Foreign media allowed into Tibet ahead of rioting anniversary

LHASA, China, Feb. 10 Kyodo - China on Tuesday allowed a group of foreign journalists into Tibet on a government-organized tour, a month ahead of the first anniversary of violence that rocked the region.

The visit, by 11 journalists from eight news organizations including Kyodo
News, marks the first time that multiple foreign media have been allowed into
Tibet since the Beijing Olympics torch relay last June.
One of the first stops in Lhasa was the Jokhang Temple, the most important and
sacred in Tibet, which was temporarily closed after the violence in March last
year.
A 38-year-old monk at Jokhang told the visitors that ''No monks were detained''
as part of a crackdown after last year's riots.
During a government-organized visit of foreign media two weeks after the
violence, about 30 young monks at the temple disrupted a tour by journalists
calling for Tibet's freedom from China.
The temple and its surroundings were quiet on Tuesday, with no riot police in
sight. The journalists were only allowed to visit areas under the escort of
government officials.
China has blamed the violence last year in Tibet on the Dalai Lama, Tibet's
spiritual leader, branding him a separatist seeking Tibetan independence.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who lives in exile in India, has denied being
behind the rioting and says he only seeks greater autonomy for Tibet so that
its cultural and spiritual identity can be preserved.
March this year is a potentially sensitive time for Tibet, as it marks the 50th
anniversary of the anti-Chinese and anti-Communist revolt in 1959.
The Chinese government does not allow foreign journalists to travel to Tibet
without permission. Also taking part in the four-day visit are journalists from
the United States, South Korea, Russia and France.