- Title: CHINA: China reports deaths in Tibet, denies Llasa under martial law
- Date: 15th March 2008
- Summary: (BN03) BEIJING, CHINA (MARCH 15, 2008) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE DELEGATES OF NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS JOURNALISTS SURROUNDING QIANGBA PINGCUO, GOVERNMENT CHIEF OF TIBET (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) QIANGBA PINGCUO, GOVERNMENT CHIEF OF TIBET, SAYING: "The situation there will ease. We didn't fire any gunshots." JOURNALISTS SURROUNDING QIANGBA PINGCUO QIANGBA PINGCUO REFUSING TO TAKE QUESTIONS AND ENTERING THE GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) LUO DAN, DELEGATE FROM QINGHAI, SAYING: "I answered your question seriously. We are with the big family of the country. We are under the leadership of the communist party. We are developing together with all the 56 nationalities of the country towards prosperity." GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) LUO DAN, DELEGATE FROM QINGHAI, SAYING: "I don't know the situation there clearly. These activities to undermine the society are conducted by domestic and overseas enemies. It's quite normal. I don't think there will be any problem." (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) MONK DELEGATE FROM HUNAN PROVINCE, SAYING: "The Dalai Lama conducts separatist activities. As a monk, he has violated the commandments of Buddhism." SOLDIERS MARCHING ON POLICEMEN IN FRONT OF OLYMPICS COUNTDOWN BOARD OLYMPICS COUNTDOWN BOARD POLICEMEN AND SOLDIERS IN FRONT OF WATER CANNON RED FLAG AND CHINESE NATIONAL EMBLEM GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE / RED FLAGS
- Embargoed: 30th March 2008 15:43
- Keywords:
- Location: China
- Country: China
- Topics: International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVAF1R38PKG5ORLW9PY5C1P0AOU2
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: China's state television shows Tibet unrest, but the region's top government official denies Tibetan capital of Lhasa is under martial law.
Seven people have been confirmed dead in rioting in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, Xinhua news agency said on Saturday (March 15), quoting the Tibet regional government. But Tibet's government chief denied that the capital Lhasa was under martial law.
Most of the victims were business people, an official told Xinhua.
"No casualties have been reported among foreigners," an official with the foreign affairs office of the regional government was quoted as saying.
Footage from state television showed a scene of chaos in Lhasa on Friday (March 14) as people rampaged through the streets and buildings were seen on fire.
Angry Tibetan crowds in the remote mountain city attacked government offices, burned vehicles and shops and threw stones at police on Friday in bloody confrontations that left many injured, according to Chinese state media reports.
On CCTV, the news anchor said there was proof to show that the protests were organised by Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
"The Tibetan government made an announcement. Recently, a very small group of people have undermined social orders and jeopardized people's lives and properties by conducting fighting, smashing, robbery and arson. There has been enough proof showing that all these were carefully masterminded by the Dalai clique. That has aroused strong anger and severe denouncement from all nationalities in Tibet. The Tibetan authority is taking effective measures to handle the issue properly. We are able to maintain the social stability in Tibet," said the anchor woman.
Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Government, told reporters in Beijing that Tibetan authorities had not fired any shots to quell the violence in Lhasa. "The situation there will ease," he added.
China's parliament, or the National People's Congress, enters a key day on Saturday as some 3,000 delegates gather to vote for the new state president and government for a new term.
Tiananmen Square, China's political symbol and where the Great Hall of People, housing the congress is located, is secured by large groups of policemen and soldiers who keeping a close eye on any events that could cause disturb the meeting.
The unrest in Tibet has battered China's carefully cultivated image of national harmony in the build-up to the Beijing Olympics and already sparked talk of a boycott.
"I answered your question seriously. We are with the big family of the country. We are under the leadership of the communist party. We are developing together with all the 56 nationalities of the country towards prosperity," said Luo Dan, a Tibetan delegate from Qinghai province told reporters in front of the Great Hall of the People.
"I don't know the situation there clearly. These activities to undermine the society are conducted by domestic and overseas enemies. It's quite normal. I don't think there will be any problem," he added.
The Dalai Lama has denied engineering the biggest protests in the predominantly Buddhist Himalayan region since 1989, but one monk delegate from Hunan province accused him of conducting separatist activities. "As a monk, he has violated the commandments of Buddhism," added the delegate.
International human rights groups and Tibetan campaigners held protests recently, marking the 49th anniversary of a failed uprising by the Dalai Lama to oppose the communist rule in Tibet.
As the Beijing Olympics draw near, the Chinese government is doing everything it could to curb social uncertainty. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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