BEIJING — Tibet was hit by a fresh wave of violence Friday as protests by hundreds of Buddhist monks and other residents against Chinese rule resulted in burned shops, vandalized police vehicles and at least 10 deaths, government officials and witnesses said.
American citizens in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, reported rioting and gunfire, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said in a warning to stay away from the city, which has seen several days of anti-Chinese protests.
"All care should be taken to avoid unnecessary movement within the city until the situation is under control," the alert said.
"Americans who were planning on travel to Tibet are advised to defer travel at this time."
The official New China News Agency reported today that 10 people had died in the violence. It said the victims, including two hotel workers and two shop owners, had been "burnt to death."
"We didn't dare to step out. Those Tibetan people were beating any Han Chinese they meet," said a Chinese tour operator today who did not wish to give his name. He also said calm was beginning to return, but two sections of the city were still tightly controlled by Chinese security forces.
Among the establishments set on fire were a bank, a supermarket and the Lhasa bureau of the New China News Agency, said the Hong Kong-based newspaper Apple Daily.
Tibetan radio reported Friday that a curfew had been imposed. Armed police reportedly used water cannons and tear gas on the crowds.
"There's smoke and flames coming from the old city, but I can't tell what's going on since soldiers have surrounded the area," said one Lhasa resident by telephone, who declined to be identified because of fear of repercussions.
A tour guide surnamed Zhu, who wouldn't give his first name, said there was a police and military crackdown underway, particularly in the area around Jokhang Temple. He said he could see dozens of military vehicles.
Tibet is among the most tightly controlled areas in China. Protests first flared March 10, when monks took to the streets to mark the anniversary of a 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. Communist Chinese troops seized control of Tibet in 1950.
China is nervous about challenges to its single-party rule at a time when its human rights record is under growing global scrutiny ahead of the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Olympics.
