Beijing sends in tanks as Tibet erupts

Protesters claim that more than 100 have been killed as violence spreads and international protests mount

* Jonathan Watts in Xining
* guardian.co.uk,
* Sunday March 16 2008
* Article history

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This article was first published on guardian.co.uk on Sunday March 16 2008. It was last updated at 19:26 on March 15 2008.

China brought tanks and troops on to the streets of Lhasa, witnesses said yesterday, as the international community urged an end to the bloodshed in Tibet that has already claimed at least 10 - possibly dozens more - lives.

Security forces were also used to regain control of a second community yesterday as a violent protest in Xiahe, Gansu province, followed the worst riots in Lhasa in almost 20 years. Thousands of protesters smashed government offices in Xiahe after marching through the streets chanting support for the Dalai Lama, according to overseas support groups. Observer correspondent Tania Branigan said the crowd was dispersed by tear gas, but quickly regrouped.



The disruption comes just months before the Olympic Games, when China's leaders had hoped to display a 'harmonious society'. However, chaos has gripped Xiahe, which is home to a large community that considers itself part of greater Tibet even though it is outside of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

According to Sanjay Tashi of the Free Tibet Campaign, the city centre was filled with tear gas, cars were set on fire, government buildings ransacked and the banned Tibetan flag flew over a school.

Other witnesses said they saw 10 to 20 truckloads of riot police moving into the area. Police have fired tear gas rounds and arrested some protesters. But the crowd stormed the jail and released the prisoners, Tashi said.

In Lhasa, police have locked down the city, patrolling the streets and setting up checkpoints on many roads. Foreign tourists have been ordered to leave the central area, with many flying out of Tibet. Those who stay are restricted, though they say there has been no official curfew.

'The army and police forbid us from walking down the road, so our activity is confined to the hostel,' said one traveller. He said tanks and soldiers were patrolling the streets and guarding junctions. Other witnesses have reported troops setting up machine gun positions and there were unconfirmed reports of shooting.

The authorities blame Tibetan insurgents working on the orders of the Dalai Lama and have vowed to hunt down the perpetrators of what state media called 'sabotage'. Police warned that anyone who did not turn themselves in by Monday faced 'stern punishment by the law'.

The government has confirmed 10 fatalities which it says were mostly 'innocent civilians' who burned to death in fires started by 'Tibetan vandals'. Independent witnesses described violent attacks on people from other ethnic groups. Several Chinese shops and a mosque were burned down, cars were stopped and destroyed and angry mobs turned on Chinese passers-by.

Overseas Tibetan groups say police killed at least 36 Tibetan protesters, including three monks. Free Tibet Campaign reports that 26 demonstrators were shot or blown up while demanding the release of political prisoners in Lhasa's notorious Drapchi prison. Other groups say the death toll could be more than 100.

The United Nations joined the US, UK and EU in calling for a halt to the conflict: 'We urge that care be taken by all concerned to avoid confrontation and violence,' said the office of UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon.

Communications to central Lhasa seem to have been disrupted or blocked. The government said this was because fire had interrupted communications. Tibetan supporters said the signals were more likely to have been jammed by the authorities. Satellite TV viewers in Beijing are left with blank screens when CNN or BBC reports what happened.

But the state media released its version of events today with a furious denunciation of the Dalai Lama, who is accused or orchestrating the unrest. 'Now the blaze and blood in Lhasa has unclad the nature of the Dalai Lama, and it's time for the international community to re check their stance,' said a commentary carried by the Xinhua news agency. The Dalai Lama has denied the accusation and called for an end to violence, but urged the world to focus on the decades of repression that Tibetans have endured under China rule.

Officials insisted the unrest would not impede the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay, due to pass through the region in the next months. Preparations to carry the torch across Everest and Tibet 'have been proceeding very smoothly and according to schedule', a spokesman for the organising committee told reporters.

But supporters of the protesters warned that long-simmering resentment would not die down soon. 'China has swamped Tibet with settlers, poured money into colonialist mega-projects that solidify its control and ruthlessly attacked Tibetan culture and religion,' said Tenzin Dorjee, deputy director of Students for a Free Tibet. 'The timing and scale of this unrest indicate a truly national Tibetan uprising against China's illegal occupation.'