In a recent address, given to newly-arrived Tibetan refugees here and released to the press Monday, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader said there was no shame in denunciations made under duress.

"From now on, if the Chinese authorities ever force you into denouncing me, do that without any hesitation," the Dalai Lama said.

"Please convey this message to other Tibetans in Tibet as well."

The Dalai Lama said he had always felt "deeply saddened and troubled" by reports of Tibetans found carrying his picture being subjected to detention, beatings and imprisonment.

Pictures of the Dalai Lama are banned in Tibet, and human rights groups have documented numerous instances where people carrying them have been beaten into renouncing loyalty to the exiled leader.

"If you were to denounce me, the act would be seen by any sensible man as having been committed under duress, under gunpoint," the Dalai Lama said.

"Except for a few ignorant fools, who would ever believe the false statements and propaganda by China?"

The London-based Tibet Information Network (TIN) reported late last month that a monastery in Tibet had been closed by the Chinese after monks refused to denounce the Dalai Lama.

Chinese troops moved into Tibet in 1951.

The Dalai Lama fled following a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, and established a new base, together with a government-in-exile, in the northern Indian town of Dharamsala.

India is home to around 100,000 Tibetan refugees.

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Last updated: 9-Feb-99