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March 17, 2008
VIOLENCE IN TIBET
Lhasa tense as deadline for rioters approaches
LHASA - TIME is running out for rioters in Tibet who have been given until midnight tonight to surrender to police or face harsh punishment.

Yesterday, the Tibetan capital Lhasa remained tense under heavy security as Beijing threatened a 'people's war' against the troublemakers.

After days of peaceful protests last week by Buddhist monks - the largest demonstrations in nearly two decades against Beijing's 57-year rule - violence erupted last Friday. China's state media reported 10 killed, but Tibet's government-in-exile put the number at 80.

Fresh footage of Friday's violence was shown over China's state-run television yesterday, as unrest broke out in at least three provinces - Sichuan and Qinghai, both bordering Tibet, and nearby Gansu.

With scant information from a sealed-off Tibet, Tibetan exiles and sympathisers rallied outside Beijing missions in several foreign cities.

Protesters in northern India walked 10km to Dharamsala, headquarters of Tibet's government-in-exile, chanting 'Long live the Dalai Lama!' and 'Down with Hu Jintao!'

Rallies in cities from Sydney and New Delhi to Zurich turned violent when police tried to disperse the crowds.

Beijing sees Tibet as part of China, but many Tibetans accuse China of trying to crush their culture by swamping it with China's majority Han ethnic group.

ASSOCIATED PRESS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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