Exile Group Says 30 Killed in Tibet

Government workers said they have been prevented from leaving their buildings. "We've been here since yesterday. No one has been allowed to leave or come in," said a woman who works for Lhasa's Work Safety Bureau, located near the Potala Palace, the former residence of the Dalai Lama.

The protests reverberated in and out of mainland China.

In the town of Xiahe in Gansu province, where hundreds of Tibetans marched Friday, clashes were reported Saturday between monks and security forces. About three dozen riot troops could be seen assembled in a town square equipped with batons and shields, although it wasn't clear if fighting had ended.

In Australia, pro-Tibet protesters clashed with police Saturday outside the Chinese consulate in Sydney, police said. Four demonstrators were arrested, said a police spokesman, who declined to give his name in line with departmental policy. Around 70 people took part in the protest.

Dozens of Tibetan exiles in northern India launched a new march to Tibet on Saturday, days after more than 100 other exiles were arrested by Indian authorities during a similar rally.

The arrests occurred Thursday, after Indian officials fearing the march would embarrass China banned the protesters from leaving the Kangra district that surrounds Dharmsala.

On Saturday, the latest marchers crossed the district boundary without event, even as a few police marched with them.

Over the centuries, Tibet was at times part of China's dynastic empires. Communist forces invaded the region in 1950, to reclaim the Himalayan region and seize the commanding heights overlooking rival India.

While activist groups and Western governments have said that China has not lived up to its promises of improving its human rights record for the Summer Games, the IOC has steadfastly refused to take a stand, saying the organization is not a political tool.

"It is not our job," Rogge, the IOC president, told reporters while visiting Puerto Rico. "We are not an activist organization."