"We've hardly got any photos of the repression"
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Photo taken in Lhasa todayPhotos of the chaos in Lhasa are finding their way to us slowly. We asked a young Tibetan activist to explain how the Chinese government manages to restrict information from leaving the country. UPDATE (13 March 7.30pm): We published the first amateur images of events on the Observers site. Press agencies have now distributed new photos of the events, finally managing to get their documents out of the country.
Photo taken in Lhasa today
Photos of the chaos in Lhasa are slowly finding their way to us. We asked a young Tibetan activist to explain how the Chinese government is managing to restrict information from leaving the country.
UPDATE (13 March 7.30pm): We published the first amateur images of events on the Observers site. Press agencies have now distributed new photos of the events, finally managing to get their documents out of the country.
Taken with a mobile phone, today in Xiahe, a city of the Gansu province, where the Labrang monastry is located
"The media asks for evidence of the repression going on in Lhasa. And it’s impossible to give any"
Lhadon Tethong, a young Tibetan brought up in Canada, is the director of the "Students for a Free Tibet" association. Right now she's in Dharamsala, north India, where the leader of Tibet is in exile.
We couldn't get hold of our contacts in Tibet this morning. The Chinese authorities have blocked all information from getting out. It looks as thought they've brought down all internet connections and cut the phone lines, or at least mobile services. This is how they start controlling information.
Firstly, they play on fear. The Tibetan people know that to release a photo, or even make a call abroad, can get them thrown straight into jail. Even under normal circumstances they can be arrested for owning a picture of the Dalai Lama.
Then, they take complete control over the internet and telephones. To enter a cybercafé in Tibet you have to hand over proof of identity. Same to buy a phone card. And in any case the lines are tapped. It's happened to me sometimes- I've heard Chinese police in the background when I'm phoning a contact. They wouldn't hide it; they want to intimidate you.
The most depressing thing is when the media asks for evidence of the repression going on in Lhasa. And it's impossible to give any. There are loads of rumours. Particularly about the police firing at the demonstrators. Also about a 16-year-old girl that was killed. But we've got nothing to prove it."
Photo taken with a mobile phone
Photo taken in Lhasa today. Source: http://gangkyi.com/