Police in a Tibetan region of southwest China opened fire on a group of Buddhist monks who had gathered to mark the birthday of the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, seriously injuring at least two of them, a US rights group said.
According to the International Campaign for Tibet, the incident occurred on Saturday 6 July in Sichuan province, during a gathering to make offerings and burn incense to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s 78th birthday.
“Large numbers of armed police and soldiers were deployed, with one source reporting at least seven army trucks and police vehicles at the scene,” the group claimed on Tuesday.
“The security forces attempted to prevent Tibetans from making their offerings and gatherings, but according to two Tibetan sources in exile, some Tibetans present argued that burning incense was not a crime.
“Without warning, according to several Tibetan sources, police opened fire on the unarmed crowd and used teargas.” Two monks were shot in the head and several others injured, the group said.
The news comes as Yu Zhengsheng, China’s top official in charge of ethnic groups and religious minorities, announced this week that the People’s Republic will be taking a harder line against the Dalai Lama, who fled the country in 1959.
“For the sake of national unity and the development of stability in Tibetan regions, we must take a clear-cut stand and deepen the struggle against the Dalai clique,” he said.
