Posted on 04/04/2008 3:06:10 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Tibetans Rioters Facing Quick Trials
By Sky News
SkyNews - 31 minutes ago
Tibetans accused of rioting and protesting against Chinese rule will face swift trials and harsh sentences, state media reports have said.
Tibet's regional capital Lhasa was hit in March by Buddhist monks' protests against Chinese rule that gave way to deadly clashes on March 14.
Security forces were poured in to re-impose control the city and other restive Tibetan areas.
China says 19 people died in the Lhasa violence but representatives of the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, say some 140 people were killed in the unrest.
Now the region's courts have made clear that they will back a crackdown on the rioters by handing out tough verdicts.
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.
"Use trial according to the law of all the criminals to shock criminality and root out the base of the separatists. Use ample evidence to expose to the world the Dalai clique's lies of peace and non-violence."
Baima Chilin ordered swift trials and said the judges "have the confidence of the Party."
An official Tibet news website said police had caught more than 800 people involved in the Lhasa violence and 280 people had turned themselves in.
Tibet will be reopened to foreign tourists next month after a six-week closure, Chinese official media also said.
Chinese officials have accused the Dalai of organising the unrest to press for Tibetan independence ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games in August.
The Dalai Lama has repeatedly denied the claims and said he wants true autonomy, but not outright independence, for Tibet.
Ping!
The Communists expect us to respond favorably to their demonstrations here in America; but when people demonstrate in a Communist nation they are treated as though they had slit the President’s throat. The Communists are two-faced hypocrites.
Think of the lies John F’n Kerry told about our troops in Vietnam and that will likely be their fate. Our communists dream about torturing people their communists do it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.