21 February 2008
Tibetans clash with police at Amdo festival
(RFA; Reuters) A clash between a large Tibetan crowd and police broke out in Rebkong (Chin: Tongren), Qinghai province, (traditionally part of Amdo). According to Reuters, the clash started because of a dispute over the price of balloons. The Tibetans threw stones and attacked police for over an hour during Monlam Chenmo celebrations the source said. The clash are said to have happened following a scuffle between Tibetan youths and a Hui trader (Chinese Muslims), the source said. "Members of the crowd (...) tried to intervene, and then beat the policemen, who ran away. Rumours that the police had beat up some local youths spread through the crowd, and many other police were beaten or chased away, leading to large-scale unrest", the source said. A contingent of People's Armed Police (PAP) later arrived to restore order, firing tear gas and detaining about 100 to 200 people, most of whom were monks from the area one source told RFA’s Tibetan service. They were released next morning. "This suggests the local government also decided the incidents were a reaction to excessive force, not a protest about China's role in Tibet", the source said.