Beijing, November 29 - Rioters in Chinese-ruled Tibet destroyed shops and government offices following a dispute between Buddhist monks and a local shopkeeper, the government's news agency reported Wednesday.
Seven people were arrested over the Nov. 20 clashes, the Xinhua News Agency said. Among those arrested, it said, were two monks accused of robbing a motorcycle maintenance shop on Nov. 19 in the town of Paingar and five others detained for "fanning the riot" the day after the monks' arrest.

Xinhua gave no reason for the eight-day delay in reporting the riot. Paingar is remote _ about 190 miles northeast of Tibet's capital, Lhasa _ and disturbances in the often restive Himalayan region are deemed politically sensitive by the communist government.

According to Xinhua's account, about 190 people, including some monks, people, including other monks, gathered outside local government headquarters to demand the release of those arrested. The crowd then "destroyed shops and government facilities," Xinhua said.

Authorities were searching for a third monk accused of taking part in the alleged Nov. 19 robbery, it said.

The unrest is the latest sign of social tensions in Tibet, where a heavy-handed security presence and growing numbers of Chinese migrants have stirred resentment among the Tibetan majority.

In August, large protests broke out in a Tibetan area in Sichuan province after authorities arrested a man who mounted the stage at a horse racing festival and led the crowd in chants calling for the return of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's traditional Buddhist leader, who fled into exile in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

Xinhua did not identify those detained or provide details on the alleged robbery, although it appeared to illustrate common disputes over money exacerbated by language and cultural differences.

Xinhua said crowds were "persuaded to return home later the same day by government workers.

"The local social order is stable," it said, citing local government officials.

AP[Thursday, November 29, 2007 11:32]