China hunts Tibetan protesters

The Chinese government has stepped up its manhunt for protesters involved in the Lhasa riots.

A video taken by Chinese state television has been released showing monks confronting riot police in Tibet's capital.

Officials also posted photos of their 21 'most wanted' suspects on major Chinese Internet sites and say they have already made arrests.

Beijing's official death toll from the violence in Lhasa now stands at 22.

Official media agency, Xinhua, said arsonists set fire to 908 shops, 84 vehicles, seven schools and 120 homes, causing an estimated 245 million yuan (£17.5m) worth of damage.

Exiled Tibetans claim as many as 100 people have died in anti-Chinese protests that have spilled over into neighbouring ethnic-Tibetan areas.

The rising toll comes amid mounting international concern over China's handling of the crisis in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games in August.

Led by Buddhist monks, protests began peacefully early last week but erupted into rioting on 14 March, drawing a harsh response from the Chinese authorities.

The Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been accused by Chinese authorities of orchestrating the violence - a charge he denies.

The exiled Buddhist leader has said he wants nothing more than greater autonomy for his homeland, and has criticised the violent protests and offered to come to Beijing for talks with Chinese officials.

A group of 29 Chinese dissidents has urged Beijing in an open letter to engage in direct talks with the Dalai Lama.

And the official media of the northwest region of Xinjiang, where Uighur Muslims also aspire to independence from Beijing, warned against outbreaks of unrest inspired by Tibet.

Beijing has poured troops into Tibet but is barring foreigners from entering the region and some neighbouring areas.

Meanwhile, about 300 exiled Tibetans and campaigners marched through central London in a demonstration against China's violent crackdown on protests in Tibet.

They stopped outside the Chinese Embassy and sang the Tibetan national anthem before holding a rally in Trafalgar Square.

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.