Beijing (PTI): Chinese security forces poured into a tense but relatively peaceful Lhasa even as the local government on Sunday launched a "people's war" to crush the massive pro-independence protests, ahead of the deadline to agitating Tibetans to surrender.

No fresh bloodletting was reported in the riots-scarred Tibetan capital Lhasa where 10 people were killed and 12 security personnel injured after the protests launched as part of the stir to mark the 49th anniversary of the failed Tibetan uprising against the 57-year Chinese rule turned violent.

However, rights groups claimed that seven people were killed on Sunday after the violent protests spilled to nearby provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu with significant Tibetan population.

A day after setting a Monday deadline for rioters to surrender or face punishment, Tibetan political and security chiefs declared a "people's war" against the protesters and vowed to "expose" the Dalai Lama group.

"We must wage a people's war to beat splittism and expose and condemn the malicious acts of these hostile forces and expose the hideous face of the Dalai Lama group to the light of day," they were quoted as saying by media after an emergency meeting.

International pressure mounted on Beijing to show restraint in handling the protests that convulsed Tibet at a time when Beijing is going all out to showcase China through the Olympic eyes.