Monks crash briefing and accuse China
Monks stormed a news briefing at a temple in Lhasa, Tibet, accusing Chinese officials of lying about unrest and embarrassing authorities during a stage-managed tour by foreign reporters.
Authorities say calm has been restored since an anti-China uprising erupted in the Tibetan capital two weeks ago. China says its security forces acted with restraint and that 19 people died at the hands of Tibetan mobs during the unrest.
But the Tibetan government in exile says 140 died in Lhasa and elsewhere, most of them Tibetan victims of security forces, prompting international protest in advance of the Beijing Olympics.
At the Jokhang Temple, “about 30 young monks burst into the official briefing, shouting: ‘Don’t believe them! They are tricking you! They are telling lies!’ ” USA Today’s Beijing-based reporter, Calum MacLeod, said by telephone from Lhasa.
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