China has arrested nine monks for allegedly bombing a government building in Lhasa, as Beijing ratcheted up the rhetoric against the Dalai Lama clique and on critics, over its crackdown in Tibet.
The nine monks were arrested for bombing a government building on March 23 amid widespread riots in the Tibetan capital, China's state media reported.
The bombing targeted a government building in the town of Gyanbe and was carried out by monks from the Tongxia monastery, Xinhua news agency said.
It named Rinqen Jamcan, 27, a ranking monk at the monastery, as ringleader. All the suspects have confessed, it said as China has ratcheted up the rhetoric against the Dalai Lama clique.
China accused supporters of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate of planning suicide attacks as part of a campaign, ahead of the Olympics in August, to push for Tibetan independence.
The Dalai Lama has repeatedly denied masterminding the unrest in his Himalayan homeland.
In New York, six independent experts, who report to the United Nations Human Rights Council, expressed deep concern over the reports that Chinese security forces fired on Tibetan protestors leading to the killings of some demonstrators.
They urged China to "fully conform to its commitment to freedom of expression and assembly, and to distinguish between peaceful protestors and those committing acts of violence."
Meanwhile, the Beijing Olympic torch arrived in Dar es Salaam, capital of Tanzania, where sports officials said they did not expect any trouble during its run in the East African nation.
"It is a great honour and privilege for Tanzania to host this torch. Don't worry, all preparations are all set," Dar es Salaam's mayor, Adam Kimbisa said.
Demonstrators, angry at China's human rights record, have marred the torch's relay in London, Paris and San Francisco on the way to Beijing. The procession of the torch in Argentina on Friday was the most trouble-free so far.
The route for the Australian leg of the Olympic torch relay has been changed after the spectacle attracted angry pro-Tibet protests in Europe, AFP quoted an official as saying.
Organisers of the flame's two-day stop in the national capital Canberra from April 23 have already said that, while the route would not be shortened, security would be enhanced.
A Malaysian Olympic official also said that he feared foreign agitators might try and disrupt the Malaysian leg of the Beijing Olympic's torch relay on April 21.
The International Olympic Committee has said that there would be no change to the relay.
The torch rally will be held in India on April 17 and then heads to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam before heading to China.
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