Even though there is a possibility of minor protests in Tibet, no major riots, like the one on March 14 last year, will take place in the region this year, a top official of the Tibet autonomous region said Thursday.

"I am absolutely confident that the situation in Tibet is stable ... There won't be any major riot like the one on March 14," Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the government of the Tibet autonomous region, told China Daily.

A Tibetan girl plays at the square in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Tibet regional government officials said riots like the one last March will not happen again. Long Hao [China Daily]

"But the possibility of small incidents, like three to five individuals taking to the streets and shouting slogans, cannot be ruled out," he said on the sidelines of the ongoing two sessions.

Puncog attributed his confidence to the people of Tibet, who, he said, supported the government wholeheartedly.

"After the riot, more and more Tibetans realized that stability is a blessing and unrest is a disaster."

The violence last year left 18 civilians and a policeman dead, and injured 382 civilians and 241 police officials.

Rioters also set fire to 120 houses and 84 vehicles and looted 1,367 shops, causing an economic loss of about $47 million, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

However, Puncog said violence could hinder local development for a moment, but it wouldn't have a lasting impact.

"Given last year's riot, Tibet's GDP still showed a double-digit growth of 10.1 percent in 2008," he said.

As for this year, the regional government has set a 10-percent growth target, higher than the country's 8 percent.

In response to some media reports that many Tibetan people chose not to celebrate the Tibetan New Year, which fell on Feb 25, to "mourn the activities in 2008", Legqog, director of the standing committee of the Tibetan autonomous regional people's congress, said it was "untrue".

"Everything went on smoothly. People celebrated the New Year exactly the way they always do," he said.

"The Tibetans are enjoying a good life now, so there's no reason for them to not celebrate their traditional holiday," Legqog said.

Kang Jinzhong, political commissar of the armed police force in Tibet, also said the situation in the autonomous region is "stable".

"But we'll pay attention to nip the problem in the bud," he said.

"Maintaining the social stability in Tibet is a lasting and unavoidable responsibility for us."

Kang also said the armed force in Tibet will try to beef up their anti-terrorism efforts, but did not elaborate.

"The Mumbai terrorist attack last year sounded an alarm for us, and we shall be prepared for possible terrorist activities."

(China Daily March 6, 2009)