'Monday deadline for surrender of rioters'

China says people who took part in the riots that rocked Lhasa will have "leniency" if they give themselves up by Monday midnight.

Chinese authorities announced on Saturday that people who took part in riots that rocked Tibet's regional capital Lhasa will have "leniency" if they give themselves up by Monday midnight, Xinhua news agency reported.

Xinhua said Tibetan law-and-order authorities had issued the notice accusing rioters of burning schools, hospitals, shops and houses, and killing 10 innocent people.

"The notice demanded the lawbreakers to give themselves in by Monday midnight, and promised that mitigation and leniency would be given to those who surrender," Xinhua reported.

The announcement of the security crackdown came as state television for the first time showed scenes of rioters burning buildings, another sign that authorities are preparing a public campaign to condemn the riots.

(Reporting by Chris Buckley; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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