Beijing: Dismissing claims of a violent crackdown on pro-independence protests in Tibet, China today said that 13 "innocent civilians" were killed and 61 policemen injured in riots that erupted last week in Lhasa coinciding with the anniversary of the 1959 failed uprising against its rule.

Qiangba Puncog, chairman of Tibet Autonomous Regional Government, said rioters attacked the police personnel who did not use any weapons or open fire and 13 innocent civilians were "burned or stabbed to death".

The government had earlier said that 10 people were killed and 12 injured in Friday's violence, which prompted a massive massive police and military deployment in the Tibetan capital.

"Rioters attacked public security personnel in an extremely cruel way while they were maintaining order and refrained from using weapons," Qiangba told reporters here, a day after top Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama demanded an international probe into the Chinese clampdown and accused Beijing of unleashing "cultural genocide" in Tibet.

"I can tell you as a responsible official that guns were absolutely not fired. The PLA was not involved at all in dealing with incident," the chairman said, referring to China's People's Liberation Army.

The chairman said the "plot" hatched jointly by "domestic and overseas separatists who are advocating Tibet independence" to attract publicity at a time when China was preparing for Olympics was "doomed to failure".

With the deadline asking Tibetan protesters to surrender ending today, Qiangba issued a fresh warning saying that those involved in "serious crimes" during the unrest would be dealt harshly.
Source : PTI