World Notes TIBET

Bonfires and brawls once again choked the streets of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. Ever since China invaded the mountainous region in 1950, the Tibetans have periodically erupted in violent protest against Communist rule. Last week, after three days of rioting, Chinese authorities imposed martial law and troops armed with automatic weapons ringed the city to quell the unrest. At least 30 people were believed killed and more than 100 were wounded in the ensuing melee.

From India, the Tibetan government-in-exile condemned the Chinese crackdown and said it feared the Communists would use the riots "as an excuse to resort to more repressive methods." But the bloodshed may increase international pressure on Beijing to start negotiations with the Tibetans. The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959, has accused the Chinese of stalling on proposed talks to make fiercely independent Tibet a self-governing entity "in association" with the People's Republic.