Seventeen people were sentenced on Tuesday to jail terms ranging from three years to life in connection with the Lhasa violence on March 14, a Lhasa court said.

The Intermediate People's Court of Lhasa, Tibet's capital, passed down the sentences at an open court session on Tuesday morning.

The deadly unrest that erupted Lhasa on March 14 left seven schools, five hospitals and 120 homes torched and 908 shops looted. Total damage was more than 244 million yuan (35 million U.S. dollars).

A total of 18 innocent civilians and one police officer died in the riot, in addition to 382 injured civilians and 241 policemen.

(Xinhua News Agency April 29, 2008)