Deaths Reported at Tibetan Rally-- Rioters Torch Cars & Shops

(Updated and Bumped)
UPDATE: The BBC reported that shops are on fire in the Lhasa, the capital-- deaths are reported. Monks and ethnic Tibetans brawled with Chinese security forces in the streets.

Britain's Sky News had video of the violent protests:


Tibetan protesters torched police and military vehicles at rallies today in Lhasa.

In this photo released by the International Campaign for Tibet, police are seen in Jokhang Square in Lhasa, Tibet, where protests broke out Monday March 10, 2008. Angry protesters set police and army cars on fire in the center of Lhasa Friday March 14, 2008, as the latest protest by monks against Chinese rule in Tibet turned violent, witnesses said. (AP Photo/International Campaign For Tibet)

The BBC reported:

Fires have broken out in the Tibetan city of Lhasa amid reports of rioting, as rare street protests led by Buddhist monks appeared to gather pace.
One eyewitness told the BBC how large groups of people were setting fire to cars and shops and destroying anything of Chinese influence.

The US embassy in Beijing said US citizens had reported hearing gunfire.

Rallies have continued all week in what are thought to be the largest protests against Beijing's rule in 20 years.

Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, released a statement expressing deep concern, saying the protests were a "manifestation of the deep-rooted resentment of the Tibetan people".

The Dalai Lama, who heads Tibet's government-in-exile in India, called on the Chinese leadership to stop using force and begin dialogue with the Tibetan people.

He also urged Tibetans not to resort to violence.

"As I have always said, unity and stability under brute force is at best a temporary solution. It is unrealistic to expect unity and stability under such a rule," the statement said.

Police line up in Labrang during one of the protests this week. (Students for a Free Tibet)

The International Campaign for Tibet reported that the monasteries were locked down in the capital following the protests this week.
Two monks tried to commit suicide during the protests(?)

Conditions are said to be increasingly tense within the three major monasteries in Lhasa, which are under lockdown and surrounded by troops following peaceful demonstrations over the last three days by hundreds of monks from Drepung, Sera and Ganden monasteries on the outskirts of the capital. Ganden monks demonstrated yesterday, marking the third day in a series of protests unprecedented in recent years that have now rippled through the Lhasa area, while others are reported in at least two remote rural monasteries and towns in areas of central and eastern Tibet.

All three monasteries are closed off to tourists according to several tourism operators. Two Drepung monks are said by Radio Free Asia to be in serious condition after stabbing themselves in a possible attempt to commit suicide, while monks at Sera are refusing to attend classes and are on hunger strike in a bold act of protest despite the crackdown at the monastery.

Chinese authorities blamed the Dalai Lama, for instigating the trouble by the monks in Lhasa.


Protesters throw stones on military trucks in Lhasa,Tibet March 14, 2008. (Reuters)

JWF calls it Olympic preparation.

Babalu throws their support behind the Tibetan protesters

UPDATE: China locked down Lhasa on Saturday after the rioting on Friday. 30 people were reportedly killed according to an exile group.