China confirms 10 dead in Tibet protests

By Richard McGregor in Beijing

China on Saturday confirmed ten deaths after days of rioting in Tibet and set a deadline of Monday midnight for protesters to turn themselves into the authorities or face harsh treatment if they are caught.

The pro-independence protests, the worst outbreak of violence in the remote Himilayan region for two decades, come only weeks before the Olympic Torch was due to pass through Lhasa en route to Beijing for the 2008 games.

The protests have returned China’s human rights record to centre stage internationally just ahead of the games, with the US, the EU and Australia calling for restraint by the Chinese authorities in dealing with the issue.

Beijing, however, has not deviated in public comments from its longstanding insistence that the protests are an ”internal issue” for China. The government accuses the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spirital leader, of conspiring to diprupt its rule.

”We are fully capable of maintaining the social stability of Tibet,” the official news agency, Xinhua, reported an official as saying on Saturday.

China says that the ten people confirmed dead were ”innocent civilians” but provided few further details. Pro-Tibetan activists groups have suggested in unconfirmed reports that many more people may have been killed.

Foreign reporters are barred from travelling to Tibet without permission, a restriction that is being tightly enforced during the protests, making information dificult to confirm.

The announcement of a ”surrender deadline” was made by the local Tibet government, and also contained a threat to arrest anyone who ”harbours and hides” dissidents.

”Criminals who do not surrender themselves by the deadline will be sternly punished according to the law,” said a notice on a government website.

The local media said that the demonstrations had been planned by the “Dalai clique,” which was trying to separate Tibet from the ”motherland,” and had involved ”premeditated” attacks on shops, houses and hospitals.

The demonstrations are evidence that even after years of Chinese rule and substantial investment by Beijing in the region that Tibetan Buddhists remain deeply resentful about the tight Chinese controls enforced on their way of life and religion.

The protests coincided with the 49th anniversary of China’s crackdown on a revolt by monks in 1959, which led the Dalai Lama to flee the territory. The proximity of the Olympics also appears to have been a factor in bringing the monks into the streets.

Richard Gere, the actor and Tibet activist, said that the Games should be boycotted if Beijing mishandles the protests, Reuters reported.

A spokesman for the Beijing games, Sun Weide, said the torch relay was unaffected by the protests. ”The preparations for the Torch relay in Tibet and taking the flame up Mount Qomolangma (Everest) have been progressing smoothly,” Mr Sun said.

The Dalai Lama, who now lives in exile in India, issued a statement on Friday calling on Beijing not to use “brutal force” in dealing with the protests.

“These protests are a manifestation of the deep-rooted resentment of the Tibetan people under the present governance,” he said.

“I therefore appeal to the Chinese leadership to stop using force and address the long-simmering resentment of the Tibetan people through dialogue with the Tibetan people.”

In Washington, Sean McCormack, a State Department spokesman said: “Beijing needs to respect Tibetan culture and the multi-ethnic composition of its society.”

“We have consistently urged the Chinese government to engage in a dialogue with the Dalai Lama,” said Mr McCormack.

Residents of the Tibetan capital contacted by telephone said that ethnic Chinese residents had been advised to stay indoors during the protests.