Lhasa, March 10
By Steve and Ulrike Photos taken by the authors on March 10th, 2008
Today we see how the real situation is in Tibet.
The day seems to be silent and peaceful, even boring. Until 6 o’clock. then 100s of Tibetans gather together on the Bakhor Square. They form a strong, silent, peaceful circle around the police who keep the middle of the square open. Soon they call for backup. Undercover agents, not so difficult to recognize film the whole happening. Especially the faces. This is one method to create fear. Suddenly there is panic. 6 or 7 monks are arrested and driven away. Tibetans are very scared because of the stories about the prisons and tortures. In the mean while big numbers of policemen arrive. They drive everybody apart. But until sunset small groups of people stay around. There are tourists, Tibetans and Tibetan resembling spies. Apparently we stick around to long because some Tibetans start to warn us to be careful about the undercover police who are watching us closely. We even get a note that says we are being followed and have to be careful about what we say. The whole evening misty figures keep following us, even to the restaurant and the bar.
The Chinese police almost managed to give the impression that it’s just a small manifestation that they can easily control. From our Portuguese friends, Miguel and Clara, who visit one of the biggest monasteries (Drepung) nearby, we learn that the Chinese approach (away from touristic eyes) is much harder. When they walk together with lots of monks towards Lhasa to join the manifestation, they are brutally blocked by armed police and military. Miguel and Clara are picked out of the crowd (they were the only tourists at that time) and chased away. All the shop have to close and all the people around are obliged to leave the scene. They get no information and cannot ask or see anything. It is impossible to take pictures, unfortunately.
Later that day, Miguel returns and tries to get in, being very concerned about the monks. He can get very close to the monastery and sees how army trucks and ambulances go and come back from the scene. Then he is caught, questioned and dropped back at his hotel. We are very concerned what happened or still happens there, behind the scenes. Nobody will know.
Lhasa goes to sleep with a sad and uncomfortable feeling. Maybe it is hard to imagine how bad this feels. We can see now how fortunate we are, having freedom of speech, freedom of going where we like. Everybody is afraid to speak. Even us, free born people, not for our sake but for that of the Tibetans who can get in trouble just by speaking with us. It’s also very spooky to notice that we are being followed and approached by men who really try their best to look like Tibetans, being unhandy with their mala. They ask us what is happening, what we have seen and if we have taken pictures.
together on the Bakhor Square. They form a strong, silent, peaceful circle around the police who keep the middle of the square open. Soon they call for backup. Undercover agents, not so difficult to recognize film the whole happening. Especially the faces. This is one method to create fear. Suddenly there is panic. 6 or 7 monks are arrested and driven away. Tibetans are very scared because of the stories about the prisons and tortures. In the mean while big numbers of policemen arrive. They drive everybody apart. But until sunset small groups of people stay around. There are tourists, Tibetans and Tibetan resembling spies. Apparently we stick around to long because some Tibetans start to warn us to be careful about the undercover police who are watching us closely. We even get a note that says we are being followed and have to be careful about what we say. The whole evening misty figures keep following us, even to the restaurant and the bar.
monasteries (Drepung) nearby, we learn that the Chinese approach (away from touristic eyes) is much harder. When they walk together with lots of monks towards Lhasa to join the manifestation, they are brutally blocked by armed police and military. Miguel and Clara are picked out of the crowd (they were the only tourists at that time) and chased away. All the shop have to close and all the people around are obliged to leave the scene. They get no information and cannot ask or see anything. It is impossible to take pictures, unfortunately. 
Everybody is afraid to speak. Even us, free born people, not for our sake but for that of the Tibetans who can get in trouble just by speaking with us. It’s also very spooky to notice that we are being followed and approached by men who really try their best to look like Tibetans, being unhandy with their mala. They ask us what is happening, what we have seen and if we have taken pictures.