A wave of antigovernment protests by Tibetans is spreading and, fueled by rapid communications among the monasteries that serve as centers of Tibetan cultural and spiritual life, appears unlikely to subside soon.
ALL EYES ON LHASA
• Tibet and China: A History of Conflict
• Protests Shut Down Tibet Tourism
• Hu Jintao's Statements on Tibet
• Interactive map: Central Lhasa
• Photos: Tibet ProtestsThe tensions, which pose a challenge to China ahead of the Beijing Olympics, were on display in Xiahe, a small city wedged in a valley in the rugged Qilian mountains of northwestern China's Gansu province. Saturday, hundreds of Tibetan protesters pelted government offices and shops in Xiahe with stones.
In a heavily Tibetan area of Sichuan province, in southwest China yesterday, Tibetans took to the streets in violent demonstrations and set fire to a police station. Residents there reported hearing gunfire.
Hundreds of Buddhist monks also marched in another Gansu city Saturday, shouting pro-independence slogans and carrying Tibetan flags, witnesses said.
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