whose smiling face symbolises for millions of people a heroic, non-violent struggle against injustice.

"I have to accept failure," he said at the time. "Suppression (in Tibet) is increasing and I cannot pretend that everything is OK."

But an ensuing meeting of prominent Tibet exiles held in Dharamshala to find a new way forward concluded, after a week of talks, that the Dalai Lama's conciliatory approach should be maintained.

One reason for the reluctance to change policy to an overt call for Tibet's full independence from China was the fear that such a move would cost the movement much of its international support.

It also demonstrated the lack of options available to the Dalai Lama, five long decades after he fled Tibet in 1959 following a quashed rebellion against Chinese rule.

"We should exert more pressure on China," said Tenzin Choeying, of the influential Students for a Free Tibet group, which backs a more aggressive stance towards Beijing.

"We need to be the catalyst for changes in China that will bring about democracy."

Apparently stuck in a permanent impasse, and with concern mounting over the Dalai Lama's health, Tibetans rely on bottomless optimism to fuel their dreams.

"I don't think it will be another 50 years in exile," Choeying said. "The way that the Tibetans inside Tibet have shown their resentment and issued calls for freedom has been an inspiration for us.

"I'm very positive. Of course I believe that one day I will see Tibet."

earlier related report
Dalai Lama wants 'Greater Tibet,' China says
China Saturday accused the Dalai Lama of seeking to carve out a "Greater Tibet" and warned other countries to shun contact with him just days before a sensitive anniversary in the tense region.

Beijing has made similar accusations before, but Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi's comments come amid a lockdown of Tibetan regions for Tuesday's 50th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule that sent the Dalai Lama into exile.

"The Dalai side still insist on establishing a so-called Greater Tibet on a quarter of China's territory," Yang told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual parliamentary session in Beijing.

"They want to drive away the Chinese armed forces on Chinese territory and ask all non-Tibetans to relocate themselves, people who have long spent their lives in that part of Chinese territory," he said.

"You call this person a religious figure?"

The Dalai Lama, 74, who accuses China of cultural repression in Tibet, has repeatedly denied Beijing's accusations. He says he seeks only meaningful autonomy for the region.

In another sign of growing vigilance ahead of next week's anniversary, the Tibet Daily on Saturday carried a front-page article showing the region's Communist chief, Zhang Qingli, visiting riot police.

"We must keep a watchful eye, and with clenched fists, constantly be on the alert," Zhang was quoted as telling the officers, dressed in full protective gear.

"We must resolutely and directly strike at criminal elements who dare to stir up incidents. We must foil the separatist schemes of the Dalai clique," Zhang said in Friday's meeting.

Meanwhile, China detained two Tibetan women Thursday for protesting in a Tibetan part of Sichuan province in the southwest, the International Campaign for Tibet said in a statement.

"The two women, a nun and layperson, staged separate protests in Kardze town, handing out leaflets and calling for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet," said the statement, issued Saturday.

Following a bitter spat with Europe over a December meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Dalai Lama, Yang warned other countries that friendly relations with China hinged on rejecting the exiled monk.

"In developing relations with China, other countries should not allow the Dalai Lama to visit their countries or allow their territories to be used by the Dalai Lama to engage in separatist activities," he said.

"This is an integral part of the norms governing international relations."

Unrest has simmered in Tibet since violent anti-Chinese riots erupted a year ago on the 49th anniversary of the 1959 uprising.

Activist groups said China had hugely increased security across the region although several protests have already taken place in recent weeks.

One of the region's leaders said Friday Tibet had asked for more police and other security, expressing fears Dalai Lama supporters could foment unrest on the anniversary.

"We have asked for increases in the armed police, police, firemen, border forces and public security," Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region, told reporters at the parliamentary session.

China has ruled Tibet since 1951, a year after sending in troops to "liberate" the Buddhist region.

Yang also called on France to take steps to fix relations damaged by the Dalai Lama row, while expressing confidence ties would improve.

"The current problems in China-French relations are not caused by the Chinese side. We hope France will make a positive response to China's concerns," he said.

Sarkozy's meeting with the Dalai Lama last year angered Beijing, which retaliated by cancelling a summit with the European Union in France that was scheduled for December.

At the time, France held the rotating presidency of the EU. China and the European Union have since agreed to reschedule the summit.

Ties between China and France have recently also been affected by the auction in Paris of two Chinese works of art, which went ahead despite protests from Beijing.

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