Tibetans riot after police detain monks

The crowd of ethnic Tibetans, which included monks, gathered at the Paingar township government office in western Tibet on Tuesday last week, destroying some of the buildings there as well as nearby shops, Xinhua news agency said.

Three monks had allegedly robbed a motorcycle maintenance shop that day and police had detained two of them, Xinhua said, citing local authorities. Aside from the two monks accused of robbery, five of the 190 people who rioted were also detained, Xinhua said.

Local police and government officials refused to comment when contacted by AFP on Thursday.

According to Radio Free Asia's website, police fired warning shots after they arrived at the motorcycle shop and later detained two monks named Yeshi Thokme, 15, and Dhondup Dorjee, 16. Another teenage monk, Tsering Gyaltsen, 14, was left behind after being beaten by police, the report said.

Gyaltsen was wearing a photograph of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama around his neck and police beat him severely after he refused to denounce the revered figure, the report said.

Beijing, Thursday, AFP