Tibet unrest toll “rises to 80”
At least 80 people have been killed in unrest following protests by Tibetans against Chinese rule, the Tibetan government in exile was quoted saying in a BBC report.
According to the report, India-based officials were quoted saying that the figure had been confirmed by several sources, even though China had put the death toll at 10.
In an interview with the BBC, the Dalai Lama – the Tibetan spiritual leader – condemned China’s “rule of terror” in Tibet and accused it of “cultural genocide”, the report said.
Lhasa, Tibet’s main city, was said to be quiet on Sunday, with Chinese troops out in force on the streets. Several reports and television footage showed groups of armed Chinese police patrolling Lhasa. Hong Kong Cable TV reported that about 200 military vehicles, each carrying 40 to 60 armed soldiers, had driven into the city, Bloomberg reported.
The protests began March 10 when hundreds of monks marched on the Ramoche monastery in Lhasa, calling for religious freedoms and the release of imprisoned colleagues, Bloomberg reported.
Meanwhile China said the unrest would have no impact on the August Olympic Games. According to an Associated Press report, the International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge was quoted saying that calls for a boycott of the Games would only hurt athletes.
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