Exile Group Says 30 Killed in Tibet

Earlier, eyewitness accounts and photos posted on the Internet portrayed chaos in Lhasa on Friday, with crowds hurling rocks at security forces, hotels and restaurants. The U.S. Embassy said Americans had reported gunfire.

The violence came on the fifth day of what had been mostly peaceful protests against China's often harsh 57-year rule over Tibet. After police tried to stop monks from protesting in central Lhasa, ordinary Tibetans vented anger on Chinese, hurling stones and torching shops and cars.

"The protesters yesterday went from attacking Chinese police to attacking innocent people very, very quickly," said a blog entry by a group of Westerners staying in a hotel in central Lhasa near the riot. "Many Tibetans were also caught in the crossfire."

Video footage on the web site showed Tibetan looking men attacking a motorcyclist, hitting him with rocks and pushing him over.

On Saturday, Xinhua said Lhasa had "reverted to calm."

"There was not much traffic on the road," the Xinhua report said. "Burned cars, motorcycles and bicycles remained scattered on the main streets, and the air is tinged with smoke."

Some shops were closed but government staff were required to work, said a woman who answered the telephone at the Lhasa Hotel.

"There's no conflict today. The streets look pretty quiet," said the woman who refused to give her name for fear of retribution.

Tourists reached by phone or who arrived Saturday in Nepal described soldiers standing in lines sealing off streets where the rioting occurred. Armored vehicles and trucks ferrying soldiers drove the streets.

"Last night I saw 100 trucks of soldiers driving into the city. This morning I saw another 40 trucks of soldiers," said Plooij Frans, a Dutch tourist who left Lhasa Saturday by plane and arrived in Nepal's capital, Katmandu. "Every corner there were tanks, it would have been impossible to hold any protest today."