'100 protesters killed in Tibet'
2008-03-15 12:28
Dharmsala - Tibet's main exile group, quoting unconfirmed sources, claimed on Saturday that Chinese police had killed about 100 Tibetan demonstrators and injured many more during protests against Chinese rule.
The Tibetan government in exile, based in the north Indian town of Dharmsala, offered no details in its statement, and gave no details on its sources.
Protests by Buddhist monks in Tibet had turned violent in recent days, with shops and vehicles set on fire and gunshots fired in the streets of the region's capital, Lhasa - but independently verified details remained extremely slim.
China maintained rigid control over the area, foreigners needed special travel permits to get there and journalists rarely got access except under highly controlled circumstances.
Earlier reports had given lower death tolls. China's official Xinhua News Agency reported that 10 people had been killed.
- AP