Tibet official gives government account of unrest

BEIJING (Reuters) - Tibet's top government official said authorities showed "massive restraint" after protests struck the regional capital, Lhasa, last week.

China has claimed that Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, orchestrated the protests and anti-Chinese violence, a claim he has totally rejected.

Here are some highlights from the news briefing given in Beijing by the Tibet regional government's chairman, or governor, Qiangba Puncog, an ethnic Tibetan.

"On March 14, a violent criminal incident involving fighting, smashing, looting, and arson broke out in urban Lhasa. This was engineered by the Dalai clique, which incited it using an organised, premeditated, meticulous plan, with collusion between Tibet separatist forces at home and abroad," he said.

He later said that the unrest was aimed at preparations for the Beijing Olympic Games, which start on Aug 8.

"This time a tiny handful of separatists and lawless elements engaged in extreme acts with the goal of generating even more publicity to wreck stability during this crucial period of the Olympic Games -- over 18 years of hard-won stability," he said.

Qiangba Puncog said the protesters had attacked stalls, schools, hospitals, banks, shops, government offices, power and telecommunications equipment, and state media offices.

He said 13 innocent civilians were burnt or hacked to death; dozens of police officers were injured; and 61 members of the People's Army Police, the separate anti-riot force, were injured -- six seriously.

"DALAI CLIQUE"