15 Mar 2008

Dozens Reported Killed In Tibetan Protests

Protests led by Buddhist monks enter their third day, in the biggest show of defiance in Tibet for more than 20 years.

Cars and shops have been set ablaze in the Tibetan capital Lhasa amid demands for independence from China.
Reports say Chinese police have fired on protestors, leaving at least two people dead.
One witness said around 400 demonstrators had been confronted by a thousand riot police as they threw rocks and set fire to cars and buses.
The Dalai Lama has denied Chinese allegations that he had masterminded the unrest. Channel 4 news

China locked down the Tibetan capital Saturday after the largest and most violent protests against its rule in the region in nearly two decades.
At least 10 people were killed when demonstrators rampaged through Lhasa, dashing Beijing's plans for a smooth run-up to August's Olympics.
Also Saturday, police broke up sympathy protests in China's western province of Gansu, as well as in Australia, India and Nepal.
Streets in Lhasa were mostly empty Saturday as a curfew remained in place. Eyewitnesses described baton-wielding police patrolling streets as fires from Friday's violence smoldered. Reports of deaths and arrests were varied and could not be independently confirmed. CBS