Fresh unrest erupts in Tibetan area of China

By Chris Buckley

BEIJING (Reuters) - Fresh rioting broke out in a Tibetan area of southwest China, defying a huge security crackdown there, even as officials in Tibet vowed swift, harsh punishment for those who sparked the initial anti-Chinese unrest.

The latest riot to shake Tibetan areas of China occurred on Thursday night in Donggu Township, Ganzi (Garze) Prefecture, a largely ethnic Tibetan area in Sichuan province's mountainous west, Xinhua news agency reported late on Friday.

"Police were forced to fire warning shots and put down the violence," an official with the prefectural government said.

"An official was attacked and seriously wounded in a riot," the brief report said, adding that he was "seriously wounded."

The report did not explain the cause of the unrest or whether it involved ethnic Tibetans, who have been protesting against China's rule and calling for the return of the exiled Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama.

Ganzi and neighboring Aba in Sichuan province have seen torrid confrontation between Tibetan protesters and police in past weeks. Anti-riot troops have poured into the area.

A mob armed with stones and knives killed an armed Chinese policeman in Ganzi late last month. On March 16, Buddhist monks and residents in Aba protested, demanding Tibetan independence from China. More than 200 police and officials there were hurt when violence broke out, a local official said this week.

The widespread unrest began in Lhasa, the capital of neighboring Tibet province, and there officials on Friday vowed quick trials for those behind the unrest.

Lhasa was last month hit by Buddhist monks' protests against Chinese rule that gave way to deadly rioting on March 14, and since then security forces have poured in to reimpose control there and in other restive Tibetan areas.

China says 19 people died in the Lhasa violence but representatives of the Dalai Lama say some 140 people died in the unrest across Tibet and nearby areas.

Chinese officials have accused the Dalai Lama of organizing the unrest to press for Tibetan independence ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games in August, and vowed to come down hard on rioters and on protesters supporting him.

The Dalai Lama has repeatedly denied the accusations and said he wants true autonomy, but not outright independence, for Tibet.

COURTS BACK CRACKDOWN

The region's courts have made clear that they will back the crackdown, hand out tough verdicts and reinforce the government's campaign against the Dalai Lama.

Tibet's top law-and-order official Baima Chilin told judges to "use the weapon of the law to attack enemies, punish crime, protect the people and maintain stability," the Tibet Daily reported.