05. Mar 2010
China launches 'Strike Hard' campaign in Tibet
(TCHRD) The Chinese authorities' launched a 'Strike Hard' campaign in the run up to the March anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising of 1959. According to the official newspaper Lhasa Evening News, Lhasa Public Security Bureau (PSB) officials carried out the campaign across all seven prefectures of the TAR. There have been reports of at least 500 Tibetans being detained in Lhasa. According to TCHRD sources, the movement of monks from the three major monasteries, Drepung, Sera and Ganden, around Lhasa city have had their movements restricted. The planned length of this campaign was not mentioned. Additional security forces in full combat gear were deployed in and around Lhasa and at every entry point to the city. Paramilitary forces were seen patrolling the major gathering points, and guesthouses were also raided. There is no information on how this campaign has progressed in other prefectures in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).