Shops set on fire in Tibet unrest - Xinhua

By Lindsay Beck and Benjamin Kang Lim

BEIJING (Reuters) - Shops were set on fire in violence in Tibet's capital of Lhasa on Friday, China's Xinhua news agency reported after days of rare street protests in the contested region.

Witnesses said a number of shops were burnt, the report said.

Hundreds of people had taken to Lhasa's streets again on Friday in defiance of Chinese authorities and despite a heavy police presence and reports of a lockdown on monasteries, according to other sources.

Chinese rule in the remote, Buddhist region has become a focus for critics ahead of the Beijing Olympics, with global marches this week to mark the 49th anniversary of a failed uprising against Communist rule spilling into Tibet itself.

"The police are everywhere," said one cafe owner reached by phone in Lhasa. "There are big problems."

On Friday, 300 to 400 residents and monks demonstrated in Lhasa, a source cited a witness as saying, capping a week of daily protests led by the Buddhist clergy, an echo of the anti-government protests that rocked neighbour Myanmar last year.

"Some are angry and some are scared. The security forces are checking houses to see if any monks are hiding," said the source, who is in touch with Tibetan residents.

More than 10 monks had been arrested and tanks were patrolling the square near the Potala Palace, the person said, refering to one of the architectural wonders of the world, the one-time winter residence of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.