China bans tourist entry into Tibet till October 8

October 2nd, 2009 KATHMANDU - For the first time in its history, Nepal will form a Border Security Force to patrol its northernmost tip of the border it shares with Tibet in a bid to prevent anti-China activities by Tibetan dissidents, Nepal's Home Minister Bhim Rawal said. Accompanied by the heads of different security wings, the home minister Thursday paid a surprise visit to Mustang, Nepal's northernmost district that was once part of an ancient Tibetan kingdom which escaped the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950 and still retains its old culture.

October 1st, 2009 KATHMANDU - Under pressure from Beijing to prevent protests by Tibetan refugees on China's 60th anniversary celebrations, Nepal Thursday began rounding up Tibetans here and sending them to detention centres. As the crackdown started on refugee leaders suspected of leading anti-China protests in the past, police arrested 45 Tibetans from different parts of the capital.

September 24th, 2009 Official denies Tibet ban for foreign visitorsBEIJING — A Chinese official on Thursday denied reports that Tibet will be closed to foreign visitors over the sensitive Oct. 1 national day period.

September 21st, 2009 China bans foreign tourists from TibetBEIJING — China has banned foreign tourists from traveling to Tibet ahead of a parade in the capital to mark 60 years of Communist rule, an official said Tuesday, amid stepped-up security across the country to ensure nothing mars the celebrations. Tan Lin, an official with the business administration office at the Tourism Bureau of Tibet, said foreign tourists would be banned from Tuesday onwards, but those who have already arrived would be allowed to stay.

September 3rd, 2009 TAIPEI - The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, called Thursday on China to introduce democracy to avoid a collapse like that of the Soviet Union. The Dalai Lama, invited to visit Taiwan to bless typhoon victims, made the call while receiving disciples at the Howard Plaza Hotel in Taipei.

July 6th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Under growing pressure from the Chinese government after six of its lawmakers met exiled Tibetan leader Dalai Lama in India, Nepal announced a ban on all anti-China and pro-Tibet activities from Monday, celebrated by the Tibetan diaspora worldwide as the 74th birthday of the Nobel laureate. However, a senior minister clarified that there was no bar on the spiritual leader visiting Nepal as long as international laws were respected and the visit had no political agenda.

July 1st, 2009 Air China to offer direct Beijing-Tibet flightsBEIJING — Air China will begin offering direct flights from Beijing to Tibet this month, shaving two hours off the current travel time in a bid to boost tourism, state media said Wednesday. The official Xinhua News Agency said the new service to Tibet's capital of Lhasa will depart Beijing daily from July 10.

June 9th, 2009 KATHMANDU - At least 10 Indians were killed while attempting to undertake the pilgrimage to the Mount Kailash in Tibet and the nearby Mansarovar lake, venerated by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains alike. The deaths occurred due to high-altitude sickness as most of the pilgrims were above 60 years and came from cities in plains like Bangalore, Chennai and Lucknow, tourist agencies in Kathmandu said.

May 28th, 2009 BEIJING - US House of Representative Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a bipartisan CODEL met with China's President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, and Wu Bangguo, the chairman of the National People's Congress - and talked about North Korea and human rights abuses in Tibet. Pelosi, a longtime critic of China's record in Tibet, was greeted by pro-democracy protesters bearing a banner reading "Welcome Pelosi...

April 22nd, 2009 Tibet tourism recovering after last year's riotsBEIJING — Tibet's battered tourism industry is gradually recovering from last year's deadly riots, prompting authorities to phase out discount prices aimed at boosting visitor numbers, state media reported Wednesday. Tourism in the Himalayan region took a major hit from the March 2008 riots, in which Tibetans attacked Chinese migrants and torched much of Lhasa's commercial district, leaving 22 people dead by China's account.

April 22nd, 2009 BEIJING - U.S. President Barack Obama risks damaging relations with China if he meets the Dalai Lama in October, Chinese experts have warned.

March 13th, 2009 BEIJING - Talks between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama over Tibet may continue if he is 'sincere', Premier Wen Jiabao said here Friday. 'Tibet is an inalienable part of China and issues related to Tibet are China's internal affairs which should not be interfered by foreign countries,' Wen told reporters at a press conference after the National People's Congress (NPC) closed its annual session.

March 9th, 2009 BEIJING - The question of Tibet's autonomy has been a bone of contention for decades. The following are important dates in modern Tibetan history: 1912 - Chinese troops expelled from Lhasa after the fall of the Qing Dynasty in Beijing.

March 7th, 2009 BEIJING - Two Tibetan women were arrested for staging separate protests that were critical of China in the Chinese province of Sichuan, an advocacy group for Tibet said Saturday. A nun in her 20s and a 36-year-old woman were detained Thursday in Ganzi after handing out pamphlets that called for the exiled Dalai Lama's return to Tibet, respect for Tibetans' human rights, religious freedom and the release of Tibetan political prisoners, the International Campaign for Tibet said.

March 2nd, 2009 BEIJING - The Chinese government has reiterated its claim on Tibet and said the region would not be granted independence or autonomy, a report published Monday said. The document, published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of democratic reforms in the region, said 'granting independence to Tibet is impossible', adding 'semi-independence or attempts to free Tibet using the term of high-level autonomy is also impossible'.