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China denies Tibet death reports

Tibet's governor said the security forces did not use lethal weapons

A senior Chinese official has denied that troops used lethal force to quell protests in Tibet's main city, Lhasa.

Qiangba Puncog, the Tibetan regional governor, insisted calm was returning to Lhasa, as a deadline for protesters to hand themselves in approached.

Thirteen "innocent civilians" had been killed in the protests, he said. Exiled Tibetan leaders say at least 80 protesters died in a Chinese crackdown.

His comments follow reports of protests spreading to neighbouring provinces.

Rights groups say several people were killed when police and Tibetan protesters clashed in Aba, Sichuan province on Sunday. Protests were also reported in Gansu province.

China has given Tibetans involved in the protests a deadline of midnight on Monday (1600 GMT) to surrender to police.

The Dalai Lama has called for an international inquiry into China's crackdown, while Western leaders have called for restraint. Olympic chief Jacques Rogge said he was "very concerned" about the situation.

'Not fired'

Speaking at a news conference in Beijing, Mr Qiangba said that security forces "did not carry or use any lethal weapons".

"I can tell you as a responsible official that guns were absolutely not fired," he said.

TIBET DIVIDE

China says Tibet always part of its territory

Tibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before 20th century

1950: China launched a military assault

Opposition to Chinese rule led to bloody uprising in 1959

Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled to India

He blamed the violence on the "Dalai [Lama] clique" and urged Tibetans involved in the protests to give themselves up.

"If these people can provide further information about those involved, then they could be treated more leniently."

But those who had committed serious crimes would be "harshly" punished, he said.

Exiled Tibetan leaders say at least 80 people were killed in Lhasa in monk-led anti-China protests that began on 10 March - the anniversary of a Tibetan uprising - and gradually intensified.

On Friday, demonstrators in Lhasa set fire to Chinese-owned shops and hurled rocks at local police, triggering a crackdown.

Witnesses reported hearing gunfire in the city and the presence of large numbers of Chinese troops. Television footage showed burnt-out shops and streets filled with debris.

Early on Monday a man from Lhasa told the BBC that shops were still closed and a heavy police presence remained.

But state TV had announced that the situation was under control and schools were open, he said.

Protests spreading

Unrest was also reported in nearby provinces over the weekend.

Witnesses said police fired on about 1,000 monks protesting in Aba, Sichuan on Sunday. Reliable reports put the death toll at seven, Kate Saunders of the International Campaign for Tibet said.

In Machu, Gansu province, hundreds of protesters marched on government buildings and set fire to Chinese businesses, Reuters reported, quoting the Free Tibet Campaign.

Smaller protests were reported elsewhere in the province.

In an interview with the BBC, Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said he feared there would be more deaths unless Beijing changed its policies towards Tibet.

"It has become really very, very tense. Now today and yesterday, the Tibetan side is determined. The Chinese side also equally determined. So that means, the result: killing, more suffering," he said.

China says Tibet has always been part of its territory. But Tibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before the 20th Century and many Tibetans remain loyal to the Dalai Lama, who fled in 1959.