Dozens Reported Killed In Tibetan Protests

Demonstrators Worldwide Protest Crackdown; Beijing Threatens "Stern" Punishment If Activists Do Not Surrender

(CBS/AP)  "They came down on Tibetan people really hard," said Frans, who said his group could not return to their hotel Friday and had to stay near the airport. "Every corner there were tanks. It would have been impossible to hold any protest today."

Government workers said they have been prevented from leaving their buildings.

"We've been here since yesterday. No one has been allowed to leave or come in," said a woman who works for Lhasa's Work Safety Bureau, which is located near the Potala Palace, the former residence of the Dalai Lama.

"Armored vehicles have been driving past," she said. "Men wearing camouflage uniforms and holding batons are patrolling the streets.

It is extremely difficult to get independent verification of events in Tibet since China maintains rigid control over the area. Foreigners need special travel permits, and journalists are rarely granted access except under highly controlled circumstances.
The violence poses difficulties for a communist leadership that has looked to the Aug. 8-24 Olympics as a way to recast China as a friendly, modern power. Too rough a crackdown could put that at risk, while balking could embolden protesters, costing Beijing authority in often restive Tibet.

Phuntsok, the Tibetan government head, said no shots were fired.

In the western Chinese town of Xiahe, police fired tear gas to disperse Buddhist monks and others staging a second day of protests Saturday.

Several hundred monks marched out of historic Labrang monastery and into Xiahe in the morning, gathering other Tibetans with them as they went, residents said.

The crowd attacked government buildings, smashing windows in the county police headquarters, before police fired tear gas to put an end to the protest. A London-based Tibetan activist group, Free Tibet Campaign, said 20 people were arrested, citing unidentified sources in Xiahe.

"Many windows in shops and houses were smashed," said an employee at a hotel, who did not want either his or the hotel's name used for fear of retaliation. He said he did not see any Tibetans arrested or injured but said some police were hurt.

Pockets of dissent were also springing up outside China.

In the United States, protesters clashed with police outside the Chinese Consulate in New York on Saturday, leaving people on both sides injured, according to police and witnesses. Police said they made several arrests and some officers were injured but they could not immediately give any other details. About 80 protesters also gathered outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington.

In Australia, media reported that police used batons and pepper spray to quell a demonstration outside the Chinese consulate in Sydney. The Australian Associated Press reported that dozens of demonstrators were at the scene and that five were arrested.

Dozens of protesters in India launched a new march just days after more than 100 Tibetan exiles were arrested by authorities during a similar rally.

"We will keep on marching until we reach Tibet. And even if these marchers are arrested, there will be more," said organizer Chemi Youngdrung of the National Democratic Party of Tibet.

And in Nepal's capital of Katmandu, police broke up a protest by 200 Tibetans in the Nepalese capital, beating them with bamboo batons and arresting at least 20 of them.

The Tibetans holding banners reading "Free Tibet. Stop the killings in Tibet" were demonstrating Saturday in front of the United Nations' office in Katmandu.

A police official said they had orders to clear the streets in front of the United Nations.

A 49-year-old protester Tshering Ladum said she was only praying and demonstrating peacefully to seek support for the people in Tibet, and was attacked by the police without any reason.


IOC Chief Says Boycott Of Beijing Olympics Over Tibet Wouldn't "Solve Anything"

The president of the International Olympic Committee poured cold water Saturday on calls for a boycott of the Summer Games in Beijing over China's crackdown in Tibet, saying it would only hurt athletes.

In Basseterre, St. Kitts, during a six-day tour of the Caribbean, Jacques Rogge told reporters, "We believe that the boycott doesn't solve anything.

"On the contrary, it is penalizing innocent athletes and it is stopping the organization from something that definitely is worthwhile organizing."

Rogge expressed condolences for the victims and said he hopes calm will be restored immediately. He declined to say whether the committee would change its stance if violence continues or more people are killed.

IOC vice president Thomas Bach said the committee will speak with China about human rights and condemned the crackdown, saying, "Every use of violence is a step backwards."

But "a boycott would be the wrong way because that will cut lines of communication," he added.

[truthword08]

qazi63,

The Quran is not Holy and it is not the Word of God. It is a false teaching and you have been deceived.

[tucano2]

Ordinary people all across the planet have decided to greatly reduce purchases of anything "Made in China". Do the math: 5 Billion non-Chinese spending $10 LESS each month on "Made in China" products results in a huge economic hit. When the Chinese leaders refuse to listen to reason about Tibet then it is time to make them pay attention to their wallets.

[tucano2]

I understand the people (not any "government", officially) have started a world-wide effort on the part of free peoples to avoid buying anything "Made in China" to the fullest possible extent till at least 3 months after Tibet is once again a free nation and a member of the United Nations as a sovereign, not puppet, nation. This is a worthy, non-military, non-confrontational, pacific and non-violent method of bringing the tremendous economic power of the other 5 billion people of the world to bear on the economic stability of China and consequent pressure on the leaders of China to get themselves out of Tibet. My family supports this movement the best we can. Do the math: at least $10/month x 5 Billion NOT purchased from China is huge.
Why don''t you and your family do the same?

[longsky1]

I don''t mind their protesting. I just hope it''s in a peaceful way. If you go here http://www.phayul.com/images/news/articles/080314074347FZ.jpg and go here http://www.phayul.com/images/news/articles/0803150842239X.jpg, you know they destroy. They don''t destroy the World Trade Center, but they destroy the streets, stores and vehicles. The date is on the anniversary of the 1959 uprising, and so it relates to Dalai Lama. Last year, Bush granted Dalai Lama a medal, Canada''s prime minister Harper interviewed him, and German prime minister did the same thing. Can you guys imagine that somebody break in and destroy, but somebody else grants him a medal or interview him and say you are good?

What the hell is wrong with this world?

[longsky1]

I don''t mind their protesting. I just hope it''s in a peaceful way. If you go here http://www.phayul.com/images/news/articles/080314074347FZ.jpg and go here http://www.phayul.com/images/news/articles/0803150842239X.jpg, you know they destroy. They don''t destroy the World Trade Center, but they destroy the streets, stores and vehicles. The date is on the anniversary of the 1959 uprising, and so it relates to Dalai Lama. Last year, Bush granted Dalai Lama a medal, Canada''s prime minister Harper interviewed him, and German prime minister did the same thing. Can you guys imagine that somebody break in and destroy, but somebody else grants him a medal or interview him and say you are good?

What the hell is wrong with this world?

[longsky1]

I don''t mind their protesting. I just hope it''s in a peaceful way. If you go here http://www.phayul.com/images/news/articles/080314074347FZ.jpg and go here http://www.phayul.com/images/news/articles/0803150842239X.jpg, you know they destroy. They don''t destroy the World Trade Center, but they destroy the streets, stores and vehicles. The date is on the anniversary of the 1959 uprising, and so it relates to Dalai Lama. Last year, Bush granted Dalai Lama a medal, Canada''s prime minister Harper interviewed him, and German prime minister did the same thing. Can you guys imagine that somebody break in and destroy, but somebody else grants him a medal or interview him and say you are good?

What the hell is wrong with this world?

[seeityoursel]

Rather than arguing about who is better and who is not. I think we need to find out what is happening right in Tibet. Here is something to keep you all updated. Please check out this website www.phayul.com This website is censored in China, so those in China, I am sorry that you wont be able to check it. Your government is discreet about the kind of information you get.

Eight dead bodies brought into Ngaba Kirti Monastery

TCHRD[Sunday, March 16, 2008 19:35]
March 16 - Eight dead bodies have been brought into Ngaba Kirti Monastery according to confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy. The bodies were brought in from the protest scene in Ngaba County, Sichuan Province. Sources say at least "30 Tibetans felled" after armed troops shot indiscriminately into the peacefully protesting Tibetans. Out of the eight bodies, one has been identified as Lobsang Tashi, a former monk in his mid 20s. The remaining bodies are unidentified at the moment. The monks in Kirti Monastery are currently offering prayers for the deceased.

TCHRD will continue to monitor and update as situation progresses.

[o_omy]

You know what, i don''t quite trust Chinese gov, however, i don''t trust western medias either.
No matter what your guys think, in my opinion, for this time''s problem in tibet, those lamas DIDN''T protest PEACEFUllY.
I really don''t believe that chinese gov is that stupid---shot first---especially after 1989''s lesson.this is 2008, they will never ever want their Olympic to fail, so they won''t provok first.
To be honest,i really feel that dalai lama and his mates suck most of the time.they are troublemakers, always.

[seeityoursel]

Rather than arguing about who is better and who is not. I think we need to find out what is happening right in Tibet. Here is something to keep you all updated. Please check out this website www.phayul.com This website is censored in China, so those in China, I am sorry that you wont be able to check it. Your government is discreet about the kind of information you get.

Eight dead bodies brought into Ngaba Kirti Monastery

TCHRD[Sunday, March 16, 2008 19:35]
March 16 - Eight dead bodies have been brought into Ngaba Kirti Monastery according to confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy. The bodies were brought in from the protest scene in Ngaba County, Sichuan Province. Sources say at least "30 Tibetans felled" after armed troops shot indiscriminately into the peacefully protesting Tibetans. Out of the eight bodies, one has been identified as Lobsang Tashi, a former monk in his mid 20s. The remaining bodies are unidentified at the moment. The monks in Kirti Monastery are currently offering prayers for the deceased.

TCHRD will continue to monitor and update as situation progresses.

[seeityoursel]

Rather than arguing about who is better and who is not. I think we need to find out what is happening right in Tibet. Here is something to keep you all updated. Please check out this website www.phayul.com This website is censored in China, so those in China, I am sorry that you wont be able to check it. Your government is discreet about the kind of information you get.

Eight dead bodies brought into Ngaba Kirti Monastery

TCHRD[Sunday, March 16, 2008 19:35]
March 16 - Eight dead bodies have been brought into Ngaba Kirti Monastery according to confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy. The bodies were brought in from the protest scene in Ngaba County, Sichuan Province. Sources say at least "30 Tibetans felled" after armed troops shot indiscriminately into the peacefully protesting Tibetans. Out of the eight bodies, one has been identified as Lobsang Tashi, a former monk in his mid 20s. The remaining bodies are unidentified at the moment. The monks in Kirti Monastery are currently offering prayers for the deceased.

TCHRD will continue to monitor and update as situation progresses.