Originally published March 17, 2008 at 12:00 AM | Page modified March 17, 2008 at 2:17 PM
Tibet a no-go zone as tourists hole up in hotels
Tourists in Tibet take refuge in hotels during protests and foreigners are barred from entering Tibet, leaving tour companies scrambling
Seattle Times news services and Travel staff
For the few remaining foreigners in Tibet, most of Lhasa has become a no-go zone. Soldiers have filled the streets ahead of a deadline set by China for all demonstrators to turn themselves in by the end of Monday.
"They've absolutely locked the city," said Paul, a European backpacker who asked that his full name not be used. "It's really massive. There are at least 30 soldiers on every intersection."
China has blocked foreigners from traveling to Lhasa and the rest of Tibet after Tibetan independence protests turned violent, and the U.S. State Department has issued a travel alert urging Americans in Lhasa to seek safe haven in hotels (see www.travel.state.gov). U.S. tour companies, such as San Francisco-based Geographic Expeditions, which was a pioneer in Westerners' travel to Tibet and continues to offer many small-group tours to Tibet, are scrambling to rearrange clients' itineraries.
In Lhasa, a group of backpackers has been moved from a budget hotel to a five-star resort after rioting and looting destroyed much of Beijing Street, the city's main east-west thoroughfare, said Paul. One of them counted at least 30 flipped cars on that road, seven buildings gutted by fire, and looting at half the stores.
The travelers had to go through four checkpoints. A Canadian who saw their van tried to jump in. "The soldiers trained their guns on him and almost shot him," said Paul.
The hotel, he added, "turned the Internet off as soon as we arrived."
The unrest in Tibet began March 10 on the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule in the region that sent the Dalai Lama and much of the leading Buddhist clergy into exile. Tibet was effectively independent for decades before Communist troops entered in 1950.
But what began as largely peaceful protests by monks spiraled Friday into a melee with Tibetans attacking Chinese and burning their businesses in the Tibetan capital Lhasa. The outburst came after several years of intensifying government control over Buddhist practices and vilification of the Dalai Lama, whom Tibetans still revere.
Material from the Christian Science Monitor, Associated Press and Kristin Jackson of Seattle Times Travel is included in this report.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
NEW - 12:25 PM
Rick Steves' Europe: Ride the buses for city sights
NEW - 12:40 PM
Airlines fined for stranding passengers on tarmac
NEW - 12:33 PM
Pass the turkey — and the swine flu?
Get ready for Thanksgiving flight delays, thanks to New York
Biofuel used on Boeing 747 flight

New Beginnings Christian Fellowship
Coming in this Sunday's Pacific Northwest Magazine: Pastor Braxton's mission is to preach a message that appeals to everyone.
nwautos
Local riders say they've seen a surge in scooter interest in recent years, mostly from people wanting another commuting option. Seattle now ranks as o...
Post a comment
nwjobs
Post a comment
Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Do you suffer from "sitting disease"?
Post a comment
- Two men in Everett shoot each other early today
- Steve Kelley | Next Seahawks GM should be Mike Holmgren
- Mariners Blog | Jose Lopez appears to be on his way out
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Amazon, Wal-Mart escalate Web price war
- As glam as he wants to be: Adam Lambert's real debut
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Bellevue Blog | Bellevue residents blast new bikini espresso stand
- Big demand, grim outlook for state Basic Health Plan
- Husky Men's Basketball Blog | An interview with Enes Kanter's coach
- Illegal workers quietly let go
441 - Bellevue residents blast new bikini espresso stand
247 - Jose Lopez appears to be on his way out
218 - Big demand, grim outlook for state Basic Health Plan
192 - Next Seahawks GM should be Mike Holmgren
140 - Washington State coach Paul Wulff says he's excited about Cougars' future
137 - Some fans at Fort Bragg see themselves in Sarah Palin
80 - Hate crimes against gays, religious groups up, FBI says
76 - Man shoots self at Westlake Center
57 - Teen pimp found guilty of human trafficking
51
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Tattoos at Mill Creek church pierce skin, soul
- Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Architects, chefs find 'kid' within to build Gingerbread Village
- Nicole Brodeur | Homeless woman bent on giving
- Portland cafe's specialty: medical-marijuana tokes
- Big demand, grim outlook for state Basic Health Plan
- Hutch gets $10M from Bezos family for immunotherapy research
- Rediscovering Moab, 'the most beautiful place on Earth'





