CHINA IS facing mounting international pressure over its violent crackdown on Tibetan protests. Clifford Coonan in Taipei reports.
Chinese officials have admitted for the first time that live rounds were used to quell the protests while hopes of closer ties to self-ruled Taiwan appear to have been dashed by what Taiwanese see as a shocking response. Troops continued to pour into Lhasa and other Tibetan regions in China yesterday.
The biggest independence riots in 20 years shook Tibet last week and left the Chinese government dealing with the worst damage to its international reputation since the 1989 massacre of pro-democracy activists in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, met the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India, and made a speech certain to anger China, underlining the "great relationship" the US has with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader and praising the courage of the Tibetan people.
"The situation in Tibet is a challenge to the conscience of the world," Ms Pelosi said. "What is happening, the world needs to know."
The protests kicked off last week to mark the anniversary of a 1959 uprising against Beijing's rule of Tibet, amid widespread anger over what Tibetans say have been brutal and repressive policies. Chinese authorities report that 19 people have been killed but Tibetan exile groups have claimed more than a hundred deaths.
The crackdown in Tibet has severely dented hopes of closer ties to Taiwan and has ratcheted up tensions in one of Asia's biggest flashpoints. Today's presidential election in self-ruled Taiwan looked like a sure thing for the pro-Beijing Kuomintang, but shock at the sight of Chinese troops attacking monks in Tibet has led some voters to reconsider.
The election is crucial as the result will dictate whether the island's bid for independence remains a thorn in Beijing's side or if there will be closer relations with mainland China, which views Taiwan as a renegade province to be taken back by force if necessary.
Two US aircraft carriers have been sent to the Taiwan region for training exercises, highlighting its importance to regional stability.
Hundreds of truckloads of soldiers and armed police have been pouring into Tibet and other Tibetan- populated areas of China, such as Gansu and Sichuan provinces, and rights groups have warned of massive arrests and possible torture of those picked up in the crackdown.
After days of official statements that no lethal force had been used to quell unrest, official news agency Xinhua reported that four people had been shot and wounded in southwestern Sichuan province after police opened fire in self-defence.
China has focused on the attacks on ethnic Han Chinese settlers during the riots and sees the demonstrations as pure vandalism aimed at kicking the Chinese out of Tibet.
The official line is that 13 innocent civilians were killed by Tibetan "mobs". China released "most wanted" photographs of suspects captured on film, and the images were carried on Chinese versions of websites Yahoo! and MSN. This has led to further criticism of the role of international internet companies in assisting in tracking down dissidents.
"It beggars belief that Yahoo! is acting as China's right-hand man in its brutal crackdown on Tibetan protesters," said Free Tibet campaign director Matt Whitticase. "Yahoo! knows very well that these protesters will have no access to legal representation and that either execution or long prison sentences and torture awaits any protester arrested in Lhasa. Free Tibet Campaign calls on all Yahoo! subscribers to cancel immediately their accounts."