Tibetan envoys head for talks in China

Two Tibetan envoys will arrive in China today to start talks with the country's leadership after bloody riots in Lhasa, a spokesman for the Tibetan government in exile said.
The talks will be the first face-to-face contact between the two sides since unrest erupted in Tibet on March 10 followed by a Chinese crackdown.
"During this brief visit, the envoys will take up the urgent issue of the current crisis in the Tibetan areas," spokesman Thubten Samphel told AFP on Friday.
"They will convey His Holiness the Dalai Lama's deep concerns about the Chinese authorities' handling of the situation and also provide suggestions to bring peace to the region."
He said the envoys, Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, had arrived in Hong Kong en route to mainland China for the talks, which could start as early as Saturday.
"The envoys will raise the issue of moving forward on the process for a mutually satisfactory solution to the Tibetan issue," he added.
The government in exile, based in the northern Indian town of Dharamshala, says 203 people were killed and some 1,000 hurt in the unrest and crackdown.
At least 5,715 people have been arrested since the protests began, according to figures, which the government says have been extensively cross-checked.