Update on Tibet demonstration Sunday, 16 March 2008, 4:57 p.m. 16th March 2008: Reliable sources have confirmed that at least 80 people were killed on 14th March 2008 in Lhasa. One very reliable source has confirmed that many of the dead bodies have been stashed in front of a Public Security Department office in Lhasa. 16th March 2008: At 9:30am this morning at Kirti monastery (Amdo province) which has remain completely sealed off by Chinese military, over a thousand monks fled the tight security and were joined by another thousand layperson-protestors outside the Monastery compound. Tear gas was used on the demonstrators and gun shots were heard according to a reliable source. Unofficial reports have confirmed that at least one Tibetan has been shot and killed and a few others who were also shot remain in critical condition. 16th March 2008: Higher Chinese authorities have instructed Tibetan officials inside Tibet to not take part in any of the protests. Their movement has been restricted and they are required to sign in and out if they wish to leave outside their homes according to a reliable source. 15th March 2008: One reliable source has confirmed that a military truck full of dead bodies was seen being carried away towards Toelung county (under Lhasa municipality). 15th March 2008: In Lithang (in Karze, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province) during two minor protests, at least two of the protestors were arrested and taken into custody as confirmed by a source. 15th March 2008: In Amdo, Labrang, from 5000-6000 people took part in a major protest. Among many other things, they were demanding for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. 15th March 2008: In Phenpo Lhundup Dzong (under Lhasa municipality) there was a protest by monks and laypeople.15th March 2008: Gaden Monastery (about 50 kms east of Lhasa) remains under extremely strict Chinese military presence. The number of military personnel is so high that they are running out of tent space for their personnel. 15th March 2008: There was shooting inside the compounds of Tashi Lhunpo monastery (Shigatse) and at least 40 laypeople protesting behind the Tashi Lhunpo monasteries have been arrested as confirmed by one source. 15th March 2008: Over 500 people have been arrested in Lhasa alone; however the numbers are expected to be astoundingly larger since all those arrested are being taken to prisons all over Tibet. 15th March 2008: All media personnel (including foreign media) inside Tibet are being questioned and there are reports that their recorded materials (video footage, pictures) have been destroyed or confiscated. 11th March 2008: In Dabpa (Karze, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province) we have confirmed reports that the three Tibetans shot by the Chinese Police were killed and at least ten people have been injured. Instructions were given to shoot at the protestors since they were believed by higher Chinese authorities to be engaging in "splittist activities." (www.tibet.net is the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.) Email This Article | Printer version | Other news | Top | Home
Seattle, Washington, a protest against China's rule is held. 

The Central Tibetan Administration, headed by the Dalai Lama, says that at least 80 people have been killed in protests by supporters of Tibet against Chinese rule, despite China's claim that only ten people are dead.

"As the Tibet uprising continues, reliable sources have confirmed that at least 80 people were killed on 14th March 2008 in Lhasa," the website Tibet.net reported. They also said that many dead bodies have been stashed in front of a Public Security Department office in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital where most of the unrest occurred. The site did not name its sources.

The report from Xinhua, China's state-run news agency, was much different. "In Friday's riot, at least ten civilians died, mostly from burns caused by the roving mobs and some others were injured," Xinhua said, citing the Tibetan Regional Government's report. Additionally, they reported that police in Lhasa had saved 580 people, including an entire school, from the violent array of sabotage.

Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama, condemned China's reaction to the protests, calling it a "cultural genocide". At a press conference in Dharamsala, seat of the Tibetan government in exile, he said, "They simply rely on using force in order to simulate peace, a peace brought by force using a rule of terror." He also called for an international organization to investigate the situation in Tibet.

China has declared a "People's War" against the protesters, vowing to "expose" the Dalai Lama. "We must wage a people's war to beat splittism and expose and condemn the malicious acts of these hostile forces and expose the hideous face of the Dalai Lama group to the light of day," officials were quoted as saying.

China also prevented access to video website YouTube after many international videos of the protests were posted on the website. YouTube is normally easily accessible in China, which blocks other pornographic or subversive sites with its 'Great Firewall'.