Accusing a handful of monks and lawless persons of provoking the recent unrest in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, its mayor has said that calm has returned to the remote Himalayan region. Lhasa is calm, Mayor Doje Cezhug as quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency here today.

"We didn't enforce the martial law there, and the situation in Tibet as a whole is good at present," he said in the Chinese capital.

At least 10 people were killed and many injured in riots on Friday during the fiercest pro-independence protests in two decades in the Tibetan capital.

The Lhasa Mayor charged that the unrest was provoked by a handful of monks and lawless persons engaged in beating, smashing, looting and burning.

They burnt down schools, hospitals, stores and other public utilities, he claimed.

"These acts are completely targeted at disturbing the happy and stable life of people in Tibet," he said. "The government is able to maintain stability for the people."

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