News from Tibet

On Monday, Kadfly carried a post entitled, "Situation Resolved?" It described the stillness that had set over the Tibetan capital.

However, sources inside Tibet are saying that because the Chinese government doesn't want any further embarrassing protests or violent confrontations, they have been quietly arresting potential rioters, i.e. young men. If no men are in the house when authorities arrive they take women, as a sort of collateral. All this in an effort to pre-empt any further large-scale public demonstration. As many as 4000 people have been arrested.

Also, there is a growing sense of momentum amongst Tibetans. Precisely because China is determined to avoid embarrassment on the eve of the Olympics, there is a feeling that the ball is in the Tibetans' court and there's talk of more, wider-scale action in the weeks and months ahead.

As for our illustrious Kadfly, he is safe and in good spirits. He is enjoying copious alcoholic beverages and games of chess with fellow tourists holed up in his hotel in Llasa. With only sporadic internet access, he's been largely unaware of the hoopla going on online. He tells me that while he did manage to put up a brief post, he has not yet been able to check out the comments. He's delighted by the positive response and will write again when he gets a chance.

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(The banner reads: Strengthen public safety management, safeguard political stability. -NYT)

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