DHARAMSHALA, India - The Dalai Lama's Tibetan exiled leaders on Wednesday called for a temporary halt to protests against China as a mark of respect to earthquake victims.

The India-based movement urged refugees to organise prayer meetings and even set up friendship groups in response to the May 12 disaster, which has left at least 40,000 people dead and five million homeless.

"In order to express our solidarity with the great natural disaster that befell on China, Tibetans across the world should shun staging demonstrations in front of Chinese embassies in the respective host countries they live in," spokesman Thubten Samphel told AFP, quoting from a statement issued by the India-based exiled leaders.

The statement said protests should be put off "at least until about the end of May," and also urged Tibetans to "write a letter, or send messages to the concerned, that they are doing so in solidarity with the quake victims."

"Since it is very important for Tibetan exiles, or Tibetans living in the free world, also to join in this (relief) effort, we should initiate solidarity actions by organising prayer meetings and raising donations," it added.

The statement also called on "Tibetans living in other parts of the world to initiate... collaborative activities, and explore possibilities of establishing Sino-Tibetan friendship associations."

Chinese-controlled Tibet was rocked by unrest in March, and the Tibetan exiled leaders say 203 Tibetans were killed and 1,000 injured in China's subsequent crackdown.

China says Tibetan "rioters" and "insurgents" killed 21 people, and has accused the Dalai Lama of trying to sabotage the Beijing Olympics -- a charge the Tibetan spiritual leader denies.

Tibetan spokesman Thubten Samphel told AFP the Dalai Lama -- living in the Indian hill town of Dharamshala since fleeing Tibet following a failed uprising in 1959 -- has expressed solidarity with the quake victims.

"His Holiness has expressed his deep sorrow for those who have died and prays for those who are going through this tragedy to have the strength to recover," Samphel said.

The statement came a day before radical Tibetan exiles were to kick off their rival "Olympics" in northern India, less than three months ahead of the real event in Beijing.

The alternative Games will feature just a handful of sports such as swimming, archery and shooting --but is causing embarrassment for unwilling hosts India and frustration for more moderate exiled Tibetan administration.

Since the March unrest, Chinese and Tibetan envoys have held a round of talks, with the Dalai Lama sticking by his cautious "middle way" policy -- a commitment to non-violence and a demand for autonomy within China rather than independence.

He has also distanced himself from the protests that dogged the global torch relay.

But younger exiles are impatient with what they see as an overly moderate stance, leading to widening divisions in the Tibetan exile community. - AFP/vm