Tibetan Villagers Riot Over Monks' Arrest

Simmering ethnic tensions between Tibetans and Chinese boiled over into a riot in a remote Tibet province, Reuters reports. After 3 monks were arrested following an altercation with a Chinese shop owner, hundreds of Tibetan herdsmen converged on the town to demand their release. When authorities failed to comply, they vandalized Chinese-owned shops, government offices, and clashed with police.

Five protesters were detained, and the rest were persuaded to return home, said a Beijing news outlet. As many as 800 paramalitary troops sealed off the area to end the riot. A growing population of immigrants from China continues to raise ethnic tensions in China-ruled Tibet, Reuters notes. (More Tibet stories.)