Chinese travel agents organizing trips to Tibet said yesterday that they have been ordered not to accept foreign visitors around the March 14 anniversary of a bloody anti-government riot in 2008.
The top Chinese government official for Tibet confirmed there were restrictions, but said they were being enforced for safety reasons, citing possible overcrowding and the bitterly cold winter weather.
Beijing Youth Travel Service saleswoman Li Jianyue said the order was conveyed verbally, as is often the case with official directives that the government does not wish to defend or explain.
“A few days ago, they told us not to organize the foreign groups this month,” Li said.
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.
Zhang Qingli (張慶黎), the Chinese Communist Party head for Tibet, told reporters at a briefing on the sidelines of the annual legislative session in Beijing that the regional government “had taken some control measures this year” to limit the number of visitors allowed into Tibet. 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 as well as Tibet’s capacity to receive tourists, and other factors such as climate and security,” Zhang said.
“It’s not that the anti-Chinese forces and the Dalai [Lama] 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.
China blamed followers of Tibet’s exiled leader the Dalai Lama for fomenting the 2008 violence, a charge the Buddhist leader denies.
Hotel receptionists reached by phone in Lhasa yesterday also said 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 this month 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.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (楊潔篪) dismissed suggestions of heightened domestic tension following calls for anti-government protests inspired by the “Jasmine” uprisings in the Arab world.
“I haven’t noticed any signs of tension [in China],” Yang told reporters during a press briefing at the National People’s Congress.
Chinese authorities have been on edge following political uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East, detaining activists and placing restrictions on foreign journalists attempting to cover proposed public rallies in China.
Those behind the anonymous online calls for “Jasmine” rallies each Sunday have said they want to bring attention to Chinese public dissatisfaction with widening income disparity, corruption and misrule.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
RSS