by Chime Tenzing

Dharamsala, October 30 - The Australian Prime Minister Mr. Kevin Rudd is facing renewed pressure from the Australia Tibet Council to meet the Dalai Lama and get tough on Tibet's issue.This comes shortly after Rudd’s upcoming meeting with Li Keqiang, the man tipped to be China's next premier. In a statement issued on Thursday, the council's executive officer Paul Bourke said – “Mr. Rudd was selling out Tibet and the human rights cause in an effort to boost flagging relations between Australia and China”.

The Australia Tibet Council pointed out this will be one of numerous meetings Mr. Rudd has held with top-level Chinese government leaders in his time as prime minister.

He's had five one-on-one meetings with Chinese president Hu Jintao, but his scorecard with the Dalai Lama stands at zero.

Mr Rudd, who last met the Dalai Lama in 2007 as the leader of opposition, confirmed earlier this month he would not meet the Tibetan spiritual leader when he visits Australia in December.

Mr Li's visit comes shortly after China confirmed it had executed two Tibetans relating to protests in 2008, Mr Bourke said.

They were the first known executions to have been carried out in Tibet since 2003.

“It was time Mr Rudd raised concerns about Tibet, if it was true his relationship with China was as mature and robust as he has made it out to be”, Mr Bourke said.