China has acknowledged anti-government protests in Tibet have spread to other provinces. The unrest broke out last week when Buddhist monks took to the streets of the capital Lhasa to mark the anniversary of the 1959 uprising against Chinese rule. Human rights groups say dozens of people have been killed and hundreds arrested in the Chinese crackdown. On Wednesday, a monk in Lhasa said Tibetans are prepared to rise up.

Tamki: “Our first demand is for the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet, and that is the hope of all of us. That is why we are ordering these protests and demonstrations. We demand the total independence of Tibet — freedom, equality, peace and happiness. That is what we are demanding. Many of our people have been killed, and that is why our people are up in revolt.”