Violence erupts in Tibet

2008-03-14 14:26

Beijing - Shops were set on fire in violence in Tibet's capital of Lhasa on Friday, witnesses said, as the region was hit by a fresh wave of rare street protests.

Chinese rule in remote, Buddhist Tibet has become a focus for critics ahead of the Beijing Olympics, with global marches this week to mark the 49th anniversary of a failed uprising against Communist rule spilling into Tibet itself.

Hundreds of people had again taken to Lhasa's streets in defiance of Chinese authorities and despite a heavy police presence and reports of a lockdown on monasteries, sources with knowledge of the region said.

"The police are everywhere," said one cafe owner reached by phone in Lhasa. "There are big problems."

On Friday, 300 to 400 residents and monks demonstrated in Lhasa, a source cited a witness as saying, capping a week of daily protests led by the Buddhist clergy, an echo of the anti-government protests that rocked neighbour Myanmar last year.

Angry and scared

"Some are angry and some are scared. The security forces are checking houses to see if any monks are hiding," said the source, who is in touch with Tibetan residents.

Hundreds of monks from the Labrang monastery in the northwestern province of Gansu also led a march through the town of Xiahe, the Free Tibet Campaign said, citing sources in Dharamsala, home to Tibet's government-in-exile.

More than 10 monks had been arrested and tanks were patrolling the square near the Potala Palace, the person said, referring to one of the architectural wonders of the world once the winter residence of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

"It's very chaotic. I haven't heard any shots fired, but all the police have come out," said one Lhasa resident.

"Now it's very chaotic outside," another resident said.

"People have been burning cars and motorbikes and buses. There is smoke everywhere and they have been throwing rocks and breaking windows. We're scared."

Sealed off monasteries

This week's shows of defiance are precisely what the Chinese government has been trying to avoid as it seeks to secure a stable environment for the Olympics, which open on August 8.

On Monday, 500 monks from the Drepung monastery marched in Lhasa. That was followed by action from monks at the Lhasa-area Sera and Ganden monasteries. Security personnel fired tear gas on at least one of the demonstrations, reports said.

The Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet said authorities had sealed off all three monasteries, citing tourism operators.

The US-government-funded Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported monks from Sera were on a hunger strike, demanding withdrawal of Chinese paramilitary forces from the monastery compound and the release of monks detained earlier this week.

- Reuters