Eyewitness accounts: Tibet clashes

A day after violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Lhasa, Tibet, witnesses have been describing the tense atmosphere in the city.

JAMES MILES, CORRESPONDENT WITH THE ECONOMIST

The first clashes have now been taking place between Tibetan residents and the security forces.

The unrest began earlier this week

They've been throwing stones at them, and there've been occasional volleys of teargas by the security forces at the rioters.

However, what we've not seen is a full-scale assault on the old Tibetan quarter.

So far it's been in the form of pin-prick strikes by the security forces into this maze of narrow alleyways, but they've not yet spread out right across this area.

FRANS PLOOIJ, DUTCH TOURIST

This morning I counted 40 trucks of soldiers and 36 tanks moving inside the city.

All the streets in Lhasa have lots of security on them. Many Chinese shops were burned down and set on fire.

We heard from our Tibetan guide that at least 20 people had been killed [and that] Chinese authorities have imposed martial law where the riots were.

CATIA, PORTUGUESE JOURNALIST

There was a shop burning, still in flames, there was no police, no firefighters, no-one apart from the crowds looking and opposite, a car completely burned, upside down.

You could hear people shouting - whenever we tried to get close people started running from the direction where there was more fire.

We heard explosions - a lot of them.

BENTE WALLE, DANISH TOURIST

I just saw a lot of fire and everybody was running...

I didn't hear any shots. But there was a big fire on the market.

And I saw a lot of people with wounded heads, and blood, ambulance and tanks and policemen all over.