DEATHS REPORTED IN TIBET PROTESTS
Friday, 14 March 2008
Clashes between protesters and security forces in Tibet’s main city of Lhasa have left at least two people dead, according to reports.
An emergency official told AFP news agency that many people had been hurt and an unspecified number had died.
The US-based Radio Free Asia quoted witnesses who said they had seen at least two bodies on Lhasa’s streets.
Rallies have continued all week in what are said to be the largest protests against Beijing’s rule in 20 years.
British journalist James Miles, in Lhasa, told the BBC that rioters had taken control of the city centre.
“Some of them are still attacking Chinese properties – shops, restaurants, owned by ethnic Chinese,” he said.
“Some of them are looting those shops, taking out the contents and throwing them on huge fires which they’ve lit in the street.”
Another eyewitness said there were tanks on the street and he had seen people being carried away on stretchers.
Dalai Lama concerned
Radio Free Asia, which is funded by the US government, quoted one Lhasa resident as saying: “[The rioters] ransacked Chinese shops and the police fired live ammunition into the crowd. No-one is allowed to move around in Lhasa now.”
TIBET DIVIDE
– China says Tibet always part of its territory
– But Tibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before 20th century
– In 1950, China launched a military assault
– Opposition to Chinese rule led to bloody uprising in 1959
– Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled to India
The rallies began earlier this week when a number of Buddhist monks were reportedly arrested after a march marking the 49th anniversary of a Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule.
Hundreds of monks took to the streets to demand their release. The protests have gathered momentum over the past four days and campaign groups say ordinary people are now involved.
The Dalai Lama, who heads Tibet’s government-in-exile in India, released a statement expressing deep concern.
He called on the Chinese leadership to “stop using force and address the long-simmering resentment of the Tibetan people through dialogue with the Tibetan people.”
“I also urge my fellow Tibetans not to resort to violence.”
He added: “I also urge my fellow Tibetans not to resort to violence.”
Unrest has spread to other areas of Tibet and neighbouring provinces. There are reports of hundreds of monks rallying in Gansu.
The situation is causing concern among Western governments – with senior US and UK officials urging both sides to show restraint.
China says Tibet has always been part of its territory – though Tibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before the 20th Century and many Tibetans remain loyal to the Dalai Lama, who fled in 1959.
Source : BBC News
