Govt 'concerned' at Tibet violence
LONDON (AFP) — The British government voiced concern to Beijing Friday at an outbreak of violence in the Tibetan capital Lhasa in protest at continued Chinese rule, a spokesman said.
Officials at the Foreign Office in London said they were "following with concern" reports of fires and gunshots in Tibet as well as India and Nepal in recent days and were monitoring the situation closely.
"We have registered our concern with the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs and the Chinese embassy in London and we are asking them for clarification," a spokeswoman told AFP.
"The human rights situation in Tibet is a matter of real concern to us. We raise it regularly with the Chinese authorities.
"We want to see the Tibet issue dealt with peacefully between all concerned and are naturally alarmed when we hear of violence."
As Chinese state media reported that a number of people had been taken to hospital with unspecified injuries, the Foreign Office said it was keeping its travel advice for British nationals under "close review".
The department's travel advice website warns tourists against getting involved in demonstrations or calls for Tibetan independence.
