01. Oct 2009
Lhasa under tight security on China's National Day
(CSM) The remaining Tibetan quarter of Tibet's capital Lhasa was kept under tight security ahead of the anniversary of the founding of the PRC. "Camouflage-clad Chinese troops, armed with weapons loaded with tear gas and rubber bullets, stand guard at every entrance to Lhasa's old town", reported the Christian Science Monitor (CSM). The report noted that while pilgrims circled the sacred Jokhang temple at the centre of town, chanting prayers and bowing to the ancient structure, lending an appearance of normality to the situation, the round helmets of soldiers were visible on the surrounding rooftops. It said that armoured vehicles periodically rolled along Lhasa's streets while groups of soldiers, wearing facemasks and wielding riot shields, patrolled the sidewalks and alleys. The Tibetan were reportedly afraid more of the invisible secret police than the police patrolling the streets. "They've been doing a lot of cleaning up, which means people have gone missing", the report quoted a Tibetan shopkeeper, who had two of his friends in jail, as saying. Both soldiers and police officers were reported to operate checkpoints along roads throughout the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).