Twelve Nobel laureates including South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu have written to China's president urging him to open talks with the Dalai Lama after a series of self-immolations by Tibetans.

More than 30 Tibetans -- many of them Buddhist monks and nuns -- have set themselves alight in China's Tibetan-inhabited areas since the start of March 2011 to protest Beijing's rule.

"The international community is concerned by the drastic expressions of resentment by the people of Tibet through self-immolation," read the letter, addressed to President Hu Jintao.

"The Chinese government should hear their voices, understand their grievances and find a non-violent solution. That solution is offered by our friend and brother His Holiness the Dalai Lama," it added.

"We strongly urge the Chinese government to seize the opportunity he provides for a meaningful dialogue. Once formed, this channel should remain open, active and productive."

Chinese authorities have repeatedly accused the Dalai Lama of inciting the protests in a bid to split the vast Himalayan region from the rest of the nation, a charge denied by the Tibetan spiritual leader.

Many Tibetans in China complain of religious repression, as well as a gradual erosion of their culture, which they blame in part on a growing influx of majority Han Chinese in areas where they live.

The letter, also signed by the East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta and Polish freedom fighter Lech Walesa, also appeals to Hu to allow religious freedom and peaceful protests in Tibetan areas and open access to foreign journalists and diplomats.