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Tibet govt-in-exile says 203 dead in Tibetan unrest

29.04.2008

DHARAMSHALA, India (AFP) — The number of people killed in a Chinese crackdown on protests and unrest in Tibet has risen by around 50 to 203, the Tibetan government-in-exile said Tuesday.
Some 1,000 people had been hurt and 5,715 arrested since the demonstrations began on March 10, according to figures which the government based in the northern Indian town of Dharamshala said had been extensively cross-checked.
"Peaceful Tibetan protestors were provoked" by the Chinese forces into committing acts of violence, a spokesman for the government-in-exile told a news conference, adding that "some Chinese-planted agents themselves started the riots that left some Chinese dead."
"The Tibetan protests were aimed at the wrong policies of the Chinese government in Tibet, not the Chinese people. It is unfortunate some innocent common people died during the unrest," said Thubten Samphel.
Tourists have reported that during the unrest, mobs beat ethnic Chinese whose arrival in the region has been blamed by Tibetans for altering its unique way of life.
China says it has killed no one, and has blamed Tibetan "rioters" for the deaths of 20 people.
The new figures were announced hours after the government-in-exile hit back at Chinese allegations that the Dalai Lama was behind deadly unrest in Tibet and was seeking to sabotage the August Olympic Games to be held in Beijing.
The figures were compiled from six different sources, including Chinadigitaltimes.net, Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, Chinas state media, Lhasa Radio and Radio Free Asia.
"Various facts and figures given by different sources have been meticulously examined and tallied with each other," said Samphel.
China sent troops into Tibet in 1950 and officially "liberated" it the following year. The Dalai Lama fled his homeland in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
He says he wants autonomy for Tibet rather than independence.
China earlier urged the Dalai Lama to "cherish" its offer of new talks with Beijing on Tibet and spelling out conditions for dialogue, including telling him to end violence in Tibet ahead of the Olympics.

Source: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iMuaJKL1YN_I5C1CMkZlbtZZTxWA

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