The Tibet Autonomous Region crushed a series of conspiracies by the Dalai Lama clique in the past five years and maintained stability in the southwest China region, a senior official said on Sunday.

"We took timely, forceful and resolute measures in the past five years to crush a series of conspiracies by the Dalai clique," said Ragdi, a Tibet-born vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, on the sidelines of the annual parliamentary session.

In doing so, he said Tibet battered the rampant acts of the secessionist forces and maintained social stability in the region.

Ragdi, who joined the Tibet delegation of NPC deputies on Sunday for a group discussion, did not elaborate on the conspiracies or the measures.

He said Tibet witnessed rapid development in the past five years, citing an average annual GDP growth of 12.7 percent and two-digit growth in the per capita income of herders and farmers.

Last year, Tibet's GDP topped 34 billion yuan (about 4.8 billion U.S. dollars). Its per capita GDP exceeded 12,000 yuan (1,690 U.S. dollars), nearly twice the 2002 figure.

Meanwhile, the per capita net income of Tibetan farmers and herders reached 2,788 yuan (387 U.S. dollars).

"Tibet is in its best period of development and stability in history," Ragdi said.

He attributed Tibet's development partly to the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which went into operation since July 2006.

"It's a historical monument the Communist Party of China has erected on the snow-covered plateau, a golden wing that facilitates Tibet's social and economic lift-off," Ragdi said.

In line with the central government's goal to preserve ecology and develop the "conservation culture", Ragdi said Tibet should also make more efforts to protect its air and water from pollution.

(Xinhua News Agency, March 10, 2008)