Chinese Security Forces Accused of Firing into Crowd of Demonstrators in Lhasa, Tibet

International media reports say that sources in the Tibetan exile community, from India to New York, have confirmed that at least 30 civilian demonstrators were killed by Chinese security forces as they moved to end a demonstration in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, on Friday. Demonstrations had begun on Monday, and for four days, reports suggest the majority of demonstrations were peaceful.

On Friday, however, after what some journalists —including those reporting for the BBC and reportedly censored by the Chinese government— say were persistently harsh reactions by security forces to peaceful demonstrations. Throughout the week, demonstrations are reported to have spread from the capital Lhasa to other cities and smaller provincial towns across Tibet.

China has occupied Tibet for 60 years, claiming it is Chinese territory. Official reports from the Beijing government categorize the invasion as "liberation" of the people of Tibet from the tyranny of feudalism. Since the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, the Chinese government has sought to quell separatist unrest in Tibet through economic development plan and mass migration of Han Chinese citizens to Tibetan territory.

On Friday, police sources allege, the peaceful demonstrations turned violent when a number of shops owned by Han Chinese Tibetan residents were attacked and burned. Due to the government's near total media blackout across Tibet and within China generally, it is not clear whether the vandalism rose to the level of inter-ethnic violence or whether it was provoked by security forces' excesses, as alleged by some rights groups and Tibetan exile activists.