Beijing: Everything is fine in Tibet, but you can't go there

When it comes to a controversial subject there are two ways that a government can go about its business: It can work in the light, or it can work in the shadows.

If the government sincerely believes that what it is doing is right and just then it won't care who sees. It will work in the light and will be open about what it is doing. But if a government knows that what it is doing is wrong then it will hide in the shadows, it won't be open about what it is doing, and it won't want anybody to see.

You can infer a lot about said governments actions and intents on said controversial subject by noting which of the two paths it takes. Light or shadow, openness of secrecy, the belief in ones own righteousness or the knowledge that what you are doing is wrong.

To put this into context China watchers need only to look Beijing's preparations for the 50th anniversary of the Communist subjugation of Tibet. Specifically the fact that they include an effective travel ban for foreigners.

No Go Zone

As of February this year, Chinese travel groups have been ordered to cease issuing TTB permits, the de facto entry visa that foreigners require to enter Tibet proper - as considered by Mainland authorities - and local security forces have taken a much harder line on the issuance of Alien Travel Permits. Effectively preventing foriegners from legally entering Tibet or observing what happens there during the takeover anniversary. As yet no official announcement has been made regarding travel restrictions, with Beijing only saying that visas could continue processing Visas, but not stating when they would be issued.

It is believed that issuance will resume in April, though if there are significant incidents of unrest it may take much longer before normal services resume.

Other Measures

The cessation order on foreign entry and travel permits comes amidst a significant crackdown on movement and communications in the region. The number and strength of local and regional checkpoints has been increased. Both at the Tibetan border: to prevent unauthorized entry or exit, and within Tibet; to restrict internal movement. Internet and cell phone text messaging services have also been significantly restricted in areas with large ethnic Tibetan populations.

Business as Usual?

It is standard procedure for regimes to bar foreigners and journalists from entering regions where controversy exists in order to ensure that only the official account of events is allowed to propagate. Or at least to ensure that unofficial accounts can be denied as hearsay or rumor mongering due to their lack photographic evidence and official field access.

Examples of this include efforts by the US government to restrict reporters access to the Hurricane Katrina disaster zone, and by FEMA to prevent the media from interviewing survivors without FEMA officials present. Other examples include efforts to prevent reporters from independently entering and reporting on combat zones in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine.

Embarrassment

The latest crackdown comes as a significant embarrassment to Beijing.

Officially, Beijing maintains Tibet is an integral part of China, and that the Tibetan people are happy and productive members of Chinese society who desire to become more Mainland, not less. However the need to clamp down on them out of fear of unrest, and to prevent foriegners from witnessing events in Tibet, serves as a blatant contradiction to the state line. As do efforts to ban symbols of Tibetan religion, history and culture that demonstrate the separate nature of Tibet and the Mainland. With Mainland officials refusing to be drawn on why they would need to ban such symbols if the Tibetan people had little or no interest in them other than the as the historical relics that Beijing claims the Tibetan people see them as being.

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