Uneasy calm in Lhasa ahead of torch relay
A semblance of calm has returned to the Tibetan capital since riots in March, locals said Friday, but business remains tough with fewer tourists amid strong police presence ahead of the torch relay.
By Agencies |
LHASA-CHINA: A semblance of calm has returned to the Tibetan capital since riots in March, locals said Friday, but business remains tough with fewer tourists amid strong police presence ahead of the torch relay.
As Lhasa prepares to welcome the Olympic flame on Saturday, locals interviewed by media said life had largely returned to normal since anti-Chinese government riots erupted there on March 14.
But they said a feeling of tension still permeated the city, with the existing armed police presence on the streets beefed up ahead of the torch relay, which a lot of people were apparently not allowed to go and watch.
"There are a lot of policemen outside now, especially in the past two days because of the torch relay, there are a lot of armed police. Before there weren't as many," said an employee at a youth hostel on Dosenge Road in downtown Lhasa, where the violence took place.
"It's safe now but tomorrow the Olympic torch is arriving in Lhasa and most people, like myself, are not allowed to go out."
It was not clear if residents had been specifically told to stay at home for the relay, but when the torch passed through the Xinjiang region this week - along with Tibet the most sensitive leg of its journey - people were told to watch it on the television.
Pro-independence Tibetans are accused of targeting the August Olympics, following a crackdown on the unrest in Lhasa in March in which exiled Tibetan leaders say 203 people died.
China has reported killing one Tibetan "insurgent" and says "rioters" were responsible for 21 deaths.
Restrictions remain on many Tibetans, according to the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, an activist group based in India with many contacts in Lhasa.
"At a superficial level, it seems there is a degree of normality," said Chukora Tsering Agloe, a researcher at the centre, describing what his contacts had told him.
A Tibetan man working at a restaurant in Barkhor Street, which encircles the Jokhang Temple - the first Buddhist temple in Tibet and a focal point for the unrest - seemed to confirm this when approached by media. "Life has gone back to normal but other things I am not able to talk about, sorry," he said.
National flags were flying on houses and cars, with "Go Beijing" signs stuck on windows, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Tourism, however, had been severely affected, as all travellers were banned from going to Tibet following the riots and the subsequent government crackdown.
Visitors from the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau are now allowed back into Lhasa, and foreign travellers would also be able to travel there again "very soon", according to the city's vice mayor Chen Zhichang.
A firm date would be announced after the end of the Tibet leg of the torch relay, Xinhua said earlier, but it was unclear whether other parts of the Himalayan region would also be re-opened to foreign travellers.
"We have guests, but there are far less than last year of course. Business is not good at the moment," the youth hostel employee said.
A waitress at a restaurant located in front of the Jokhang Temple also said business was not good.
"But the armed forces are currently still there to serve the people, so we feel reassured and secure."
As Lhasa prepares to welcome the Olympic flame on Saturday, locals interviewed by media said life had largely returned to normal since anti-Chinese government riots erupted there on March 14.
But they said a feeling of tension still permeated the city, with the existing armed police presence on the streets beefed up ahead of the torch relay, which a lot of people were apparently not allowed to go and watch.
"There are a lot of policemen outside now, especially in the past two days because of the torch relay, there are a lot of armed police. Before there weren't as many," said an employee at a youth hostel on Dosenge Road in downtown Lhasa, where the violence took place.
"It's safe now but tomorrow the Olympic torch is arriving in Lhasa and most people, like myself, are not allowed to go out."
It was not clear if residents had been specifically told to stay at home for the relay, but when the torch passed through the Xinjiang region this week - along with Tibet the most sensitive leg of its journey - people were told to watch it on the television.
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Pro-independence Tibetans are accused of targeting the August Olympics, following a crackdown on the unrest in Lhasa in March in which exiled Tibetan leaders say 203 people died.
China has reported killing one Tibetan "insurgent" and says "rioters" were responsible for 21 deaths.
Restrictions remain on many Tibetans, according to the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, an activist group based in India with many contacts in Lhasa.
"At a superficial level, it seems there is a degree of normality," said Chukora Tsering Agloe, a researcher at the centre, describing what his contacts had told him.
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"But when you go beyond, there are still a lot of restrictions. The movement of Tibetans, especially in the evenings, is very restricted, and whether it's intentional or unintentional, Tibetans are still afraid of contacting the outside." A Tibetan man working at a restaurant in Barkhor Street, which encircles the Jokhang Temple - the first Buddhist temple in Tibet and a focal point for the unrest - seemed to confirm this when approached by media. "Life has gone back to normal but other things I am not able to talk about, sorry," he said.
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Like most here, he was reluctant to give his name or even talk about the situation in Lhasa for fear of the authorities. State media described a sense of excitement ahead of the relay, saying the city's main streets were decorated with signs carrying slogans like "Great Ethnic Unity."National flags were flying on houses and cars, with "Go Beijing" signs stuck on windows, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Tourism, however, had been severely affected, as all travellers were banned from going to Tibet following the riots and the subsequent government crackdown.
Visitors from the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau are now allowed back into Lhasa, and foreign travellers would also be able to travel there again "very soon", according to the city's vice mayor Chen Zhichang.
A firm date would be announced after the end of the Tibet leg of the torch relay, Xinhua said earlier, but it was unclear whether other parts of the Himalayan region would also be re-opened to foreign travellers.
"We have guests, but there are far less than last year of course. Business is not good at the moment," the youth hostel employee said.
A waitress at a restaurant located in front of the Jokhang Temple also said business was not good.
"But the armed forces are currently still there to serve the people, so we feel reassured and secure."
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