Tibet

China/Tibet: Tensions Remain High in Lhasa

Date: April 2nd, 2008 |

Facing international censure over its repression of dissent in Tibet and in heavily Tibetan areas of Gansu province, the Chinese government is doing its best to blame the recent protests on the Dalai Lama while showing that the situation is calm in Lhasa. It allowed foreign diplomats in for a tightly-controlled two-day visit but did [read more]

Tibet: Funding Planned to Upgrade Lhasa Toilets

Date: December 19th, 2007 |

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Tourism to Tibet has increased dramatically since the opening of the rail link to Lhasa in 2006, with more than a million visitors this year to the Potala Palace, the former residence of the Dalai Lama, and some 4 million tourists overall. With that influx comes pressure on facilities of all sorts, so Chinese tourism [read more]

Tibet

Date: March 8th, 2005 |

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The Chinese government announced plans to develop tourism in Tibet over the next 15 years with hopes of drawing as many as 10 million annual visitors by 2020. Currently Tibet attracts about one million tourists a year, most of them from China. The plan involves developing infrastructure, promoting urbanization and strengthening the economy to improve [read more]

Tibet

Date: June 15th, 2004 |

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The Tibet Information Network (TIN) reported June 14 that road travel in Tibet has become dramatically more dangerous in recent years because of several factors including unsealed roads, inexperienced drivers and the conditions under which the drivers must work. Many tour companies put heavy pressure on drivers to return on time so the vehicles can [read more]

Tibet

Date: August 1st, 2001 |

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Chinese security on the border with Nepal has been intensified in an effort to prevent Tibetans from escaping over the mountains to Nepal and on to India. Such efforts shouldn’t affect Western travelers going overland between Nepal and Tibet, but once they reach Lhasa, the colorful local Tibetans they see may be less authentic than [read more]

Tibet: Tight Security in Lhasa

Date: March 20th, 2008 |

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Rioting occurred in Lhasa after several days of peaceful marches to mark the 49th anniversary of the failed uprising against Chinese rule and the Dalai Lama’s exile. Chinese security forces put down the protests in which at least 13 people were killed (an estimate by the Dalai Lama’s officials said 99 people died) and more [read more]

Tibet: New Railway to Lhasa Set to Open

Date: May 16th, 2006 |

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A railway that promises to bring an additional 800,000 visitors to Lhasa annually will begin trial operations July 1. The stretch between Golmud and Lhasa was the final link in the rail network to connect the holy Tibetan capital with China’s main cities, and will soon be functional. The first five trains have been scheduled [read more]

Tibet

Date: June 29th, 2004 |

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A famous Chinese open-water swimmer has raised the ire of Tibetans throughout China with his plans to swim across Namtso lake, the highest saltwater lake in the world at 15,475 feet, but a body of water held sacred by Tibetans. Young, urban Tibetans from around the country have signed a letter to Chinese authorities asking [read more]

Tibet

Date: June 10th, 2003 |

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The border with Nepal, which Chinese authorities had closed April 27 as part of an effort to prevent SARS from reaching Tibet, is set to reopen July 1. Flights between Kathmandu and Lhasa had been canceled at the same time but will be allowed to resume in July. Road traffic from China into the Tibetan [read more]

Tibet

Date: July 26th, 2001 |

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Chinese officials have begun cracking down on private religious practice in Lhasa, confiscating altars, thangka paintings and other Buddhist objects from local homes. Previously such restrictions only applied to government workers and Communist Party members, but recently the ban was extended to the general public. For years one common way for visitors to connect with [read more]

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