TRIALS of 20 people accused of being involved in four major arson cases during the March 14 riot in Lhasa will be held soon, China News Service said Saturday.

The accused, many of whom were women, would be charged with setting fire to a motorcycle garage in Dagze County and three clothing stores in the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region on March 14, leaving 12 people dead, the report said.

In Garze County in Sichuan Province, an official was attacked and seriously injured in a riot, local authorities said Friday.

The incident took place at about 8 p.m. Thursday, when rioters attacked the seat of the Donggu Township Government.

“Local officials exercised restraint during the riot and repeatedly told the rioters to abide by the law,” a government official said.

But he said “police were forced to fire warning shots to put down the violence, since local officials and people were in great danger” and the rioters could not be persuaded to stop.

The official, who is from the standing committee of the county’s legislature, was on an inspection tour when the riot broke out, he said.

The Lhasa unrest has led to the deaths of at least 18 innocent civilians and one police officer. By the end of March, about 414 rioters had been arrested in Lhasa and another 289 had turned themselves in, police said. (SD-Xinhua)