China's security clamp down in Tibet to counter 'Dalai clique's criminal activities'

Beijing, Feb 1 (ANI): A top Chinese official has ordered police to step up security in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the wake of deadly protests in Sichuan province.

Lhasa Communist Party Secretary Qi Zhala has also warned of a crackdown on those involved in 'separatist, destructive and criminal' activities.

"We must strike hard at all the separatist, destructive and criminal activities of the Dalai clique and make efforts to realise our goal of not letting any incident, big or small, occur," he said in a speech published on the Lhasa government website.

"Lhasa officials and functionaries at all levels, especially the police, must increase... efforts to rationally dispatch police forces and step up registration and inspection work along national roads, at key monasteries and among leading suspects," he added.

The move came after protesters clashed with security forces in parts of Sichuan province last week, The BBC reports.

China said that one protester was killed on 23 January in a confrontation with security forces in Draggo county.

Beijing also confirmed that a Tibetan was shot dead by security forces in Seda county on 25 January, the second incident of unrest that week.

Tibetan campaign groups, however, claimed that the number of Tibetans shot dead is higher than the Chinese government's count. (ANI)