China admits Tibet riots spread

Chinese troops in an armored carrier patrol the
streets of Lhasa, capital of Tibet, Sunday.

DHARAMSALA, India (CNN) -- Tibet's spiritual leader Thursday said he was powerless to stop anti-Chinese violence as authorities in Beijing acknowledged for the first time that unrest had spread into neighboring Chinese provinces.

The official Xinhua News Agency said there were "riots in Tibetan-inhabited areas in the provinces of Sichuan and Gansu." Both provinces neighbor Tibet. The Xinhua report blamed the incidents on supporters of the Dalai Lama. full story