Lhasa Lockdown

[Update: New protests in China; click Read more below for details.] The streets of Lhasa have been empty today except for baton-wielding police, say several news reports. And as fires from yesterday's violence continue to smolder, the government of China and the Tibetan government in exile are trading accusations.

China claims Tibetan rioters killed 10 innocent ethnic Chinese people in Lhasa yesterday. The Tibetan exile government says it has confirmed 30 deaths in Friday's protests, but that as many as 100 deaths have been reported.

China blames His Holiness the Dalai Lama for somehow instigating the protests. Reuters reports that Chinese news media are pouring vitriol on the long-exiled spiritual leader of Tibet. "Now the blaze and blood in Lhasa has unclad the nature of the Dalai Lama, and it's time for the international community to recheck their stance," declared a commentary on Xinhua's English-language service.

See also this post by James Fallows for more on what the Chinese people are being told about Tibet.

The Dalai Lama says the unrest is the result of the “deep-rooted resentment” of the Tibetan people because of brutal treatment by China. According to this background story by Agence France-Presse (AFP), for many years His Holiness has been a moderating force in the Tibetan freedom movement, urging the more radical activists not to resort to violence.

The government of China has issued a Monday deadline for protesters in Tibet to turn themselves in to authorities. Those who surrender will be shown leniency, authorities said. See the Telegraph for photos and reports of yesterday's violence. Reuters provides more background on Tibet here.

If there are further developments today, I will update this post.

Update (5:25 pm EST): Jim Yardley of the New York Times reports that today "Thousands of Buddhist monks and other Tibetans clashed with the riot police" in the city of Xiahe in Gansu Province, China. Eyewitnesses describe scenes of chaos, as police fired guns and tear gas canisters while Tibetans threw rocks.

Yardley writes also that the demonstrations are creating an enormous public relations problem for the Chinese on the eve of the Beijing Olympics. Further, it undercuts a theme promoted by Chinese government propaganda, "that Tibetans are a happy minority group, smoothly integrated into the country’s broader ethnic fabric."

James Fallows, writing from Beijing, says it is very difficult to get information about Lhasa from within China. The "Great Firewall of China" is effectively blocking most outside news sources.

Update, 6:45 pm: The Gothamist has photos of yesterday's protest at the United Nations. At least nine people were arrested.

Update, 9:10 pm: ABC News reports that 100 Tibetan activists are walking from Dharamsala, India, to Tibet. "We are here in India, but we are guests in India. And guests should go back one day," said one.

Photo Caption: Pilgrims walk on the Potala Palace Plaza, Lhasa, Tibet, in 2006.

Photo Credit: China Photos/Getty Images