Monks under siege in monasteries as protest ends in a hail of gunfire
Paramilitary police have surrounded Tibet’s most important monasteries after
hundreds of monks shouting “Long live the Dalai Lama” defied Beijing in the
biggest protest in the Himalayan region for almost 20 years.
Witnesses described violent clashes between monks and police on the outskirts
of Lhasa on Monday afternoon and reported hearing as many as 60 gunshots as
troops forced the monks to return to their quarters early yesterday. They
said that about 60 monks from Drepung monastery were detained on the edge of
the Tibetan capital and about 11 from Sera monastery were arrested after
shouting anti-Chinese slogans.
Monks took part in three demonstrations across Lhasa on Monday — a show of
unrest likely to unsettle the Communist leadership in a year when China is
under worldwide scrutiny before the Games in August.
