China steps up security in Tibet following protests
BBC News - 31 January 12 07:43 GMT

 
A senior Chinese official has ordered tighter security in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and on main roads following deadly protests in Sichuan province.

Lhasa Communist Party Secretary Qi Zhala also warned of a crackdown on those involved in "separatist, destructive and criminal" activities.

The move came after protesters clashed with security forces in parts of Sichuan province last week.

At least three people are reported to have died, with dozens more injured.

Sichuan province borders Tibet and several areas have large ethnic Tibetan communities.

'Strike hard'

Mr Qi called on police to step up security at monasteries to prevent further unrest.

"We must strike hard at all the separatist, destructive and criminal activities of the Dalai clique and make efforts to realise our goal of not letting any incident, big or small, occur," he said in a speech published on the Lhasa government website.

He was referring to Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

"Lhasa officials and functionaries at all levels, especially the police, must increase... efforts to rationally dispatch police forces and step up registration and inspection work along national roads, at key monasteries and among leading suspects."

The BBC's Martin Patience says these comments highlight Beijing's growing concern that the recent unrest could spread.

Observers say the recent violence is the most serious outbreak of anti-government protest among Tibetans in nearly four years.

Tibetan areas of Sichuan are said to remain extremely tense. Since March 2011, at least 16 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in apparent protest against Beijing's rule.

Last week three violent protests were reported in the province.

China said that one protester was killed on 23 January in a confrontation with security forces in Draggo county, known as Luhuo in Chinese.

China also confirmed that a Tibetan was shot dead by security forces in Seda county on 25 January, the second incident of unrest that week.

And just last week, a man in Aba prefecture was also reportedly shot dead during a protest.

Tibetan campaign groups, however, say that the number of Tibetans shot dead is higher than the Chinese government's count. The figures are hard to verify because foreign journalists are not allowed to enter areas of unrest in Sichuan.

The Chinese government claims that protesters in Draggo and Seda attacked police stations. But rights groups said that the marches were peaceful protests.

The groups say the protests are a sign of rising frustration among Tibetans because of growing religious repression and harsh security measures adopted by China

DJ UPDATE: Tuesday 26th January 2010. Dalai Lama's Envoys In China For Fresh Talks

  
(Updates with U.K. reaction, no comment from China and the Dalai Lama's representatives and adds background)  
  
BEIJING (AFP)--Envoys of Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama have arrived in China after a lengthy hiatus to resume talks on the political status of the troubled Himalayan region, officials said Tuesday.  

The U.S. government, announcing the envoys' arrival for the ninth round of talks, expressed its strong backing for the on-off negotiations. 
  "The United States strongly supports dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama's representatives to address longstanding differences," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in a statement. 
 

 "The administration hopes this meeting will produce positive results and provide a foundation for future discussions to resolve outstanding issues."  
 Representatives of China's government and the Tibetan Buddhist leader, who lives in northern India, couldn't be reached for immediate comment as envoys Lodi G. Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen prepared to meet Chinese officials.  

The Dalai Lama's spokesman, Tenzin Taklha, said Monday that the talks were part of an "important process of trying to find a mutually agreed solution." 
  "The agenda of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the same: that the problem has to be solved only through dialogue," the spokesman said.  

The negotiations will the first since November 2008, when Beijing insisted it wouldn't compromise on its position that Tibet is an integral part of China.  
But at the time, China said it would keep open the door for future discussions despite the "serious divergences" that remained.  

Last week, China put forth a new plan aimed at boosting economic development and stability in the region, where deadly anti-China violence erupted nearly two years ago, prompting a major security clampdown by Beijing.  

Taklha said the exact venue for the meeting in China hadn't been confirmed.  
He said the envoys would return to Dharamshala, the Indian hill town where the Dalai Lama has lived for five decades and where many Tibetan exiles are based, in early February.  

China said last year it would consider reviving the dialogue, which began in 2002, but has often repeated demands that the Tibetan leader renounce "separatist" activities--which he denies supporting.  

The Dalai Lama has sought "meaningful autonomy" for Tibet since he fled his homeland following a failed uprising in 1959 against Chinese rule, nine years after Chinese troops invaded the region.  

China says the Dalai Lama actually wants full independence.  
Earlier this month, China named as its new Tibet governor a military veteran who vowed to ensure stability in the region.  

Then last week, President Hu Jintao said "leapfrog development" and lasting stability were key to ensuring the development of the country as a whole, promising to bring Tibet's per capita income closer to the national level.  

The U.K. welcomed Monday the resumption of the talks. 
  "I urge both sides to enter these talks in good faith and to make progress towards meaningful autonomy for Tibet," said junior foreign minister Ivan Lewis, who in September made the first trip to Tibet by a U.K. minister.