November 20, 2007

BEIJING (AP) - A Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced a Tibetan nomad 
to eight years in prison for seeking Tibetan independence after he 
urged a crowd to proclaim loyalty to the Dalai Lama, a state news 
agency said.

Runggye Adak was convicted of subversion earlier this month after 
taking the stage at a horse racing festival in August to call for the 
exiled Buddhist leader's return.

Chinese army and government officials seated nearby sat dumbfounded 
as the 52-year-old whipped up the largely Tibetan crowd in the 
traditionally Tibetan town of Lithang in western Sichuan province 
with shouts of "Long live the Dalai Lama."

Officers were forced to fire warning shots to disperse a crowd that 
gathered outside the local jail to demand the man's release.

The defendant "undermined national unity," leading to protests at 
local government offices because "people were not clear about the 
truth," the Xinhua News Agency said, citing the verdict by the Ganzi 
Autonomous Prefecture Intermediate People's Court.

China says the Dalai Lama has been trying to split the country since 
he fled Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. 
The Dalai Lama, who leads a government in exile based in India, says 
he is campaigning for real autonomy for Tibet under Chinese rule. 
Many Tibetans maintain their homeland was an independent country 
before the arrival of communist troops in 1951.

The ruling comes as China has accused world leaders who have met the 
Dalai Lama in recent months of interfering in China's internal affairs.

In a separate report, Xinhua said the Ganzi court also sentenced 
three other Tibetans to prison terms of three to 10 years Tuesday on 
charges that they were "spying for overseas organizations" and trying 
to split Tibet from China.

The verdict said that foreign groups told the three, identified as 
Lubo, Jacmyang Goinqen, and Lutog, to take photographs that 
threatened China's security and interests, Xinhua reported.

It said Lutog, who like many Tibetans uses just one name, then sent 
the pictures overseas. Lubo and Jacmyang Goinqen were also found to 
have spread fliers aimed at splitting China, Xinhua said.

All three pleaded guilty, the report said. Lubo received 10 years in 
prison, Jacmyang Goinqen was sentenced to nine and Lutog was given 
three years, it said.

It was not known whether any of the Tibetans would be able to appeal. 
An employee of the court, surnamed Zhu, refused to provide any 
information. He told The Associated Press that the verdicts were 
secret and would be announced to the media later.