Activists: Clash kills 2 outside Tibetan monastery

(Associated Press) - BEIJING — An activist group says two people have died in a clash with Chinese police raiding a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in a restive western region.

The U.S.-based International Campaign for Tibet report marks some of the worst violence in the ongoing troubles at Kirti monastery.

The report Saturday said police who have blockaded the monastery and restricted the movements of its 2,500 residents launched a raid Thursday night. It said police took 300 monks to an unknown location and two villagers trying to block the monks' removal were killed.

Tensions dating back to 2008 at Kirti worsened last month when a 20-year-old monk set himself on fire in protest against government controls of Tibetan Buddhism, which recognizes the exiled Dalai Lama as its rightful leader.