- The Guardian,
- Saturday April 19 2008
Fresh Tibetan protests have broken out in Qinghai, western China, despite the heavy security presence, residents and activist groups said yesterday.
The groups said police had beaten and detained monks and others who were calling for the release of protesters held after demonstrations last month.
The Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy - based in north India, at the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile - claimed that more than 100 lamas, and others from Tongren (also known as Rebkong), were detained on Thursday.
Tongren hotel staff confirmed that a demonstration had taken place.
"Today there's no more protests. Those people were all seized," one receptionist said.
A woman at another hotel put the number of protesters in the dozens and said that police had imposed a curfew.
One Tibetan restaurant worker said the police had randomly beaten people and that the monastery was now sealed off.
Protests are thought to have broken out in Tongren in February, a month before the riots in Lhasa. They reignited on March 16 as protests spread across Tibetan areas following the actions of about 100 monks who climbed a hillside above the monastery, burned incense and set off fireworks, while riot police assembled outside.
Around half of China's six million Tibetans live outside the Tibetan Autonomous Region, many in Tongren.
Yesterday, Yasuo Fukuda, Japan's prime minister, urged the Chinese foreign minister, Yang Jiechi - who was on a visit to Tokyo - to start a dialogue with Tibetans and to be more open about the crackdown. Yang said Tibet was a domestic matter.
A major Japanese Buddhist temple also withdrew from hosting the Olympic torch relay next week, citing both safety concerns and sympathy. One of its officials, Shinsho Wakaomi, told a press conference: "Zenkoji is a Buddhist temple. Naturally, we are concerned about Tibet."
Around 2,000 police officers will guard the flame as it travels through Bangkok today. Police vans will also travel alongside in case the torch carriers need to jump inside for safety.
Samak Sundaravej, the prime minister, said protesters had no reason to disrupt the relay. Officials warned that any foreign activists would be deported.
A coalition of human rights groups and other activists said they would protest outside the UN headquarters in Bangkok.