Beijing: One Chinese policeman was killed and several more wounded in a riot in a Tibetan-populated area, state media said late today, as pro-independence protests raged on after two weeks of violence.

News of the death came as Tibet's "prime minister-in-exile", Samdhong Rinpoche, said that 130 people had been confirmed killed in the Chinese crackdown on the protests, up from a figure of 99 given last week.

And protesters disrupted the lighting ceremony of the Olympic torch in the Greek town of Olympia today, hoping to embarrass the Chinese government in the run-up to this summer's Games.

China's official news agency Xinhua reported that the policeman died in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, which some see as part of a greater Tibet but which is administratively part of Sichuan Province.

The officer, who was named as Wang Guochan, was killed by a group who attacked armed police with knives at about 4.30pm (1400 IST), Xinhua said.

"The police were forced to fire warning shots, and dispersed the lawless mobsters," an official was quoted as saying.

Earlier, authorities had announced that 381 alleged rioters had been rounded up in a Tibetan-populated area of southwest Sichuan.

World governments and sports associations have distanced themselves from calls to boycott the Olympics in response to the crackdown in the Himalayan region, but rights activists clearly intend to target the event.

Source : PTI