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BEIJING: China has ordered government and security forces in Tibet to crush any signs of support for the Dalai Lama, state media said on Thursday, as the tense 50th anniversary of an anti-Chinese uprising nears.
A conference of top Tibetan leaders ordered authorities and the public to "mobilise and fully deploy" to maintain stability, the Tibet Daily said, in a possible indication China fears unrest ahead of the March 10 anniversary.
"The meeting called on the party, government, military, police and public in all areas... to firmly crush the savage aggression of the Dalai clique, defeat separatism, and wage people's war to maintain stability," the paper said of the meeting in Lhasa.
The report gave no details on any security measures.
It said the call was aimed at ensuring stability during the 50th anniversary next month of social reforms introduced to supplant the Dalai Lama-led Buddhist system.
However those reforms followed the failed uprising that began on March 10, 1959, and forced the Dalai Lama to flee into exile.
China is maintaining ultra-tight security on the Himalayan region ahead of the anniversary of the uprising, which was crushed by Chinese forces.
The meeting said the overarching task for Tibetan authorities this year was to "resolutely go toe-to-toe in a battle against all destructive separatist activities to maintain stability".
A separate editorial by the paper, the ruling Communist Party's main mouthpiece in Tibet, also called for a toughened stance.
"We must maintain heavy pressure on criminal violators from start to finish," said the editorial, which focused on the "separatist" threat.
The Tibetan spiritual leader this month warned of a possible uprising in his homeland amid anger over a Chinese crackdown put in place after violent anti-Chinese riots erupted across Tibet on last year's anniversary.
In another sign of tension, police clashed with Tibetans in neighbouring Sichuan province this week after protests in support of the Dalai Lama, according to witnesses and activist groups.
The unrest in Litang county was the first reported major outbreak of violence ahead of the anniversary and led to up to two dozen arrests, the activist groups said.
China has ruled Tibet since 1951, a year after sending troops in to "liberate" the region from serfdom. - AFP/de
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