Chinese government accuses Tibetan protesters of attacking embassies

BEIJING — China accused Tibetan supporters of the Dalai Lama of attacking its embassies around the world, vowing Monday to protect its territory in the central government's first comments on Tibetan protests against Chinese rule.

The statement came as more clashes erupted in other Chinese provinces and a midnight deadline passed for protesters in the Tibetan capital Lhasa to surrender or face harsh consequences. Residents of Lhasa fear a military sweep after midnight, the Washington, D.C.-based International Campaign for Tibet said.

"I'd like to reiterate that the Chinese government will resolutely safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a news conference.

The protests that began in Tibet have spilled over to neighboring provinces and even to the capital Beijing, where students staged a sit-down demonstration on Monday. There have been sympathy protests around the world as well, many of them outside of Chinese diplomatic missions.

"Tibetan independence forces used violent acts to break through police cordons in foreign countries and break into Chinese embassies and consulates," Liu said. He called on international governments to increase security of its missions.

He said the "atrocities of the Tibetan independence forces manifested ... the hypocrisy and deceit of its peace and non-violence propaganda," in a reference to supporters of the Dalai Lama.

The fiercest anti-China protests in Tibet in almost two decades have attracted more international scrutiny of the communist government's human rights record in the run-up to the Beijing Summer Olympics, which China had hoped would boost its image in the world.

Liu said the violence would not harm Beijing's hosting of the Olympics.

"I think they made the wrong calculation of their situation. We will continue our great efforts in making the Olympic games a great success. We are proud we're going to host the Olympic games and we are determined to make the Olympic games a success."

Earlier, Tibet's China-appointed governor Champa Phuntsok denounced the protesters in Lhasa as criminals and threatened harsh consequences for those who did not turn themselves in by the midnight deadline Monday.

Tibet's legal authorities issued the surrender notice to demonstrators on Saturday.