Tibet in turmoil as riots grip capital

(CNN) -- 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.

The protests -- initiated by Buddhist monks -- have been growing since Monday, the anniversary of the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Beijing rule. Tibet, an autonomous province, has long sought independence from China.

Roughly 1,000 people hurled rocks and concrete at security forces and military trucks pushing back riot police, a witness told CNN.

Chinese bloggers and U.S.-based human rights groups said Chinese security forces had sealed off the three main monasteries around Lhasa after the violence broke out.

The bloggers also said police wearing armored vests were moving toward Lhasa in armored personnel carriers.

In a statement, the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader and the head of the Tibetan government in exile, said he was "deeply concerned" by the developing situation and said the protests were "a manifestation of the deep-rooted resentment of the Tibetan people" under Chinese rule.

Chinese authorities have blamed the Dalai Lama, exiled since 1959, for the unrest.

"I appeal to the Chinese leadership to stop using force and address the long-simmering resentment of the Tibetan people through dialogue. I also urge my fellow Tibetans not to resort to violence," the Dalai Lama said.

Protesters appeared to be targeting shops and vehicles owned by Han Chinese, the predominant ethnic group in China. Watch how ethnic Chinese have been caught in the unrest »

A main market in the capital was set on fire, and some Tibetans were hospitalized with serious injuries, according to Kate Saunders, a spokeswoman for the International Campaign for Tibet, which promotes human rights and democratic freedom in Tibet.

Friday's violence started when police tried to stop a peaceful protest by monks at the Ramoche Temple, Tashi Choephel of the Tibetan Center for Human Rights told CNN from Dharamsala, India. Read how tensions in Tibet have turned the region into a tinderbox

"The monks from the Ramoche Temple on the north side of Lhasa, they started a peaceful demonstration and they were blocked by the People's Armed Police," Choephel said.

Speaking to AP, a witness said hundreds of monks and civilians were involved in the protests, setting police cars and army vehicles alight.

A photo e-mailed to CNN from a source in Lhasa showed what appeared to be Chinese military vehicles containing security forces armed with riot shields at the Ramoche Temple. Watch reports of rioting in Tibet »

Saunders said violence broke out as bystanders joined the protest. "Apparently local people -- lay people -- got involved, and a police car was set on fire. This was followed by Tromsikhang Market being set on fire," she said from London.

The market has many Chinese traders. Saunders said Tibetans are concerned about the influx of Chinese into the area.

Saunders said her organization had confirmed reports that some Tibetans had been hospitalized with serious injuries, though she didn't know the nature of the injuries or how many people were being treated.

Saunders told CNN the scale of the protests against Chinese rule was unprecedented since the imposition of martial law by Beijing in 1989.

A Han girl who spoke to CNN from Lhasa said she had been beaten by a group of Tibetans.

"I am now in hospital with a bandage on my head," she said. "The trains are closed and I am not sure if I can take a plane back, or if I can reach the airport. All is chaotic now."

Another Lhasa resident, who also withheld his name, said his electricity and telephone service had been cut off. He spoke to CNN on his cell phone.

China continues to impose reporting restrictions in Tibet and the neighboring province of Xinjiang. CNN sought permission to enter Tibet on Friday morning Beijing time. So far, this permission has not been granted. CNN reporting on Tibet was being blacked out Friday in mainland China. Watch how China is dealing with the media »

Protests also erupted outside the Chinese Embassy in India's capital, New Delhi, where one demonstrator with blood on his face told CNN reporters at the scene that police had hit him.

He and about 15 other people walked away from the embassy shouting "free Tibet" slogans. Several other protesters -- many of them waving Tibetan flags -- were taken into custody.

U.S. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe in Washington issued a statement urging respect from the Chinese government.

"Beijing needs to respect Tibetan culture, needs to respect multi-ethnicity in their society," Johndroe said. "We regret the tensions between the ethnic groups and Beijing. The president has said consistently that Beijing needs to have a dialog with the Dalai Lama."

Meanwhile French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says EU leaders have launched an appeal to China to show "restraint" in Tibet, AP said.

The unrest follows days of demonstrations in Tibet and neighboring India over Chinese rule in Tibet and comes less than five months before China is to stage the Olympic Games in Beijing. See a timeline of the recent protests

Choephel told CNN that the Games were seen by campaigners as an opportunity to highlight "repression" and "human rights violations" inside Tibet. E-mail to a friend

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