Crackdown sparks criticism in Tibet

Beijing: Tibet authorities said on Thursday they had arrested dozens of people involved in a wave of anti-Chinese violence that has swept the mountain region and prompted Beijing to pour in troops to crush further unrest.

China's response to last week's violence - which it says was orchestrated by the exiled Dalai Lama - has sparked international criticism and has clouded preparations for the Beijing Olympics.

The prosecutor's office in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, said 24 people faced charges of "endangering national security as well as beating, smashing, looting, arson and other grave crimes" in last Friday's riots, the Tibet Daily reported.

Pictures broadcast

They were the first arrests since rioting erupted across the remote region. Some outside groups say hundreds of Tibetans may have already been detained, and the China News Service reported Lhasa has broadcast wanted pictures of more suspects.

"The facts of the crimes are clear and the evidence is solid, and they should be severely punished," said a Lhasa deputy chief prosecutor, Xie Yanjun.

In a phone call with her Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for China to show restraint toward protesters and resume dialogue with the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader.

China says it was the Dalai Lama, and his "Dalai clique" who engineered the violence, a sentiment that resonates with ordinary Chinese. "I don't think they would do this without any manipulation by the Dalai Lama or some other organisation ... Any normal Tibetans would be happy to live under China's rule," said Zhang Ming, 25, a Beijing office worker.

China's unyielding response to the unrest has brought demands for a boycott of the opening ceremony for the August 8-24 Games from pro-Tibetan independence groups and some politicians.

White House spokes-woman Dana Perino said there was no change in US President George W. Bush's plans to attend the ceremony, and said the spotlight on Beijing could be a good thing. "... That way the Chinese can hear how people feel and then maybe have an opportunity to either explain their position or maybe even change the things that they are doing," Perino said.

Confirmation

Charles to meet Dalai Lama

Prince Charles will meet with the Dalai Lama in London in May, a spokesman confirmed yesterday, just a day after Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he would do the same, much to Beijing's ire.

The announcement by the heir to the throne is likely to also draw opposition from Beijing, which said it was "seriously concerned" over Brown's plans to meet the Tibetan leader when he visits the British capital.

Asked whether the prince would meet with the Dalai Lama, a spokesman for the royal said: "Yes, that is accurate."

The spokesman declined to comment further, however.

In January, Charles told a group that campaigns against human rights abuses in Tibet that he would not be attending the Beijing Olympics in August.

The prince is a well-known supporter of the Tibetan cause, and hosted a reception at St James's Palace in May 2004 for the spiritual leader, whom Beijing regards as a separatist.