China Detains Hundreds Of Tibetans, Group Says

BEIJING (AP) — A U.S.-based human rights group says Chinese authorities have detained hundreds of Tibetans who went to India to receive religious instruction from the Dalai Lama.

Human Rights Watch says in an online statement it is the first time since the late 1970s that Chinese authorities have detained large numbers of ordinary Tibetans and forced them into re-education classes. Tibetan monks and nuns are routinely made to attend patriotic education classes.

The statement posted Thursday says the exact number of those detained is unclear, but believed to be several hundred.

China vilifies the Dalai Lama and accuses him of a campaign to split the Himalayan region from the rest of China. The Dalai Lama says he is only seeking increased autonomy for Tibet.