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DHARAMSHALA, India: Around 130 people have been confirmed killed in
a Chinese crackdown on protests and unrest in Tibet, the prime
minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile told Agence France-Presse
on Monday.
“This figure is from our sources in Tibet. The
verifiable number is about 130 in entire Tibet,” Samdhong Rinpoche
said in Dharamshala in northern India, the base of exiled Tibetan
spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
The figure is a jump from the figure of 99
confirmed dead given by the government-in-exile last week, but China
has released different figures.
On Saturday, the Chinese state news agency
Xinhua said Tibetan rioters killed 18 “innocent” civilians and
one police officer during protests against Chinese rule in the
Himalayan region’s capital, Lhasa.
Protests that began two weeks ago on the
anniversary of a failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule
erupted into deadly violence in Lhasa on March 14. Riots then spread
into other parts of China with significant ethnic Tibetan
populations.
China has accused the Dalai Lama of
orchestrating the violence ahead of the Olympic Games in August, an
allegation the Buddhist leader denies. The Dalai Lama has repeatedly
said he opposes violence and that he is not promoting independence
but wants greater autonomy for the region.
Meanwhile, China kept a tight lid across a huge
swathe of riot-hit regions bordering Tibet on Monday, with a heavy
security presence denying foreign reporters access.
-- AFP
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