BEIJING (AP) — Protests led by Buddhist monks against Chinese rule in Tibet turned violent Friday, with shops and vehicles torched and gunshots echoing through the streets of the ancient capital, Lhasa. A radio report said two people had been killed.
The European Union called on China to show restraint and Washington said Beijing needed to respect Tibetan culture. Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, appealed to China not to use force against protesters.
The Dalai Lama called on the Chinese leadership to “address the long-simmering resentment of the Tibetan people through dialogue with the Tibetan people. I also urge my fellow Tibetans not to resort to violence.”
The largest demonstrations in nearly two decades against Beijing’s 57-year-rule over Tibet began Monday, coming at a critically sensitive time for China as it attempts to portray a unified and prosperous nation ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games in August.
The demonstrations turned violent Friday when witnesses reported hearing gunfire and seeing vehicles in flames in the city’s main shopping district in the center of Lhasa. Crowds hurled rocks at security forces and at restaurant and hotel windows.
Radio Free Asia, which is funded by the U.S. government, quoted witnesses as saying two bodies were seen lying on the ground in the Barkor area, a shopping district in the old city where the protests have been centered.

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