Tibetan monks began fresh protests yesterday by performing a forbidden incense burning ritual. Smoke appeared above the golden roofs of Rebkong monastery in a gesture of defiance against authorities. The effect was immediate as businesses, fearing violence, pulled down their shutters while locals watched as truckloads of paramilitaries drove up the street towards the protest.

Riot troops then ran past the monastery’s white mound-shaped stupas as the faithful continued to perform their devotions. It was another day of growing opposition to Chinese rule. Acts of civil disobedience like this have spread across large areas of China, including provinces such as Sichuan, Gansu, and Qinghai. Tibetans, small in number compared to the 1.2 billion ethnic Chinese, are spread over large areas of China. The current conflict in Rebkong began before last week’s protests in Lhasa, which set off a wave of demonstrations and anti-Chinese violence. The background to the current stand-off was described by three monks who, despite the risks, agreed to be interviewed by the Daily Telegraph.

They said that locals’ long-held resentment meant they were easily angered by relatively minor actions taken by authorities. For example, a fight broke out between a Tibetan and a Muslim Chinese at a street stall and the Tibetans were outraged that police took the side of the Chinese and beat up the Tibetan.