China today gave Tibetan independence protesters an ultimatum to surrender after riots in Lhasa that killed at least 10 people in the worst unrest in the region for two decades.
The tough response by the Chinese authorities came after fierce protests yesterday which contradicted China's claims of stability and tarnished a carefully-nurtured image of national harmony as it readies to stage the Olympic Games in August.
The official Tibetan judicial authorities gave protesters until Monday night to turn themselves in and benefit from leniency.
"Criminals who do not surrender themselves by the deadline will be sternly punished according to the law," said a notice on the Tibetan government website (www.tibet.gov.cn).
Xinhua news agency said 10 "innocent civilians" had been shot or burnt to death in the bitter street clashes in the remote, mountain capital. It said no foreigners died, and the dead included two people killed with shotguns.
A source close to the Tibetan government-in-exile, however, questioned the official death toll of 10. He said at least five Tibetan protesters had been shot dead by troops.
Some Tibet monitoring organisations outside the country put the death toll at up to 32.
A Western tourist said that Lhasa itself was like a ghost town today, though it was packed with Chinese soldiers. Many Tibetans had tied white prayer scarves to their doors in a gesture of protest.