The Dalai Lama has begun an 11-day visit to Britain, where he will meet the country's prime minister and testify before a parliamentary committee on China's recent military crackdown in Tibet.
The Tibetan spiritual leader arrived Tuesday in London from Berlin, one of five cities he visited in Germany as part of his campaign for human rights.
The exiled monk will testify Thursday before a British parliamentary committee on foreign affairs. He will meet with Prime Minister Gordon Brown Friday at Lambeth Palace, the residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.
The location of the meeting sparked controversy because it will not take place at 10 Downing Street, the prime minister's official residence. Some of Mr. Brown's critics say the decision to meet the Dalai Lama informally at the archbishop's residence was designed to appease China, which opposes the Dalai Lama's meetings with any foreign government official.
Mr. Brown -- like other Western leaders in the past -- angered Beijing earlier this year, when he announced his upcoming meeting with the Dalai Lama.
However, U.S. President George Bush, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Mr. Brown's predecessor, Tony Blair, set aside Chinese concerns and met with the monk at their official residences.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.