Rev. Danny Fisher

Reuters offers some sad updates on the situation in Tibet today:

China on Saturday gave Tibetan independence protesters an ultimatum to surrender after riots in Lhasa which killed at least 10 people in the worst unrest in the region for two decades.

The tough response by the Chinese authorities came after fierce protests on Friday which contradicted China’s claims of stability and tarnished a carefully-nurtured image of national harmony as it readies to stage the Olympic Games in August.

The official Tibetan judicial authorities gave protesters until Monday night to turn themselves in and benefit from leniency.

“Criminals who do not surrender themselves by the deadline will be sternly punished according to the law,” said a notice on the Tibetan government Web site (www.tibet.gov.cn).

International pressure mounted on Beijing to show restraint. Australia, the United States and Europe urged the Chinese authorities to find a peaceful outcome, while Taiwan, which China claims as its own, predictably condemned Beijing for launching a crackdown.

Xinhua news agency said 10 “innocent civilians” had been shot or burnt to death in the street clashes in the remote, mountain capital which has been sealed off. The dead included two people killed by shotguns.

A source close to the Tibetan government-in-exile, however, questioned the official death toll of 10. He said at least five Tibetan protesters had been shot dead by troops.

Some Tibet monitoring organizations outside the country put the death toll at up to 32.

A Western tourist said that Lhasa itself was like a ghost town on Saturday, though it was packed with Chinese soldiers. Many Tibetans had tied white prayer scarves to their doors in a gesture of protest.