Lhasa (AsiaNews) – A bomb went off in a government building in Changdu County, Tibet. The building’s walls were painted with pro-independence slogans and leaflets against China’s Communist central government were left at the scene.
The event, which harmed no one, has increased the level of tension in the area after a number of Buddhist monks set themselves on fire in public to demand the return of the Dalai Lama and religious freedom in Tibet.
“In the early dawn hours of October 26, there was an explosion in a local government building,” Radio Free Asia said on its website, citing an unnamed member of the Tibetan parliament in exile, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“No casualties were reported,” the source said. “This could be because no one stays in the building overnight.” The area is now under heavy security.
State-run media carried no word of the reported incident. Repeated calls to government offices in Changdu went unanswered and a police officer there said he had not heard of any blast.
If confirmed, the explosion would constitute a change in Tibet’s anti-Chinese protest, which has taken the form of public demonstrations so far.
Blast in a Communist government building in Tibet
A bomb goes off at dawn in predominantly Tibetan Changdu. No one is killed or injured. The authorities deny the event has occurred; the Tibetan parliament-in-exile confirms it.
