<B>?The sanctity of laws in China?</B>

I find the editorial entitled ?Une dure répression? in your newspaper dated 25 March 2008 commenting on what happened in Lhassa recently. I wish to take this opportunity to point out several places in the editorial which do not conform with facts.

According to the editorial ?la Chine réprime sévèrement des manifestations au Tibet. Tout a commencé le 10 mars dernier lorsque des moines ont manifesté à l?occasion du 49e anniversaire du départ en exil du dalaï-lama, leur chef spitifuel. Par la suite, de jeunes Tibétains se sont joints aux moines et des affrontements violents se sont produits dans la ville de Lhassa?. However the fact is that as from the noon of March 14th, the rioters began beating, destruction of property, looting and arson in Lhassa, that made 18 innocent civilians burned or slashed to death, one of them wes even poured on gasoline and burned to death. This tells well that the above incident is not the so called ?protest? but the serious criminal act.

According to the editorial ?Les forces de l?ordre n?ont pas hésité à recourir à la force, faisant environ 130 morts, selon le gouvernement tibétain en exil, et 19 morts, selon Pékin?. However the fact is that in handling the above incident of March 14th, the relevant authorities of Tibet Autonomous Region and policemen showed great restraint, dozens of policemen were injured, ten of them seriously, one was cut out a piece of flesh the size of a fist from his buttocks. None of them carried or used any lethal weapon in the whole process.

On 14 March, 3 rioters died due to fierce confrontation, with policemen, one of them jumped to his death by resisting arrest while the rioters made 18 innocent civilians killed and dozens of policemen injured, such a situation is obviously not ?suppression?. The measures taken by the Chinese government will be adopted by any democratic government under the rule of law in the world to maintain public order, uphold the sanctity of laws, protect the life and property of Chinese people.

I would advise people who care about the incident to read the following resources: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/20/ tibet.miles.interview ;http://english.sina.com/china/1/2008/0323/151504 ;http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=uSQnK5FcKas

<B>Wang WENBIN</B> <I>Chargé d?affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Mauritius</I>