Chinese agencies are secretly collecting samples of the Dalai Lama's blood, urine and hair and are stepping up efforts to harm him, the Tibetan government in exile said Sunday.

Citing "a variety of threats" to the spiritual leader's life, the KASHAG or cabinet of the government in exile accused China of "making concrete plans to harm His Holiness by employing well-trained agents, particularly females".

"Chinese intelligence agencies have stepped up their clandestine efforts to collect intelligence on the status of His Holiness's health, as well as collecting physical samples of his blood, urine and hair," it said in a statement.

"It is also learnt that they are exploring the possibility of harming him by using ultra-modern and highly sophisticated drugs and poisonous chemicals." Dongchung Ngodup, minister of security in the cabinet told AFP the government was informed about these threats by sources inside Tibet.

"We have our own intelligence network in Tibet and we received these reports from our sources there," he said.

He added that officials met with Indian agencies a few days ago to review the Dalai Lama's security and upgrade safety measures at his temple complex in the north Indian hill town of Dharamshala.

Earlier this month the Dalai Lama told Britain's Sunday Telegraph newspaper that he had been informed of a plot to assassinate him, using Tibetan women posing as devotees seeking his blessing.

In the interview, the Dalai Lama said he was told the Tibetan women would be wearing poisonous scarves and have poisonous hair.

"They were supposed to seek blessing from me, and my hand touch," he said. But he added that there was "no possibility to cross-check, so I don't know".

China reacted angrily, with a foreign ministry spokesperson accusing him of "spreading false information, deceiving the world and confusing the public".

Beijing routinely accuses the Dalai Lama of seeking to split Tibet from the rest of China -- a claim the Nobel Peace Prize laureate denies, saying he only seeks greater autonomy for the Himalayan region.

Many Tibetans in China complain of political and religious persecution under Chinese rule -- which Beijing denies -- and this resentment has been blamed for a spate of self-immolations in Tibetan-inhabited areas since last year.