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Beijing: China will not punish a group of Tibetan monks for disrupting a government-organised foreign media tour of Lhasa and voicing support for the Dalai Lama, a senior official said in a bid to allay fears of repercussions.
Baema Chilain, vice-chairman of the Chinese-controlled Tibet Autonomous Region, also said "separatists" were planning to disrupt the Olympic torch relay as it crossed Tibet, but he pledged to ensure the flame's security in the region and on its planned ascent of Mount Everest, the official Xinhua news agency said.
Monks protest
About 30 monks at the Jokhang Temple, one of the holiest in Tibet, shoved their way into a briefing telling reporters the government was lying about recent unrest. They also rejected Chinese claims that Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, was behind the rash of protests.
These monks will not be punished, Xinhua quoted Baema Chilain as saying.
"But what they said is not true. They were attempting to mislead the world's opinion," he said. "The facts shouldn't be distorted."
China has hoped the Olympics will showcase the achievements of the world's fourth-largest economy and its rise as a global power, but the games are becoming a lightning rod for criticism.
"To our knowledge, some separatists from within and outside China are seeking to sabotage the Olympic torch relay within Tibet," said Baema Chilain.
China blames the Dalai Lama and his followers for the violence in the Himalayan region.
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