Chinese authorities have sentenced 17 people to jail terms of between three years and life for their roles in last month's unrest in Tibet.

The official Xinhua news agency reported the sentences, which it said were the first for anyone connected with last month's clashes in the Himalayan region.

Beijing says the riots killed 18 people, but Tibetan exile groups say the death toll in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, and other parts of western China totaled more than 100.

Local media reports say the trial was attended by more than 200 people, including Buddhist monks and medical workers.

Al Jazeera's Beijing correspondent, Melissa Chan, says very little known about the people sentenced and or their role in the unrest.

But she says the Chinese government is eager "to show the Chinese people that it is doing something about the rioting and putting the people it says were responsible in jail."

China has blamed Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and his government in exile for plotting the riots. 

However, last week state media quoted senior government officials as saying they had agreed to hold talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama.

The surprise announcement followed weeks of protests around the world over China's crackdown on the unrest in Tibet.

International anger over the crackdown has also disrupted several legs of the global Olympic torch relay causing embarrassment for games organizers.

PHOTO CAPTION 

TV grab from France 24 shows CCTV footage of the riots in Lhasa, Tibet, on March 14.

 Al-Jazeera