What sparked Tibetan Violence? None other than the PLA

Armored vehicle 'plowed into protesters' in Tibet
The Yomiuri Shimbun

The large-scale riots in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa on Friday were sparked off when an armored vehicle was driven into the crowd, according to a Tibetan man who talked to The Yomiuri Shimbun by telephone.

The man said a work colleague had seen a green armored vehicle plow into the crowd, running people over, at about 3 p.m. Friday.

The vehicle was one of four deployed near the Golden Valley Hotel, west of Jokhang Temple, the man said.

Military trucks were later used to haul off more than 100 people, he said.

Afterwards, angry Tibetans attacked ethnic Chinese and set fire to their stores, he said.

According to the Tibetan, he was not able to venture outside his home because vehicles driven by public safety officers were patrolling the streets, and armed police officers were present at street crossings.

Meanwhile, a Japanese man said the octagonal plaza near the famous Jokhang Temple was barricaded.

A larger area was sealed off Saturday, he said.