China imposes communication blackout on Lhasa before arrival of Olympic Torch

Eyewitness reports seeing hundreds of armed police on streets of central Lhasa

 

The Chinese authorities this week dramatically stepped up restrictions on the amount of information being relayed by telephone into and out of out of Tibet. The restrictions, which have been accompanied by a noticeably increased security presence on Lhasa’s streets, are thought to coincide with the arrival of the Olympic Torch in Lhasa on Saturday 21 June.

According to reliable reports received by Free Tibet Campaign, phoning in to Lhasa has become significantly more difficult in the last few days. A Tibetan based in India reported being able to speak to only two of his eight contacts on 18 June. The two contacts that were reached were reluctant to talk about the Olympic Torch or the current situation in Lhasa. Referring to the arrival of the Olympic Torch, one said:

“I heard it is not safe to talk on the phone. Many have been arrested for talking about these things on the phone.”

Another India-based Tibetan reported dialling three separate mobile numbers in Lhasa on 18 June. Each call was transferred to an answer message in Chinese saying that one of the phone numbers did not exist and the other two numbers were out of service. The caller had previously experienced no problems when regularly dialling the three numbers.

Although it has become increasingly difficult to obtain information from Tibet, Free Tibet Campaign has also received separate reports that Tibetans have been banned from performing the Lingkor circumambulation. Such circumambulations of the old centre of Lhasa including the Potala Palace, Ramoche monastery and the Jokhang temple are traditional on the Fifteenth day of Saga Dawa ( Saga Dawa is the fourth month of the Tibetan calendar) which this year fell on 18 June.

An eyewitness account reaching Free Tibet Campaign reported an increased security presence on the streets of Lhasa this week. The eyewitness reported seeing several hundred police on the road leading from the Norbulinga in central Lhasa to the Potala Palace. Some, but not all, of the police were reported to be armed.

Although the Chinese authorities have not revealed the precise route of the torch through Lhasa, it is certain that the torch will travel along the Norbulinga Road to the Potala Palace which is Lhasa’s most famous landmark.

The same source reported that only Tibetans in certain jobs were being allowed to apply for the special permit issued by the authorities to watch the arrival of the torch in Lhasa.

Anne Holmes, Acting Director of Free Tibet Campaign, said:

“China's parading of the Olympic Torch tomorrow in front of a hand picked crowd of Communist Party faithful is a sickening piece of propaganda. The Tibetan victims of the brutal crackdown on peaceful protest will not be allowed anywhere near the flame of shame. The Governor of the Tibetan Autonomous Region has hinted at a shoot first, ask questions later policy. Sending the torch into the highly combustible atmosphere of Lhasa is the height of irresponsibility. The IOC should never have allowed China to take the Olympic torch into Tibet.”

Following the torch’s one day relay through Lhasa it is due to travel through other Tibetan populated areas of Amdo (Ch provinces: Gansu and Qinghai). Xinhua reported on 19 June that the torch will travel through Qinghai on Sunday 22 and Monday 23 June, stopping at Geermu City, Qinghai Lake and Xining City.

A monk from the Amdo region (we cannot reveal the name of the monastery for security reasons) told a reliable source:

“The torch should not pass through Tibet. Tibetans were killed, imprisoned and tortured earlier this year. The [Chinese] government treated Tibetan protesters badly. If the torch comes through Tibet with no regard for the feeling of Tibetans, it will burn the hearts of Tibetans. Many other Tibetans have the same feeling as me.”

Ends

Matt Whitticase