Mass arrests in China follow protest for Dalai Lama’s return

CHINESE police arrested hundreds of people in western China after residents there called for the return of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, reports said yesterday.

Soldiers and police were dispatched to Lithang, an ethnically Tibetan part of Sichuan province, after locals gathered on Wednesday to celebrate a traditional horse festival, said rights group International Campaign for Tibet and Radio Free Asia (RFA).

The incident occurred when local Tibetan Runggye Adak was detained after speaking in public about the Dalai Lama and social issues, reports said.