Riot monks surrender to police

Two monks who participated in the riots in Gansu province on March 18, have given themselves up to authorities, the provincial police department said yesterday.

Garzang Samdain, 37, and Garzang Samzhou, 28, from the Goinba Monastery in Zho'nyin county, Gansu, joined about 200 other monks to attack police stations, government offices and schools on March 18, the police said in a statement.

The protesters, some waving flags of the "Tibetan government in exile" and shouting Tibetan independence slogans, committed assaults and vandalism, looting and arson in the town of Daogao in Zho'nyin, the statement said.

They pulled down the gates of the Daogao government building, and after smashing windows and doors at the local police station, entered the building and caused damage to computers and TV sets, police said.

Garzang Samdain and other rioters set fire to the station and several vehicles, the statement said.

Garzang Samzhou and other rioters broke into Daogao Primary School where they took down the national flag, tore it and replaced it with the flag of the "Tibetan government in exile", police said.

The rioters damaged 76 rooms in various buildings, smashed 31 computers and 40 television sets, and vandalized one car, 17 motorcycles and a farm vehicle. The total cost of the damage is estimated at about 7.5 million yuan ($1.1 million), police said.

After the riots, police from the Gannan Tibetan autonomous prefecture, of which Zho'nyin is a part, issued a circular urging those involved to surrender.

Garzang Samdain and Garzang Samzhou came forward and confessed their crimes, police said.

Xinhua

(China Daily 04/18/2008 page6)