Chinese police fire on Tibetans
August 14, 2014
At least 10 people were wounded and several arrests were made after Chinese police reportedly opened fire on a group of Tibetan protestors in China's Sichuan province, according to a Tibetan rights group.
Police allegedly used tear gas and live ammunition to disperse the crowd of hundreds, which had gathered in the town of Loshu in Ganzi prefecture to protest the detention of a respected village leader named Dema Wangdak on Wednesday night.
Wangdak's son and brother were among those injured in the attack, according to US-based Radio Free Asia.
Wangdak was taken from his home by police in the middle of the night earlier in the week and was apparently detained afer a disagreement over a local cultural gathering. Such cultural activities require approval of China's ruling Communist Party.
"Hundreds gathered to call for Wangdak's release because he is innocent, but the Chinese authorities sent in security forces to crack down on the protestors," Demay Gyaltsen, a Tibetan in exile with contacts in the region told Radio Free Asia.
The village is now completely surrounded by Chinese security forces, Jampa Youten, a Tibetan Buddhist monk told the broadcaster.
Local Tibetans, including the elderly and children are subject to interrogation and the area is under strict control, according to the UK-based International Campaign for Tibet.
The alleged clash was not reported by Chinese state media.
China has ruled Tibet since 1950, after the Chinese government sent its People's Liberation Army to occupy and annex the region.
Ganzi prefecture, has long been a flashpoint for Tibetan protests against Chinese rule. Last year, two Tibetan protesters were shot in the head and at least eight others were wounded in Tawu, after Chinese police opened fire on a group of unarmed Tibetans celebrating the Dalai Lama's birthday in the region, according to Reuters news agency.
In 1959, the Dalai Lama led a failed uprising against the Chinese government in Tibet and fled to India. Since 2008, 131 Tibetans have set themselves on fire to protest what they view as oppresive Chinese rule.
bw/kms (dpa, Reuters)