KEY POINTS:
Protesters in Auckland yesterday were among the first to march on what human rights groups called a "global day of action for Tibet".
About 300 people, led by nine Buddhist monks, joined the lunchtime march down Queen St on the anniversary of the day the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, set foot in India after his 1959 escape from Tibet.
Shouting "free Tibet" and calling for China to talk to the Dalai Lama, the march ended at Victoria Square, where prayers were offered for those who have died in the recent violence.
Green MP Keith Locke called on Prime Minister Helen Clark to speak with a "moral voice" on behalf of all New Zealanders when she meets her counterpart in Beijing.
She will be in China next week to sign a groundbreaking free trade agreement, which Mr Locke described as "unfortunate".
Tibet has been under Chinese occupation since 1959, and a protest last month in the Tibetan capital Lhasa to mark a failed uprising against Chinese rule escalated into widespread rioting in the city. China authorities said 19 people died but Tibetan reports claim up to 140 people were killed.
China has accused the Dalai Lama of being behind the riots but he has denied involvement.
He released a 1700-word appeal to the Chinese people on Friday condemning the violence and called for an independent probe into the affair.
He restated his support for the Olympics, but warned that China's propaganda war "could sow the seeds of racial tension with unpredictable long-term consequences".
In New Zealand, Tibetans and mainland Chinese are also at odds on what constitutes "the truth" on Tibet.
Yesterday, a Tibetan supporter distributing pamphlets to a group of young Chinese onlookers were met with shouts of "Tibet are liars".
As protesters marched, the group yelled in Mandarin saying "New Zealanders should get the truth by reading the news in China".
Last Saturday, Auckland's mainland Chinese held their own protest in Aotea Square, accusing New Zealand's mainstream media of "biased reporting" on Tibet and deliberately making China look bad.
Auckland Tibetan temple worker Renchen Dhondup said this was "a very sad period for relationship between Chinese and Tibetan [people]".
"The trouble will only get bigger if we continue to call each other names."
