22. Sep 2009
Contradictory reports on Tibet ban for foreigners
(AFP; AP) AP reported that China has closed Tibet to foreign tourists as part of a raft of stringent security measures ahead of the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China (PRC). As in the wake of rioting in March 2008, foreign tourists have been banned from Tibet, according to local officials and people working in the travel industry. Su Tingrui, a salesman with Tibet China Travel Service, said that the company's general manager was called to a meeting by authorities in Lhasa. He said the ban was not issued in writing but conveyed during the meeting and will extend to 08 October. Other agents in Beijing and Lhasa said that the government had stopped giving out special permits needed to visit the region to foreigners. AFP, however, later reported (24 September) that Liao Lisheng, spokesman for the TAR tourism bureau, has denied that any notice to this effect had been issued. "Those reports were not true. We just told the travel agencies to adjust their arrangements in order to avoid too many people coming at the same time. (...) But we never said that we would suspend issuing passes to foreign travellers", he said.