From the DNC’s Associated Press:

China official paper: crush protesters


By JOE McDONALD, Associated Press Writer
BEIJING - The communist government’s leading newspaper called Saturday to “resolutely crush” Tibetan demonstrations against Chinese rule…
Fighting back against the criticism, Beijing has begun releasing tallies of statements of support from foreign governments and trying to get its version of events before the international community.
“It is a clear proof that the international community is on the side of China,” foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency, which reported that 100 governments have endorsed China’s handling of the protests.
China’s government has portrayed the protests as having been instigated by supporters of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
“We must see through the secessionist forces’ evil intentions, uphold the banner of maintaining social stability … and resolutely crush the ‘Tibet independence’ forces’ conspiracy,” the People’s Daily said in an editorial…
The movement has become the largest challenge to China’s control of Tibet since the 1959 uprising. It also has threatened Beijing’s attempts to project an image of unity and prosperity ahead of the Beijing Summer Olympics.
Beijing has responded by smothering Tibetan areas with troops and publishing a “Most Wanted” list of 21 protesters, appealing to people to turn them in.
Beijing’s official death toll from last week’s rioting in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa rose to 22, with the Xinhua News Agency reporting that five more civilians and a police officer died. The Tibetan government-in-exile has said 99 Tibetans have been killed — 80 in Lhasa and 19 in Gansu province…
The 21 people are accused of endangering national security, and cited for beating, smashing, looting and arson. One suspect was shown wielding a long sword and another was a mustached man who had been shown on news programs slashing another with a foot-long blade.
Xinhua said two of the 21 suspects were arrested and a third turned himself in. Authorities offered rewards for information and promised anonymity to tipsters.
Police have arrested 24 people and another 183 turned themselves in, Xinhua said.
Outside of Lhasa, Beijing has deployed troops across a wide swath of western China where more than half of China’s 5.4 million Tibetans live. Moving from town to town, police set up blockades and checkpoints to keep Tibetans in and journalists out.
The mobilization was helping authorities reassert control after demonstrations flared in Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces, inspired by monks in Lhasa last week.
State television, in its first footage of the confrontation between protesters and police last Sunday in the Tibetan town of Aba, showed dozens of crimson-robed monks charging at a line of police standing behind plastic riot shields. Crowds of ordinary people hurled rocks and one threw a molotov cocktail as cars burned in the town ringed by snow-peaked mountains.
Xinhua said earlier that police opened fire on the crowd, wounding four and that protesters tried to break into the police armory to steal weapons… This is of course very disturbing news.

But is it not somewhat ironic for the Associated Press of all people to get on their high horses about doing the government’s bidding?
When the Democrats are in power, they surely do their bidding. As they do even in those rare moments when they are not. (Thanks to Dave2882 for the heads up.)
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