The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Issue date: 3/9/09 Section: News

Media Credit: AP File Photo n this March 17, 1959 file photo, thousands of Tibetan women silently surround the Potala Palace, the main residence of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan leader, to protest against Chinese rule and repression, on March 17, 1959, in Lhasa, Tibet. Hours later fighting broke out and the Dalai Lama was forced to flee to safety in India. Tibetans are about to mark the 50th anniversary of the failed March 10, 1959 uprising which led to the Dalai Lama fleeing to exile in India.

DAOFU, China - Military convoys rumble along winding mountain roads, the Internet has been cut in potential trouble spots and motorists must run a gantlet of inspection checkpoints as Beijing mounts a show of force in Tibetan areas to prevent a repeat of uprisings against Chinese rule.

A volatile period begins Tuesday, the 50th anniversary of a failed revolt that sent the Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama, into exile.

A year ago, Tibetans erupted in protest - sometimes violently. Today, checkpoints and garrisons seem as numerous as the fortress-like Buddhist monasteries and white-domed shrines that dot the steep slopes and pastures of western China bordering Tibet. The result is a kind of martial law, with constant tension across a third of Beijing's territory.

In Daofu, a town in Sichuan province where Buddhist mantras are carved into the sides of 13,000-foot (4,300-meter) snow-dusted mountains, the streets where local nuns protested a year ago are calm. Officials say monasteries are closed to visitors, with monks remaining inside studying Buddhist scriptures.

While markets are bustling and many shopkeepers do brisk business, the atmosphere is steeped in watchfulness. Police cars and military trucks patrol dusty streets where prayer flags flutter from homes and Buddhist shrines.

"There have been thousands of police and troops here since the Lhasa riots last year. It has affected our lives," said one resident, who declined to give his name for fear of reprisals by local officials. "Food is more expensive and harder to buy because the soldiers are eating a lot."

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