By Kalsang Rinchen
Bangalore, March 8 — Chinese travel agents organizing trips to Tibet said Monday they have been ordered not to receive foreign visitors around the March 14 anniversary of bloody anti-government protests in March 2008.
China terms incidents of March 2008 as mere anti-government “riot”, and so does sections of the international media which often rely for information on regular press briefings in Beijing by Chinese government spokesperson.
However, what appeared on March 14 , 2008 as riot after China’s censorship of information and news was anti – government protests by Tibetans that later spread to many parts of the Himalayan region including several places outside of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. China says only 22 people have died in the “riots” after March 14, 2008. However, exile right groups and the Tibetan government say that over 200 people have died as a result of Chinese government’s crackdown on Tibetan protesters; and many others were sentenced to various prison terms.
Zhang Qingli, Communist Party Secretary of the “Tibet Autonomous Region”, known for his “wolf in monks robes” comments against the Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama told reporters that the regional government “had taken some control measures this year” to limit the number of visitors into Tibet. The top Chinese government official for Tibet confirmed the restrictions but added they were being enforced for safety reasons, citing possible overcrowding and the bitterly cold winter weather, media reports said. He didn’t say how long the rules would be in force.
“Except for a few cases and locations, the restrictions on foreign (tourists to Tibet) have been imposed according to government regulations, and Tibet’s capacity to receive tourists, and other factors such as climate and security,” Zhang said on the sidelines of the annual legislative session in Beijing.
Zhang said the situation since March 2008 has been quite stable in Tibet. “It’s not that the anti-Chinese forces and the Dalai clique haven’t thought of it, but the fact is they haven’t been able to stir up any unrest since the March 14 (2008) incident,” Zhang said.
He blamed “separatists” — a common way of reference to Tibetans in exile and followers of the Dalai Lama on foreign soil — for the “riots” of 2008, a charge the Tibetan leader denied and invited independent probe comprising of representatives from Chinese government to go through his files and videos of his speeches.
Foreign journalists who were part of Chinese government conducted media tour to Tibetan capital Lhasa just three months after deadly protests in March 2008 have reported that the city still remained tense amid tight security and presence of armed forces.
Beijing Youth Travel Service saleswoman Li Jianyue said the restriction order on foreign tourists was conveyed verbally, as is often the case with official directives that the government does not wish to defend or explain, reported Reuters
“A few days ago, they told us not to organize the foreign groups this month,” Li was quoted by Reuters as saying.
Liu Qiang, a sales manager at Kangqu International Travel Agent in Tibet’s capital, Lhasa, said his company was notified of the measure in January.
Hotel receptionists reached by phone in Lhasa on Monday told Reuters that foreigners were barred from the beginning of the month. The receptionists and the travel agents said the impact would be minimal since the Himalayan region’s bitter winter tends to make March a low season for tourism.
However, a receptionist at the Jardin Secret Hotel in Lhasa said the ban could last for up to three months. “This has grown into a yearly practice around March 14 every year,” said the woman, who would give only her surname, Dong, to avoid drawing the ire of authorities.
China strictly limits access by foreigners to Tibet, requiring them to obtain special permits in addition to their Chinese visas and to travel in tour groups.
Tibetans and supporters worldwide will commemorate on Thursday the 52nd anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising day. The main official function will be held in Dharamsala, the exile home of the Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama since 1960, and headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile.
