By Phurbu Thinley
Dharamsala, March 24: Tibetan Government-in-Exile based in India said today that the Tibetan death toll from the demonstrations in Tibet had risen to 140 and further released the names and details of 44 identified people killed during the brutal crackdowns by Chinese Government.
In its latest update, it claimed it had confirmed information on other individuals killed during the demonstrations and said it needed more time to “gather more comprehensive information before releasing more names from the death toll list”.
“As the demonstrations continue to spread vastly to many areas in Tibet, the number of people who have died from the brutal military and police suppression during the peaceful demonstrations is astounding,” the report on the official website said.
“Since the start of the Demonstrations in Tibet on March 10, there has been a steady rise in the death toll,” the report said.
The government report complained extreme difficulty in getting the details “due to all the restrictions that have been imposed by Chinese authorities”.
“We have reliable sources confirming the death of numerous individuals killed during the recent demonstrations; however, we are still in the process of gathering more details (such as name and place of residence),” it said.
The report says since many of the dead bodies from the recent demonstrations are being turned into the People’s Procuratorates instead of being returned to their respective families, it is proving more difficult to gather details on the death toll.
Despite international pressure on China to act with restraint in dealing with Tibetan demonstrators, Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy today said at least one Tibetan protester was shot dead and another left in critical condition following indiscriminate firing by the People’s Armed Police on the protesting Tibetans in Drango County, Kardze “Tibet Autonomous Prefecture” this afternoon.
CLICK HERE for the updated list of those killed in recent demonstrations in Tibet.
