Dalai Lama's on Crisis in tibet

BBC NEWS
Dalai Lama's Tibet bloodshed fear
The Dalai Lama has said he fears there will be more deaths in Tibet unless Beijing changes its policies towards the Chinese-controlled territory.

The Tibetan spiritual leader told the BBC he had "grave concerns" over Friday's deadly protests in Lhasa city.

But he emphasised that he still supported Beijing's staging of the Olympic Games this summer.

Lhasa, Tibet's main city, was reported quiet on Sunday, locked down by a heavy Chinese security presence.

The demonstrators, who on Friday set fire to Chinese-owned shops and hurled rocks at local police, have been penned into an area of the old town by government forces.

Shops remain closed, the streets are empty and locals say a curfew is in force.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Saturday urged China to "exercise restraint" in dealing with the protests.

Call for restraint

State media say 10 people died in Friday's clashes, including business people said to have been "burnt to death".

But the Dalai Lama told the BBC he had heard the death toll may be as high as 100, although the figure could not be verified.

A British journalist in the city said that on Saturday, police in Lhasa used tear gas to disperse demonstrators defying a curfew in Lhasa.

But the disorder was nowhere near the scale of Friday's rioting, he said.

The authorities in Tibet have urged the protesters to hand themselves in by Monday midnight, promising leniency to those who surrender.

The violence - the worst in Tibet since 1989 - erupted on the fifth day of largely peaceful protests that began on last Monday's anniversary of a 1959 uprising against Chinese rule.

The demonstrations - like those last September in Burma - were initially led by Buddhist monks and then attracted crowds of ordinary people.

Chinese officials said the riots had been "masterminded" by the Dalai Lama, an accusation he has denied.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/7299132.stm

Published: 2008/03/16 05:28:18 GMT

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