China's Pm Accuses Protesters of Trying to Sabotage Games

The Chinese prime minister, Wen Jiabao, accused Tibetan protesters yesterday of trying to sabotage the Olympic games as dramatic video footage showed horsemen leading a bloody attack on government offices in a restive province.

Against a background of rising ethnic tension, in some cities as well as in the countryside, Wen blamed the Dalai Lama "clique" for masterminding the riots, which ripped through Lhasa on Friday and have since spread to at least three provinces neighboring Tibet.

"By staging that incident they want to undermine the Beijing Olympic games, and they also try to serve their hidden agenda," the premier said at his annual press conference.

Tens of thousands of riot police are spread across swaths of Tibet, Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai trying to quell the unrest, which comes less than six months before the opening ceremony and weeks before the Olympic torch relay is due to pass through the Himalayas.

Reports of fresh uprisings continue to emerge. Although more than 30 foreign journalists have been turned away or detained to prevent them reaching areas of unrest, two Canadian TV reporters sneaked past 10 police roadblocks to film a riot yesterday near Hezuo in Gansu.

Dozens of Tibetan horsemen galloped down from the mountain slopes to lead the protest, according to Steve Chao and Sean Chang of Canada's CTV News. The horsemen rode around Bora monastery, whipping up a crowd, with chants of "Free Tibet" and "End Oppression".

Monks and motorbike riders joined the throng, which, more than a thousand strong, attempted to storm the government office. They ripped up a Chinese flag and replaced it with a Tibetan banner, before clashing with paramilitary police, who repelled the mob with batons, shields and teargas.

"I personally saw one person bleeding from a gash in the head, and what looked like a broken forearm," said Chao, who reported 70 trucks full of armed riot police moving into the area as he left.

The death toll remains uncertain. The government says 16 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by rioters. Tibetan exile groups say more than 80 Tibetans have been shot or beaten to death by paramilitary police. Neither side has provided evidence, though the Free Tibet campaign has given the names of three victims and distributed photographs of what it claims are some of the dead. None of the claims has been independently verified.

Lhasa, the scene of the most violent confrontation on Friday, is locked down by thousands of armed police. "This is effectively martial law," said James Miles, a journalist with the Economist who has been in the city for the past week. "Although the government says there are no troops here, I bet my bottom dollar that is what they are. Some are in military vehicles with the license plates obscured or taken off... There are thousands of them. They're absolutely everywhere. It is reminiscent of the level of security in the aftermath of Tiananmen in 1989."

Lhasa residents said the city was quiet compared with the violence of last week, although a dozen monks in Dinka monastery, outside the city, staged a small protest, according to the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy.

The unrest appears to be spreading, albeit on a smaller scale, to urban centers. In Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, riot police moved into the city's Tibetan district after a stabbing that was reported to be ethnically motivated.

Last night there were public security cars on every intersection, a hundred riot police around Wuho Temple street and bus loads of reinforcements in side roads.

"I saw a Tibetan man running away with a bloody knife in his hand. I saw a Chinese man on his bike, bleeding with a wound," said a chef, who gave his name as Wang. "Relations are normally pretty good between the Tibetans and the Chinese here, but now ... I am worried about the stability of my country."

Others said two Chinese people had died in the attack. Police have yet to confirm details of the incident, which occurred yesterday morning.

It has added to a growing sense of unease. Some Tibetans were angry at the heightened police presence in their area. "They have guns, we have nothing. In so many other Tibetan areas, Tibetans have been shot," a Tibetan shop owner said, as paramilitary armed police marched past. "The Tibetans are in trouble everywhere. The government are pushing us down."

Rumors of bus bombs, ethnically motivated murders and weapons stashes at the Tibetan monastery are adding to the anxiety. "My company told me a driver was murdered today ... probably by a Tibetan," said a taxi driver. "I won't take any Tibetans in my car now."

There have also been small, peaceful protests at universities in Lanzhou, Qinghai and Beijing.

Wen insisted the conflict would not disrupt the games: "I have confidence the smiles of 1.3 billion Chinese people ... will be reciprocated by the smiles of people from all over the world," he said.