Beijing, March 17 (AP): Internet users in China were blocked from seeing YouTube.com yesterday after dozens of videos about protests in Tibet appeared on the popular American video website.

The blocking added to the communist government’s efforts to control what the public saw and heard about protests that erupted on Friday.

Access to YouTube.com, usually readily available in China, was blocked after videos appeared on the site on Saturday showing foreign news reports about the Lhasa demonstrations, montages of photos and scenes from Tibet-related protests abroad.

There were no protest scenes posted on China-based video websites like 56.com.

The Chinese government has not commented on its move to prevent access to YouTube. Internet users trying to call up the website were presented with a blank screen.