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China raps Olympic torch protest | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
China has condemned a protest over Tibet at the Olympic torch lighting ceremony in Greece on Monday. | |
In the first reaction from Beijing, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said any attempt to disrupt the torch relay for the Olympic Games was shameful. | |
During the ceremony, campaigners broke through police lines and unfurled a Tibetan flag before being dragged away. | |
Meanwhile there are reports of more violence in and around Tibet, and the police are continuing to make arrests. | |
State media reported 13 arrests in Lhasa linked to protests that took place before the anti-Chinese rioting began. | |
Any act to disrupt the Olympic torch relay is shameful and unpopular Qin Gang,Chinese spokesman Officials also reported a clash on Monday in Sichuan province, which they said left a policeman dead. | |
Tibet's government-in-exile said on Tuesday that it could confirm 140 people had died in the recent violence - an increase of 10 from Monday. China has reported 19 deaths. | |
Independent confirmation of either figure is impossible to obtain. Foreign journalists remain barred from Tibet and neighbouring areas to which the protests have spread. | |
'Unpopular' | |
China's Xinhua news agency has described Monday's torch-lighting ceremony at Olympia as "flawless". | |
But at a regular press conference in Beijing, spokesman Qin Gang acknowledged the presence of the pro-Tibet activists. | |
TIBET DIVIDE China says Tibet was always part of its territoryTibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before 20th century1950: China launched a military assaultOpposition to Chinese rule led to a bloody uprising in 1959Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled to India Q&A: Tibet and China Key events in Tibet unrest | TIBET DIVIDE China says Tibet was always part of its territoryTibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before 20th century1950: China launched a military assaultOpposition to Chinese rule led to a bloody uprising in 1959Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled to India Q&A: Tibet and China Key events in Tibet unrest |
"Any act to disrupt the Olympic torch relay is shameful and unpopular," he said. | |
Rights groups say they are planning further protests along the route, but the spokesman said each country hosting a leg of the torch relay had an obligation to ensure it passed off smoothly. | |
The spokesman also said that about a dozen foreign journalists would be allowed into Tibet on Wednesday. | |
The group, who do not include the BBC, would be allowed to interview "victims of criminal acts", he said. | |
Earlier, Chinese authorities in Tibet said they had formalised the arrest of 13 people for taking part in monk-led demonstrations in Lhasa on 10 March. | |
According to the Tibet Daily, the 13 were part of a crowd protesting near one of Lhasa's main monasteries, yelling "reactionary slogans" and holding a banner. | |
The report did not say whether those held were Tibetan monks. | The report did not say whether those held were Tibetan monks. |
'Reliable information' | |
Chinese media reported a fresh outbreak of violence in Sichuan province on Monday. | |
Xinhua said one Chinese policeman was killed and several others were injured during clashes in Garze prefecture. | |
Police "were forced to fire warning shots, and dispersed the lawless mobsters", the agency quoted a local official as saying. | |
It did not say whether any civilians were hurt, but a rights group said that at least one Tibetan died in the clashes. | |
In Dharamsala, the Tibetan government-in-exile said its updated death toll of 140 came from sources in Tibet and represented information as of Monday night. | |
In a statement on its website, it also released names of 40 people it said were killed in the protests. | |
It had "reliable information" on other casualties but would gather more comprehensive information before revealing their names, it said. | |
Chinese and Tibetan sources have given very different accounts of the protests in the past few days. | |
Chinese authorities have accused the Dalai Lama of orchestrating the unrest, partly in an attempt to sabotage the Beijing Olympics. | |
They accuse foreign media of misrepresenting government efforts to restore order as a military crackdown. | |
But the Tibetan government-in-exile says innocent civilians have been killed by Chinese troops. | But the Tibetan government-in-exile says innocent civilians have been killed by Chinese troops. |
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