The head of Tibet's Communist Party has warned of a "life and death struggle" with the Dalai Lama, as China struggles to bring an end to several days of protests in the Himalayan region.
Zhang Qingli is quoted as telling a meeting of Tibetan government leaders they were involved in a battle mixed with "blood and fire" against when he called the "Dali clique."
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has accused Tibet's exiled spiritual leader of orchestrating protests against Chinese rule in Tibet that have turned violent.
Chinese state media say at least 13 people were killed in riots in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. The official Xinhua news agency says 105 people involved in Friday's riots have surrendered to police.
Tibet's government-in-exile says at least 99 people have been killed in unrest over the past week.
It says the death toll includes 19 Tibetans who were shot dead by security forces Tuesday in new protests in Gansu province.
Human rights groups have released photographs that show Tibetans allegedly shot and killed by security forces in China's western province of Sichuan.
The Center and the exiled Tibetan government based in India have reported further pro-independence protests in Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan Tuesday and the Tibet Autonomous Region. Reports of those incidents do not appear to have been published in Chinese media and Chinese authorities have not allowed foreign journalists to confirm details of the protests.
China has controlled Tibet since 1951. The Dalai Lama and thousands of his followers fled from Tibet to India in 1959, during a failed revolt against Chinese rule. China denounces the Dalai Lama as a crusader for independence, but he says he has campaigned for nothing more than true autonomy for his homeland.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP
