16 Tibetan monks arrested

BEIJING, June 5 (UPI) -- Chinese authorities arrested 16 Buddhist monks in Tibet, accusing them of involvement in three bombing attacks and plots going back to April.

Three more were being sought in the alleged bombing incidents, Xinhua reported Thursday.

The arrests were made last month but it was not clear why they were being announced now.

The report also did not say if there were any casualties in the alleged bombing plots or incidents, all of which occurred in Mangkam County in Tibet's Qamdo region.

Police were quoted as saying all the suspects had confessed their alleged crimes, saying they'd been listening to foreign radio for a long time and were following separatist propaganda from the Dalai Lama.

China has been attacking the Tibetan spiritual leader since the Tibetan unrest against Chinese rule began in early March, blaming him for masterminding the unrest.

The Dalai Lama, who has been living in exile in India since 1959, has denied all Chinese charges.