The people in Tibet and armed police stationed there enjoy harmonious relationships, said Kang Jinzhong, political commissar of armed police corps in Tibet, Wednesday.

The armed police earnestly implement the country's ethnic and religious policies. They love the people in Tibet and contribute to the stability and development in the region, while the local residents have shown sincere support for the armed police, said Kang.

Kang, who is also a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislative body, denounced the separatist Dalai clique over the arsons and killings on March 14 last year.

"The Dalai clique conducted separatist activities under the disguise of religious cause, becoming the biggest obstacle for Tibet's development. They should examine their own deeds," said Kang on the sidelines of the annual NPC session.

Kang said armed police showed great restraint in dealing with the Lhasa riot last March.

Dozens of armed police officers were wounded, some seriously, after mobs attacked them with knives, boiling water and stones. "However, we endured the attacks and humiliation in order to show the whole world who were making trouble," he said.

Kang also refuted Dalai's "Tibetan genocide" claim, saying the population of Tibet increased from 1.2 million in 1959 to 2.87 million in 2008. The growth rate is the highest over the past centuries.

Deployment of armed police in Tibet is no exceptional practice, as they are deployed in all other Chinese provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities.

(Xinhua News Agency March 11, 2009)