Tibetan riots similar to those that broke out in Lhasa last week have been reported in Tibetan-populated areas of nearby provinces including Qinghai and Sichuan, the South China Morning Post reported. Thousands of People’s Liberation Army soldiers have been sent to the areas to restore order. State media said 10 civilians had been killed in clashes between demonstrators and police in Lhasa – which had grown out of protests by Tibetan monks on the March 10 anniversary of a 1959 uprising against the Communist government – while the Tibetan exile government in Dharamsala, India claimed a figure of 80 dead. The Dalai Lama, who has accused the Chinese government of "cultural genocide" through its policies in Tibet, has nonetheless refused to call for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics.
Categories