BEIJING - CHINESE forces found firearms hidden throughout a Tibetan temple in an ethnic Tibetan area of south-western China which has been the scene of anti-Chinese riots in recent weeks, state television said.

Police, responding to what they said was a tip-off from the public, found 30 firearms in the monastery in the Aba prefecture of Sichuan province last month, state television CCTV said in a report, a transcript of which was posted on the station's website.

'At the time these firearms were scattered around, some were where the monks keep the scriptures,' policeman Lan Bo told the programme. 'They were modified semi-automatic weapons.'

Aba has seen clashes between police and Tibetan protesters who, along with Tibetans in Tibet proper, have been protesting against China's rule and calling for the return of the exiled Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama.

Pro-Tibet protesters have also dogged the global torch relay for the Beijing Olympic Games.

The temple in which the weapons was found was named by the programme in Chinese as Geerdeng.

Mr Jin Jichang, a government official in Aba, added that the weapons had been altered so they could fire military issued bullets.

'Their range of fire was approaching that of military bullets, and were almost as lethal as military bullets,' Mr Jin said.

China has accused Nobel Peace Prize laureate the Dalai Lama of orchestrating the violence in Tibet and other Tibetan areas of the country.

But the Dalai Lama has rejected the accusations, speaking out against the use of violence and calling for talks with China about the problems. - REUTERS