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Troops 'did not shoot Tibetans' Troops 'did not shoot Tibetans'
(about 2 hours later)
A senior Chinese official has denied that troops used lethal force to quell protests in Tibet's main city, Lhasa.A senior Chinese official has denied that troops used lethal force to quell protests in Tibet's main city, Lhasa.
Qiangba Puncog, the Tibetan regional governor, insisted calm was returning to Lhasa, as a deadline for protesters to hand themselves in approached.Qiangba Puncog, the Tibetan regional governor, insisted calm was returning to Lhasa, as a deadline for protesters to hand themselves in approached.
Thirteen "innocent civilians" were killed in the protests, he said. Exiled Tibetan leaders say at least 80 protesters died in a Chinese crackdown.Thirteen "innocent civilians" were killed in the protests, he said. Exiled Tibetan leaders say at least 80 protesters died in a Chinese crackdown.
His comments follow reports of protests spreading to neighbouring provinces.His comments follow reports of protests spreading to neighbouring provinces.
"I can say with all responsibility we did not use lethal weapons, including opening fire," the governor said at a news conference. Rights groups say several people were killed when police and Tibetan protesters clashed in Aba, Sichuan province on Sunday. Protests were also reported in Gansu province.
The Chinese authorities have issued a deadline, threatening harsh treatment for protesters who fail to hand themselves in by midnight on Monday local time (1600GMT). China has given Tibetans involved in the protests a deadline of midnight on Monday (1600GMT) to surrender themselves to police.
Clashes between Tibetan protesters and police in Aba, Sichuan province, saw a police station and cars attacked. The Dalai Lama has called for an international inquiry into China's crackdown, while western leaders have called for restraint. Olympic chief Jacques Rogge said he was "very concerned" about the situation.
Rights groups said several people had been killed in the clashes. Protests were also reported in Gansu province. 'Not fired'
The Dalai Lama has called for an international inquiry into China's crackdown, accusing it of a "rule of terror" and "cultural genocide". Speaking at a news conference in Beijing, Mr Qiangba said that security forces "did not carry or use any lethal weapons".
'Rule of terror' "I can tell you as a responsible official that guns were absolutely not fired," he said.
The clashes in Aba, known as Ngawa in Tibetan, happened around 1200 local time on Sunday, according to Kate Saunders of the International Campaign for Tibet.
Eyewitness: Lhasa 'in cinders'
"According to reliable reports, the police opened fire," said Ms Saunders, who is in London but said she had indirect phone and web access to eyewitness accounts. "We know there have been deaths."
She said that more than 1,000 monks had been on the streets of the town, which is home to a large monastery.
Accounts of how many people died differ, but she said the most reliable eyewitness source put the toll at seven.
Reuters news agency cited an unnamed police officer in Aba saying that Tibetans had thrown petrol bombs, burned a police station, and torched vehicles during the clashes.
Crackdown
The BBC has learned that troops in Sichuan province have been recalled from leave and put on standby.
TIBET DIVIDE China says Tibet always part of its territoryTibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before 20th century1950: China launched a military assaultOpposition to Chinese rule led to bloody uprising in 1959Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled to India Q&A: China and TibetIn pictures: Lhasa tenseTIBET DIVIDE China says Tibet always part of its territoryTibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before 20th century1950: China launched a military assaultOpposition to Chinese rule led to bloody uprising in 1959Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled to India Q&A: China and TibetIn pictures: Lhasa tense
In China's north-western Gansu province, in Machu town, hundreds of protesters marched on government buildings and set fire to Chinese businesses, Reuters reported, quoting the Free Tibet Campaign. Mobs killed 13 people and injured several members of the security forces, he said, urging Tibetans involved in the protests to give themselves up.
An account emailed to the BBC from a witness in the town said about 1,500 people - both monks and lay people - shouting "Free Tibet" and "Long Live" the Dalai Lama were tear-gassed by security forces. "If these people can provide further information about those involved, then they could be treated more leniently," he said. Those who had committed serious crimes would be "harshly" punished.
In the Gansu capital Lanzhou, more than 100 Tibetan students staged a sit-down protest on a university's playing field, according to the activist group Free Tibet. Exiled Tibetan leaders say at least 80 people were killed in Lhasa in monk-led anti-China protests that began on 10 March - the anniversary of a Tibetan uprising - and gradually intensified.
Elsewhere in Gansu, at Xiahe, security forces extended their clampdown on Sunday after confrontations there between hundreds of monks and police over the weekend. On Friday, demonstrators in Lhasa set fire to Chinese-owned shops and hurled rocks at local police, triggering a crackdown.
Olympic torch Witnesses reported hearing gunfire in the city and the presence of large numbers of Chinese troops.
In Lhasa, where demonstrators set fire to Chinese-owned shops and hurled rocks at local police on Friday after days of mainly peaceful protests, Chinese troops were out in force. By Sunday, parts of Lhasa were burnt-out and deserted, a foreign tourist told the BBC. Chinese security personnel were not allowing him to leave his hostel.
The authorities in Tibet have urged the protesters to hand themselves in by Monday morning. Protests spreading
class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7299530.stm">Dalai Lama's concerns class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1347735.stm">Profile: Dalai Lama Unrest was also reported in nearby provinces over the weekend.
Eyewitness: Lhasa 'in cinders'
Witnesses said police fired on about 1,000 monks protesting in Aba, Sichuan on Sunday. Reliable reports put the death toll at seven, Kate Saunders of the International Campaign for Tibet said.
In Machu, Gansu province, hundreds of protesters marched on government buildings and set fire to Chinese businesses, Reuters reported, quoting the Free Tibet Campaign.
Smaller protests were reported elsewhere in the province.
In an interview with the BBC, Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said he feared there would be more deaths unless Beijing changed its policies towards Tibet.In an interview with the BBC, Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said he feared there would be more deaths unless Beijing changed its policies towards Tibet.
"It has become really very, very tense. Now today and yesterday, the Tibetan side is determined. The Chinese side also equally determined. So that means, the result: killing, more suffering," he said."It has become really very, very tense. Now today and yesterday, the Tibetan side is determined. The Chinese side also equally determined. So that means, the result: killing, more suffering," he said.
China says Tibet has always been part of its territory, though Tibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before the 20th Century and many Tibetans remain loyal to the Dalai Lama, who fled in 1959. China says Tibet has always been part of its territory. But Tibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before the 20th Century and many Tibetans remain loyal to the Dalai Lama, who fled in 1959.
The unrest erupted a fortnight before China's Olympic celebrations kick off with the start of the torch relay, which is scheduled to pass through Tibet.
The Dalai Lama 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.
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