The government of China's Tibet Autonomous Region has paid out 3 million yuan in compensation to the families of 15 people killed in the riots that erupted on March 14.

The government had promised to provide 200,000 yuan in compensation to each family of the 18 civilians killed, said an official of the region's financial department.

As of Thursday, the government had compensated 15 families, including relatives of the five salesgirls who died in a fire in a clothing shop in Lhasa and the five people burnt to death in a motorcycle garage in Dagze County of Lhasa.

The families of the other victims were yet to be identified.

The riots also left one police officer dead, and 382 civilians and 241 police officers injured.

(Xinhua News Agency April 10, 2008)