Chinese demand Carrefour boycott for Tibet 'support'

Beijing: Chinese internet users are calling on consumers to boycott Carrefour, the French retail giant they accuse of supporting pro-Tibetan independence groups.

Chinese people were urged through text messages and online chat rooms not to buy goods from Carrefour outlets from May 1, with posts accusing the company of supporting funding for the Dalai Lama.

Carrefour's China office could not be reached for comment. The Beijing News on Tuesday quoted a Carrefour spokesman as saying the company was investigating the boycott calls.

China has been waging a propaganda war against Tibet's exiled spiritual leader whom it accuses of masterminding deadly riots in Tibet's regional capital Lhasa last month and other ethnic Tibetan areas in neighbouring provinces.

China says at least 18 innocent civilians were killed by Tibetan mobs. Tibet's government-in-exile puts the death toll at 140, mostly victims of the crackdown.