Report: New protests break out at monasteries in Tibetan capital

BEIJING — New protests broke out Saturday at two monasteries in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, activists and the region's government-in-exile said, as China tried to blunt criticism of its crackdown.

One protest was at Lhasa's Ramoche monastery, where the March 14 demonstrations that led the crackdown began, said Kate Saunders of the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet.

Citing witnesses in the city, Saunders said there were "some reports of fighting," but she had no other information.

People also protested at the Jokhang Temple, a major Buddhist site in Lhasa, the government-in-exile of the Tibetan Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, said on its Web site. The India-based government gave no other details.

A state news agency said Saturday that Beijing will compensate victims of anti-government protests in Tibet.

Families of 18 civilians killed will each receive $28,500, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing an announcement by the Beijing-installed Tibet regional government. It said people injured will receive free medical care and owners of damaged homes and shops will get help rebuilding.

The communist government wants to enforce calm quickly following the riots, which drew attention to its human rights record as it prepares for this summer's Beijing Olympics.

About two dozen diplomats from countries including the United States, Britain and Japan were in Tibet on Saturday on a government-organized trip. The Chinese foreign ministry did not respond to a request for details of their agenda.

The visit comes after a similar one by foreign journalists to Tibet's regional capital, Lhasa, backfired when about 30 crying monks burst into a briefing room shouting there was no religious freedom in Tibet.

Xinhua gave no indication Saturday whether there would be compensation for four other deaths — one police officer and three people who the government says were fleeing arrest.

The government says 382 civilians and 241 police officers also were hurt. The protests, led by monks, began peacefully March 10, on the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule. Tibet had been effectively independent for decades before Chinese communist troops entered in 1950.

Beijing blames the unrest on supporters of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader who lives in exile in India.