(Reuters) – Chinese anti-graft authorities found 15 senior Communist Party officials in Tibet guilty of corruption last year and punished them, the state-owned China News Service said on Tuesday.

China strictly polices dissent in Tibet but it is highly unusual for anti-graft authorities to investigate such matters.

A team from the party investigated officials suspected of joining groups supporting Tibetan independence, providing intelligence to the faction of Tibet’s spiritual leader – the Dalai Lama, funding activities that endanger national security and other violations, the report said, citing Wang Gang, secretary general of Tibet’s anti-graft authority. [Source]