Beijing: A bomb blast has ripped through a
government building in Tibet, causing damage but no injuries,
a leading campaign group said on Thursday, citing two sources.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the bombing
early on yesterday, which came as tensions ran high in the
Chinese region following a series of self-immolation protests
by Tibetan monks.
"Several sources have confirmed a bomb blast but nothing
is known about who carried it out or why," spokeswoman Kate
Saunders from the International Campaign for Tibet said by
telephone.
"As it was carried out at 4:00 am, it is thought that no
one was hurt," she added. The blast was in Tibet`s Changdu
county, known by Tibetans as Chamdo.
Tibetan news portal www.TibetExpress.net also reported
the news, saying "Tibet`s independence" had been daubed in red
on the damaged walls of the office building and "Free Tibet"
fliers had been found at the scene.
"No one is accused or arrested in this connection so far
but the entire road access leading to and from Chamdo had been
completely cut off including closure of Karma monastery," the
source told the website.
The author of the report, journalist Tenzin Wangchuk,
said he had received the information from a local source.
"We got this information from a person who called us from
that area and said he had seen the bombing. The information is
authentic but we cannot identify him," he said.
Nine Tibetan Buddhist monks and a nun have set themselves
on fire in southwest China`s Sichuan province, which has a
large ethnic Tibetan population, since March.
At least six of them are thought to have died, according
to rights groups.
Saunders said she recalled only two other bombings since
2008, when ethnic riots erupted. Two police stations were
targeted in those attacks, she said.
"What we can expect now is a very serious police
response, particularly in the current climate," she said.
PTI
