China says Tibetans killed 13 ‘innocent civilians’ in Lhasa

CHINA: China on Monday said Tibetan rioters killed 13 “innocent civilians” during violent protests against Chinese rule in the region’s capital Lhasa, denying that it used lethal force to quell the unrest.

“They either burned or hacked to death 13 innocent civilians,” said the chairman of Tibet’s government, Qiangba Puncog, referring to violence in Lhasa on Friday, raising an earlier toll of 10 dead reported by state media.

Tibet’s government-in-exile said at the weekend that 80 Tibetans had been confirmed killed, and that possibly more than 100 had died. “I know there are a lot of rumours. Some media organisations have reported 35, 50, 70 or even 80 deaths as a result of this incident,” Qiangba told a briefing in Beijing called to give China’s version of the events.

“But I can tell you responsibly today that these were just baseless reports,” he said. “As for whether there were any deaths involving those crime suspects, there were a few individuals who resisted arrest, for example three of them jumped off a building.”

Lhasa, Monday, AFP