Call for China restraint over Tibet protesters

By James Regan

SYDNEY (Reuters) - International pressure mounted on Beijing on Saturday to show restraint towards demonstrators in Tibet, as protesters in Sydney removed the Chinese flag at China's consulate building and tried to raise a Tibetan flag.

The protests in Sydney came a day after China said 10 people were killed in rare unrest in the Tibetan city of Lhasa. Beijing on Saturday said it gave rioters until midnight on Monday to turn themselves in.

Australia, the United States and Europe are all urging the Chinese authorities to deal with the Lhasa situation peacefully, while Taiwan, which China claims as its own, predictably condemned moves against the protests.

Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith called for China to allow "peaceful expression of dissent".

The security breach at the consulate was captured by local television which showed about a half dozen protesters scaling a 4-metre (13 foot), the Chinese flag being lowered and an unsuccessful bid to raise the multi-coloured Tibetan flag. Four people were arrested, police said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for "free and direct dialogue" between China and the Dalai Lama, her spokesman said.

"It is now more important than ever that demonstrators and security forces call for restraint and that the rights of individuals are respected," Ulrich Wilhelm said.

"The German government has always supported the Tibetans' claim to religious and cultural autonomy," he said, adding Germany did not support it becoming a separate state.