29 April 2008
CTA: 203 Tibetans killed in China's crackdown
(Phayul) The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala said 203 Tibetans were confirmed killed following China's clampdown on Tibetan demonstrators across Tibet between 10 March and 25 April. Speaking at a press briefing, CTA spokesperson Thupten Samphel said the figures were based on information from six different news sources, including China's state media and that of its own. Chinadigitaltimes.net, Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), Lhasa Radio, and Radio Free Asia (RFA) are the other sources it used. The list also includes Tibetans reportedly injured and arrested or detained during the protests that broke out since 10 March. "Various facts and figures given by the different sources have been meticulously examined and tallied with each other. After having done this, we confirm that the actual figure for the number of dead is 203, the number of injured is more than 1,000 and the number of those still detained is more than 5,715", Mr Samphel said. He also said the actual figure could be even much higher. He blamed Beijing's restrictive measures placed in Tibet as the main hindrance to compile a more conclusive and comprehensive list.