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A fight between a Han Chinese shopowner and Tibetan monks in rural Tibet escalated into an ethnic riot, the latest sign of discontent in the unsettled region.
The riot began after three Buddhist monks got into a scuffle with the shopowner. When police arrested the monks, but not the shopowner, anger flared. "The Han owner, he attacked the monks first," a Beijing source said.
The monks were taken from the local police station to the county Public Security Bureau, where they claimed they were beaten.
Hundreds of herdsmen went to the bureau to demand their release, and when their demands were ignored, they began smashing shops owned by Han Chinese. The 600 herdsmen also attacked the police and smashed cars and government offices. When police began filming the riot, it further angered the crowds.
The riot forced authorities to call in 800 paramilitaries, seal off the area and cut telephone links.
- REUTERS
