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DHARAMSHALA, India: Around 130 people have been confirmed killed in a Chinese crackdown on protests and unrest in Tibet, a Tibetan official in exile told AFP on Monday.
"This figure is from our sources in Tibet. The verifiable number is about 130 in entire Tibet," Samdhong Rinpoche said in Dharamshala in northern India, the base of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
The figure is a jump from the figure of 99 confirmed dead given by the exiled leaders last week.
China has released different figures.
On Saturday the Chinese state news agency Xinhua said Tibetan rioters killed 18 civilians and one police officer during protests against Chinese rule in the Himalayan region's capital Lhasa.
Protests, which began two weeks ago on the anniversary of a failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule, erupted into deadly violence in Lhasa on March 14.
Riots then spread into other parts of China with significant ethnic Tibetan populations, marking the biggest challenge to Chinese control of the Himalayan region in two decades.
Independent verification of the varying casualty figures has not been possible, with Chinese authorities keeping a tight lid across a huge swathe of riot-hit areas and denying foreign reporters access.
China has accused the "Dalai Lama clique" of orchestrating the violence ahead of the Olympic Games in August. But the Dalai Lama has called Beijing's charges against him "baseless".
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi on Sunday, where he is holding Buddhist workshops, the Dalai Lama said: "I have always supported that the Olympic Games should take place in China."
The Dalai Lama has repeatedly said he opposes violence and that he is not promoting independence but wants greater autonomy for the region. He has also called for an international probe into the unrest. - AFP/ac
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