No Death Penalty so far over Lhasa Violence

Forty-two people had been jailed so far for their involvement in the March 14 riot in Tibet's capital Lhasa, but no death penalty had been handed down, a senior official said.

They were convicted of arson, robbery, disrupting public order and assaulting government offices, among other crimes, Palma Trily, executive vice chairman of Tibet, said Thursday at a press conference for Indian and Italian journalists.

Sentences for the first 30 people were handed down on April 29 by the Intermediate People's Court of Lhasa, and ranged from three years to life.

On June 19 and 20, four local courts in Lhasa and the Shannan Prefecture announced prison terms for another 12.

Meanwhile, another 116 suspects were on trial, said Palma Trily.

"It would be decided under Chinese laws whether some would be sentenced to death," he said.

Following the Lhasa violence, police detained 953 people, including 362 who turned themselves in.

The violence involved widespread attacks against people and property, in which 18 innocent civilians and one police officer died and 382 civilians and 241 police were injured.

Rioters also torched 120 houses and 84 vehicles and looted 1,367 shops, resulting in a direct economic loss of 320 million yuan (about 47 million U.S. dollars).

The government gave tax cuts and subsidies of more than 200 million yuan to the affected shops, said Xiao Bai, vice mayor of Lhasa.

Yishion clothing store, the retail outlet where five female sales staff died in a fire during the riot, got 1 million yuan of concessional loan and has re-opened.

"Thanks to the joint efforts of people and governments from all levels, Lhasa has restored social order," Palma Trily said.