Tibet leader says separatism still a threat

The top Chinese government official in Tibet says the Himalayan region continues to face serious challenges from separatism three years after major anti-government protests.

Regional Communist Party head Zhang Qingli says those seeking to overthrow Chinese rule threaten Tibet's stability and therefore its economic development.

Zhang was quoted by the official Xinhua News Agency as saying that officials and the Tibetan public should remain vigilant against anything that could sabotage public order.

His remarks Sunday at a meeting of Tibetan delegates to the national legislature in Beijing underscore the government's relentless crackdown on all dissent in the region.

The March 2008 rioting in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, left at least 22 people dead.