China says can't confirm Himalaya border shooting

BEIJING, Oct 12 (Reuters) China's Foreign Ministry said today it could not confirm news reports that Chinese border troops shot a group of Tibetans high in the Himalaya mountains, but promised an investigation if the incident is verified.

''I've seen the reports about this, but I've no knowledge of the specific situation,'' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a news conference in Beijing.

''If the incident is true, China's relevant departments will investigate.'' Three climbers from Britain and Australia told Reuters on Tuesday that on September 30 they watched Chinese border guards aim their guns at a group of about 20 or 30 people as they prepared to cross an icy pass from Chinese territory into Nepal.

Overseas Tibetan refugee groups, as well as the London-based International Campaign for Tibet, said a young Tibetan nun was killed in the incident, and a young boy may also have died.

Liu, the spokesman, said it was up to China's border security forces to decide when to fire their guns.

''The duty and task of China's border troops is to safeguard the peace and security of China's borders,'' he said.

After the shooting, at least 10 Tibetan children, aged between six and 12, were escorted by three soldiers and taken to the nearby Chinese camp, the Britain climber said.

Hundreds of Tibetans cross the Himalayas to Nepal every year, many making their way to a northern town in India, where their exiled leader Dalai Lama has been living since 1959 after the abortive uprising against Chinese rule.

Nepal is home to more than 20,000 Tibetan refugees, but recent arrivals are not allowed to stay there and must travel to neighbouring India.

Communist troops entered Tibet in 1950 and overthrew the Buddhist administration. Since then, China has dealt harshly with Tibetans pressing for political and religious autonomy.

REUTERS MQA HT1505