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Written by Jelena
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Tuesday, 25 August 2009 14:57 |
Chinese riot police opened fire on protestors in Tibet on Friday, killing at least two, according to reports by Radio Free Asia. Peaceful street marches by Tibetan Buddhist monks over the past few days have given way to the biggest and angriest demonstrations the region has seen in nearly two decades, with armed anti-riot police patrolling the streets just months before the Beijing Olympics. The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy says that after a small, peaceful protest by monks on Friday morning, hundreds of other monks as well as ordinary people joined in. By the afternoon, protestors were marching through the streets of the capital Lhasa, torching shops and cars in protest of Chinese occupation. That's when the Chinese police allegedly opened fire.
The eruption of anger comes despite Beijing's repeated claims that the Tibetan people are grateful for improved lives, and it threatens to stain preparations for the Olympics, when the Communist Party hopes to show off national prosperity and harmony. The Dalai Lama issued a statement on Friday, saying, quote:
"I am deeply concerned over the situation that has been developing in Tibet following peaceful protests... These protests are a manifestation of the deep-rooted resentment of the Tibetan people under the present governance."
The Dalai Lama is urging his fellow Tibetans "not to resort to violence."
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Chinese riot police opened fire on protestors in Tibet on Friday, killing at least two, according to reports by Radio Free Asia. Peaceful street marches by Tibetan Buddhist monks over the past few days have given way to the biggest and angriest demonstrations the region has seen in nearly two decades, with armed anti-riot police patrolling the streets just months before the Beijing Olympics.