Tibetan monks lead hundreds in attack on Chinese police station

Last Updated: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:37:00 +1100

A Chinese police station has been attacked by hundreds of Tibetans led by monks, in the first reported major protest in China's Tibetan areas since the 50th anniversary of a failed uprising.

Nearly 100 monks led the ethnic Tibetans in the attack, Xinhua wire service reports.

China correspondent Stephen McDonell says the clash was in La'gyab town, in Qinghai Province, and reportedly happened after a man named Zhaxi Sangwu was arrested by police for advocating Tibetan independence.

Stories are said to have spread about his treatment while in custody and he has since escaped from the police station.

Ninety-five people have been detained for rioting and 93 of them are monks from the La'gyab monastery.

According to the news agency, protesters assaulted policemen and government staff, with some slightly injured.

Xinhua said the crowd had been "deceived by rumours" about Zhaxi, but gave no further details why the protesters had assembled.

Chinese authorities have launched a massive security clampdown in recent weeks to quell possible unrest surrounding the March 10 anniversary of the uprising, which led the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, to flee into exile.

China accuses the Dalai Lama of seeking independence for his Himalayan homeland, and severely punishes anyone suspected of supporting moves towards independence.

But the Dalai Lama denies the government's accusations, saying he only advocates meaningful autonomy for the region.

The incident came just over a week after the first anniversary of riots in the Tibetan capital Lhasa that began on March 14 last year and spread to other areas in China inhabited by Tibetans, including neighbouring Qinghai.

A policeman at the Rabgya local government offices refused to comment, and no one was immediately available for comment at local police stations.

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