'Tibet will be stable even if he passes away'

BEIJING - The Dalai Lama's death will not affect the Tibet autonomous region's overall situation but will likely have some minor impacts, a high-ranking official said on Monday.

"As a religious character, the Dalai Lama does have some influence over his believers," Qiangba Puncog, head of the standing committee of the autonomous region's people's congress and former chairman of Tibet, said at the annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing.

"But he has no power over Tibet's political issues. So the overall social situation will remain stable, and we are prepared to handle some minor turbulence after his death."