660 protesters surrendered, claims China

China claimed that over 660 pro-independence protesters had surrendered for their alleged role in the Tibet unrest as it escorted foreign journalists to the riots-scarred Lhasa.

Amid rising global pressure against its intensified crackdown on Tibetans, China on Wednesday claimed that over 660 pro-independence protesters had surrendered for their alleged role in the unrest which left 20 people dead as it escorted foreign journalists to the riots-scarred Lhasa.

Police have released a list of 53 people wanted for the riots and announced on Monday that five suspects, including three women, had been detained for their role in burning 10 persons to death in two cases.

More than 280 people had turned themselves in to police in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, the official Xinhua news agency claimed while state-run China Daily reported that another 381 had surrendered in Aba county in Sichuan province, where trouble had spread from Lhasa.

Story continues below this ad

“Most of those who have come forward are ordinary people and monks who were deceived or coerced (by the rioters),” Shu Tao, party chief of the village of Luoerda, where 63 people handed themselves in to police, said.

Partly breaking the barrier to reporting from Lhasa which had remained out of bounds to reporters, Chinese government flew a chosen few foreign journalists from Beijing to the Tibetan capital, 12 days after it was rocked by the worst riots in 20 years.

After days of calm, violence had erupted in Garze prefecture in Sichuan province on Monday, in which rioters armed with knives and stones attacked policemen, killing one officer, taking the toll in the riots to 20. More than 700 people were also injured in the unrest.

The Tibetan government in exile in India has maintained that the death toll in the unrest is 140.

‘NDA’s cracks visible, Nitish Kumar a burden’: Kharge hits out at BJP in Patna

Cities3 hr ago

Congress President Kharge slammed the BJP-led NDA government in Bihar for causing internal conflicts and religious division. He predicted the 2025 Assembly elections will end the Modi government's corrupt rule. The party strategized to attack the BJP over "vote chori" and criticized the Election Commission's handling of electoral rolls. Kharge also accused PM Modi of being diplomatic.

View all shorts

Live Blog