China makes 24 arrests over Lhasa riots

Updated 11.42 Thu Mar 20 2008

Keywords: Lhasa, Tibet, China

Authorities have arrested 24 suspects for "grave crimes" following anti-Chinese riots in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.

The suspects face charges of "endangering national security as well as beating, smashing, looting, arson and other grave crimes" during Friday's riots in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, according to reports.

"The facts of the crimes are clear and the evidence is solid, and they should be severely punished" - Lhasa deputy chief prosecutor Xie Yanjun

They were the first arrests announced since unrest erupted across Tibet and many more are expected to follow. Some groups outside China claim hundreds of Tibetans may have already been detained.

Lhasa deputy chief prosecutor Xie Yanjun said: "The facts of the crimes are clear and the evidence is solid, and they should be severely punished."

He also repeated the Chinese government's claim that the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, was the real culprit. "This law-breaking was organised, premeditated and carefully planned by the Dalai clique," said Mr Xie.

Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama has said he is ready to talk to Chinese leaders once the violent protests in Tibet died down.

"I (am) always ready to meet our Chinese leaders, particularly Hu Jintao," the Dalai Lama told reporters, referring to the president of China, and said he was ready to travel to Beijing.

The Dalai Lama has called on Tibetans to shun violent means of protest and live side by side with the Chinese. He wants greater autonomy rather than independence for Tibet and has also expressed his support for the Beijing Olympics.

But his "middle way" tactic has been questioned by other protesters who want independence from China. An increasingly vocal younger generation say their leader's moderation has achieved little in the past 20 years.

China's heavy-handed response to the unrest has brought demands for a boycott of the Olympic Games opening ceremony in Beijing from pro-Tibetan independence groups and some politicians.

The Olympic torch relay across 19 countries starts next week and is likely to be dogged by protests when it passes through Tibet.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his government is considering whether to send a delegation to the ceremony to start the August Games.

Presidential candidate Barack Obama urged the US to speak out for human rights in Tibet following the crackdown.

The Bush administration and the European Union have urged China to show restraint.

China has embarked on an offensive to smother restive regions in security and spread its message that the brutal violence was engineered by the Dalai Lama trying to split off the region - a charge he denies.