The force of the Chinese state has not been able to stop the protests in Tibet. While the bulk of the force has been used in the capital Lhasa, the protest has spread to other Chinese provinces with a Tibetan population.Chinese troops are being moved into these provinces and six people are reported to have been killed on Monday. The deadline set by Chinese authorities for all Tibetan protesters to surrender ends at midnight on Monday. In the Sichuan region hundreds of People's Liberation Army vehicles moved in overnight, after a crowd of Tibetans threw petrol bombs and set a police station and a market on fire.In Gansu province, a crowd carried posters of the Dalai Lama, and shouted slogans as they marched on government buildings. So far China has claimed 13 people were killed while Tibetan leaders said at least 80 people have died in the violence. 26 people were killed on Saturday in Lhasa.No foreigner allowedEarlier, China had asked tourists to leave Tibet and had prohibited the entry of foreigners into the area following the worst ever violence in two decades in Lhasa. The violence erupted after protests began last Monday to mark the anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. The regional government of Tibet has suspended the handling of application of foreigners who want to travel to Tibet for ''safety concerns''.According to the government media and police claim, over 580 people including three Japanese tourists had to be rescued from the violence.Violence breaks outThe week long protests in Lhasa erupted in violence on Friday with China claiming 10 people killed, while Tibetan leaders said at least 80 people have died in the violence. It included 26 people killed on Saturday next to the Dratchi prison in Lhasa.However, China has promised leniency to those who surrender. Meanwhile, the Tibet administration has denied that lethal weapons were used on the Tibetan protesters.Governor of Tibet Champa Phuntsok has defended the authorities' handling of the anti-government protests.Phuntsok also had some harsh words for spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and his protesters.Attacking the protesters and the Dalai Lama, ''the Dalai Lama group and some other people in the western countries look at the beating, burning and smashing activities by the Lhasa rioters as 'peaceful demonstrations'.Clarifying the stand taken by the authority, the governor said, ''They described our handling of the violence as one that harms people's life, security and social order as a crackdown on peaceful protests. It's groundless. No democratic country in the world will tolerate this kind of crime.''Violence spread beyond Lhasa on Sunday with clashes between Tibetan protesters and police in Aba and Sichuan province and seven more deaths being reported.Meanwhile the Dalai Lama, on Sunday, called for an international inquiry into China's crackdown, accusing it of a rule of terror and cultural genocide.The unrest, which coincided with the 49th anniversary of the uprising in Tibet against Chinese rule, began just a fortnight before China's Olympic celebrations kick off with the start of the torch relay, scheduled to pass through Tibet.However the Dalai Lama has emphasised that he still supported Beijing's staging of the Olympic games this summer, saying it was an opportunity for the Chinese to show their support for the principle of freedom.
Monday, March 17, 2008
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