100 protesters killed in Tibet: Tibetan exile group

DHARMSALA: Tibet's main exile group, quoting unconfirmed sources, claimed on Saturday that Chinese police have killed about 100 Tibetan demonstrators and injured many more during protests against Chinese rule.

The Tibetan government in exile, based in Dharmsala in India, offered no details in its statement, and gave no details on its sources.

Protests by Buddhist monks in Tibet have turned violent in recent days, with shops and vehicles set on fire and gunshots fired in the streets of the region's capital, Lhasa; but independently verified details remain extremely slim.

China maintains rigid control over the area, foreigners need special travel permits to get there and journalists rarely get access except under highly controlled circumstances.

Earlier reports have given lower death tolls. China's official Xinhua News Agency reported that 10 people had been killed.