[20. October 2011] Radio Free Asia

Chinese security forces in large numbers have moved into Tibet’s regional capital Lhasa in an apparent bid to discourage local protests against rule by Beijing, according to sources in Tibet.

The move follows a recent wave of self-immolation protests against Chinese rule in which at least five Tibetans in a Tibetan-populated county of Sichuan province have died.

Chinese security forces in Lhasa are now thoroughly searching Tibetans coming from Tibet’s eastern Kham and Amdo regions, along with monks and nuns and anyone wearing eastern regional dress or hairstyles, the caller said.

The soldiers also search cell phones, looking for photographs of the Dalai Lama or another senior religious figure, the Karmapa. They also search for Tibetan songs, or anything else considered politically sensitive, the caller said Read more