World

China Intensifies Tibet Monasteries Siege

by Rob Walker | March 13, 2008 at 10:14 am | 481 views | 3 comments | 2 recommendations

More than 2,000 police are surrounding one monastery, and two others are under siege by authorities in Tibet after the monks there began a hunger strike and continued their protests, despite harsh government condemnation.
Read Previous NowPublic coverage about the protests in Tibet here.

Beijing laid siege to at least three monasteries in Tibet today, leaving monks
trapped with dwindling food supplies, as the biggest anti-Chinese
demonstrations in nearly two decades intensified.
Monks at Ganden monastery, located on a hilltop near the regional capital
Lhasa, were reported to have started a hunger strike to protest against the
deployment of armed paramilitary police, who continued to surround them
today after being sent in to restore order yesterday.
Soldiers were today also reported to have been stationed around the Sera and
Drepung monasteries. Drepung, in particular, was surrounded by "three
layers" of army personnel, a witness told the AP news agency, while the
Sera monastery was surrounded by more than 2,000 police.

recommend Add a comment

René

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 10:48 on March 13th, 2008

How do the Chinese think they are going to keep this whole issue (Tibet) under wraps? Closing off Mt Everest? I fear for all those who dare to go to China for the Games: athletes, newspeople, spectators, etc. Rob Walker, I like this story. It's good stuff.