Protesters call for action on Tibet

Tibetan exiles in the UK have vented their anger against China, as violence escalates in their homeland.

Protesters banged on the doors of the Chinese embassy in London before holding a prayer vigil as unrest threatened to spiral out of control on the streets of Tibet.

The British Government was urged to "end its silence" over human rights abuses in the autonomous region and was criticised for double standards in view of its condemnation of Burmese repression.

The Tibetan government in exile claims that as many as 100 civilians have been killed by security forces in Lhasa in recent days.

The authorities in Tibet, who put the death toll at ten, have given demonstrators until Monday to end their protest and turn themselves in.

Pro-Tibet demonstrators in cities around the world have protested against Beijing's stance.

In Switzerland, tear gas was used to disperse crowds who tried to storm the Chinese consulate in Zurich.

On Friday, Buddhist monks clashed with troops in the ancient capital of Lhasa in what have been described as the largest demonstrations in Tibet for 20 years.

Chinese television broadcast its first extensive footage of rioting, which comes just months before the Beijing Olympics, on Saturday.

China has accused followers of Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, of masterminding the rioting, which has scarred its image of national harmony in the build-up to the Beijing Olympics and already sparked talk of a boycott.

The Olympic torch is to arrive in Lhasa in a matter of weeks.

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