Revolt against China in Tibet

CNN:

Opponents of Chinese rule in Tibet set fire to vehicles and shops on Friday as tear gas filled the streets and gunfire rang out in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, according to witnesses and human rights groups.

The protests -- initiated by Buddhist monks -- have been growing since Monday, the anniversary of the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Beijing rule. Tibet, an autonomous province, has long sought independence from China.

Roughly 1,000 people hurled rocks and concrete at security forces and military trucks pushing back riot police, a witness told CNN.

A Tibetan guide said armed police backed by armored vehicles were blocking major intersections in the city center and that an entire street in a busy shopping area outside the Jokhang temple "seemed to be on fire." He said he had heard "cannon fire" and had heard reports of tear gas being used against protesters, The Associated Press reported.

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Protesters appeared to be targeting shops and vehicles owned by Han Chinese, the predominant ethnic group in China. Watch how ethnic Chinese have been caught in the unrest »

A main market in the capital was set on fire, and some Tibetans were hospitalized with serious injuries, according to Kate Saunders, a spokeswoman for the International Campaign for Tibet, which promotes human rights and democratic freedom in Tibet.

Friday's violence started when police tried to stop a peaceful protest by monks at the Ramoche Temple, Tashi Choephel of the Tibetan Center for Human Rights told CNN from Dharamsala, India.

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China continues to impose reporting restrictions in Tibet and the neighboring province of Xinjiang. CNN sought permission to enter Tibet on Friday morning Beijing time. So far, this perrmission has not been granted. CNN reporting on Tibet was being blacked out Friday in mainland China.

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There is much more. considering that CNN is being blocked from reporting in Tibet, the news organization has gathered more information than you would expect.

I fear this is another futile gesture on the part of the Tibet population. China has the capacity to crush this general uprising and no doubt will. It should be a lesson to a group who came to power by sponsoring general uprisings, that their rule is not in touch with the needs adn desires of the people of Tibet.