Security forces patrol Tibetan town in NW China

[Coventina]

Source: Reuters

XIAHE, China (Reuters) - Security forces put on a show of force in the important Tibetan monastery town of Xiahe in the foothills of the Tibetan plateau before a sensitive Tibetan anniversary.

March will mark the 50th anniversary of the exile of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's highest religious leader, and the one-year anniversary of protests against Chinese rule in Lhasa and in Tibetan communities across the plateau.

Riot police marched through Xiahe's tense main street at regular intervals on Saturday morning, while vehicles were stopped and checked at military road blocks about 200 km (120 miles) from Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province.

"Last year, because of the Olympics, people were confident China could not be too harsh with us. But this year, nothing much will happen because people are much more afraid," a monk told Reuters.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE51618V20090207

[earcandle]

1. I am so sad about what is happening to these practioners of peace who

practice and teach meditation. Why do the Chinese have to do
this?  

These people are lasting symbols of peace.  Remember the monk
who set himself on fire in the 60's?  These people have deep
connections with their souls and keep one disciplined sole on
the mat. 

Why do we have to support the lust to kill?  
Why?  I don't get it.  
It hurts, and it is really horrifying, and dangerous. 
And damaging even to the ones who perpetrate.