Beijing laid siege to at least three monasteries in Tibet today, leaving monks trapped with dwindling food supplies, as the biggest anti-Chinese demonstrations in nearly two decades intensified.
Monks at Ganden monastery, located on a hilltop near the regional capital Lhasa, were reported to have started a hunger strike to protest against the deployment of armed paramilitary police, who continued to surround them today after being sent in to restore order yesterday.
Soldiers were today also reported to have been stationed around the Sera and Drepung monasteries. Drepung, in particular, was surrounded by "three layers" of army personnel, a witness told the AP news agency, while the Sera monastery was surrounded by more than 2,000 police.
The protesters had taken to the streets to demand greater religious freedom before the Beijing Olympics in August and to show their support for the exiled Dalai Lama.
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