China jails 17 people over riots in Tibet last month
Tuesday, 29 Apr 2008 12:20
The Dalai Lama has been blamed for the violence
Seventeen people have been jailed for taking part in riots in Tibet's capital city Lhasa last month, Chinese state media has said.
The jail terms handed down today range from three years to life in prison, China's Xinhua news agency reported.
Anti-China riots led by Buddhist monks broke out on March 10th, with Chinese authorities claiming 22 people were killed in the protests.
Tibetan exiles however have claimed almost 100 were killed by Chinese security forces.
Chinese authorities have repeatedly blamed the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, for sparking the unrest, in a deliberate attempt to disrupt the lead-up to this summer's Beijing Olympic Games.
The Tibetan government-in-exile however responded to the allegations blaming the Communist regime for the outbreak of violence.
A government spokesman, Thubten Samphel, told the AFP news agency: "As far as the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan authorities are concerned, we are not sabotaging the Games.
"If someone is doing so it is China itself with its repressive policies on Tibet. Our request to the Chinese authorities is to allow respected international bodies to find out who is behind the unrest.
"The Dalai Lama... says China deserves the Games because it is such an ancient culture and most populous country in the world," the spokesman said.
"Beijing has the right to host the Games and contribute to help China integrate with the rest of the world."
Tibet and its surrounding provinces have been closed to foreigners since the unrest broke out last month.
The opening ceremony for the Beijing Games will take place on August 8th.