China accuses 'Dalai clique' of masterminding Lhasa violence
China has accused the groups associated with the Dalai Lama of having "masterminded" the violence in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, in which at least two persons were reported dead.
China has accused the groups associated with the Dalai Lama of having "masterminded" the violence in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, in which at least two persons were reported dead.
Protestors led by Buddhist monks had clashed with Chinese troops and burnt vehicles and shops yesterday in the biggest and angriest demonstrations in two decades against Chinese rule.
The government of Tibet Autonomous Region said it had "enough evidence" to back its claim of "sabotage" and that it was "organized, premeditated and masterminded" by the Dalai "clique" (an exclusive circle of people with common purpose).
The violence had disrupted the public order and jeopardised peoples lives and property, an official with the regional government said.
"We are fully capable of maintaining social stability of Tibet and safeguarding the safety of the people of all ethnic groups in Tibet and their properties", the official was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency.
The sabotage had "aroused indignation" of people of all ethnic groups in Tibet and the "plots by few people" against the stability and harmony of Tibet were "doomed to fail", he said.
Protests in the remote mountainous region, one of the biggest in two decades against the Chinese rule, had erupted into violence with demonstrators clashing with the troops and going on the rampage, setting fire to shops and vehicles.
While there was no official word on deaths, Xinhua said an unspecified number of people were injured in the violence and hospitalised.
US government-funded Radio Free Asia, quoting witnesses, had said two bodies were seen lying on the ground in the Barkor area.