Tibet Monks Battle Chinese Troops - Death Toll Rises

Chinese police clash with protestors in Tibet

It's been an uneasy week in Tibet. On Monday, anniversary of the 1959 failed uprising against Chinese rule, chaos began to grow. Today, violent clashes in the market area of Lhasa have lead to Buddhist monks and other ethnic Tibetans to target and burn shops, cars, military vehicles and buses owned and operated by Han Chinese - the predominant ethnic group in China.

A US radio station reports at least 2 deaths in clashes between demonstrators and police. Radio Free Asia Chinese Police Clash with Protestors - Reutersreports that live ammunition and tear gas has been fired on crowds in the center of the ancient city. It says the death toll is high, but didn't give numbers.

The Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, issued a statement asking Chinese leaders to cease using force and "address the long-simmering resentment of the Tibetan people."

Much of the city is under curfew, including neighborhoods around Buddhist monasteries.

The American Embassy is advising American citizens to stay away from Lhasa, saying it has "received firsthand reports from American citizens in the city who report gunfire and other indications of violence."

Travelers in the city writing into the Lonely Planet portray a growing sense of panic: "The situation seems to be very nervous and paranoid up here. There is police and military everywhere. Suddenly you would see some policeman running..."

Information coming out of Tibet right now is sporadic and hard to verify. If you're looking for information, tune into these news sources covering the situation:

CNN.com: "Opponents of Chinese rule in Tibet set fire to vehicles and shops on Friday as tear gas filled the streets and gunfire rang out in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, according to witnesses and human rights groups."

Bloomberg.com: "We're afraid the situation in Lhasa has dramatically escalated in the last few hours,'' the International Campaign for Tibet's Communications Director Kate Saunders said today in a telephone interview from London."

Christian Science Monitor: "Fires and gunfire broke out in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa Friday morning, as protests launched by Buddhist monks earlier in the week escalated into violence."

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