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BEIJING -
Tibet reopened to foreign tourists on Wednesday, three months after the Chinese government banned such visits in the wake of violent anti-government riots and protests that tainted the image of the country ahead of the Olympics.
The first foreign tourists, a retired Swedish couple, arrived at the airport near the capital, Lhasa, on Wednesday, said Tibetan Tourism Bureau spokesman Liao Lisheng.
"Tibet is open now to all travelers from home and abroad," he said.
Kurt Persson, 77, and Eva Sandstrom, 62, were welcomed with traditional Tibetan white silk scarves at their hotel near the sacred Jokhang Temple, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
"We've been looking forward to visiting Tibet for many years. Its monasteries and landscapes are fascinating," Xinhua quoted Sandstrom as saying.
Their five-day trip is their first to Tibet, Xinhua said. "We have no worries about the safety here," she said. "The only worry was to get the permission to come to Tibet."
The Himalayan region has been all but closed to the outside world since the biggest protests against Chinese rule in two decades exploded into rioting March 14 in Lhasa, leading Beijing to swiftly shut off the area.
Troops also flooded into predominantly Tibetan communities in nearby provinces, where sympathy demonstrations were occurring. They performed drills in town squares and set up checkpoints around sensitive areas. Officials said the restrictions were established for the safety of foreign tourists and journalists.
A notice on the tourism bureau's Web site announcing the lifting of the ban said life in Lhasa had returned to normal.
"Tibet's society is stable and harmonious, its markets bustling, and its environment beautiful," it said.
But there are still signs of tension.
Buddhist monasteries seen as incubators for anti-government sentiment have been surrounded by security forces and closed off as searches were conducted and monks forced to undergo intensified political indoctrination against the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader. Drepung, one of Lhasa's main monasteries, remains shut.
Hundreds of alleged perpetrators have also been arrested in the last three months, with many sentenced to years or life in prison in short trials for their role in the protests.
Last week's Olympic torch run through Lhasa was carefully orchestrated after it was cut to one day from the original three. Crowds were monitored by security agents and only a few hand-picked foreign journalists, who even under ordinary conditions must apply for special permission to visit Tibet, were invited to cover the event.
The three-hour relay was apparently completed without incident.
It had been considered a flashpoint amid criticism by overseas Tibetan activist groups who accuse Beijing of using the event to symbolize its control over the region. China says it has ruled Tibet for centuries, although many Tibetans say their homeland was essentially independent for much of that time.
Chen Ziyong, general manager of the Lhasa-based Shigatse International Travel Agency, said the Swedes will be followed by four Singaporeans on Sunday.
The rules for foreign travel to Tibet will not change, said Liao, the tourism bureau spokesman. Foreigners still have to get an extra permit for the region through an official travel agency and are not allowed to move around without a tourist guide, he said.
"If they don't have a purpose like separating the country or trying to cause damage, then the foreign tourists can have an entry permit," he said.
Despite the lifting of the ban, it's still not clear how accessible Tibet really is, given that foreign visas to China are being restricted in the run-up to the Aug. 8 Beijing Olympics, said Michael C. Davis, a law professor and China expert at Hong Kong's City University.
The first foreign tourists, a retired Swedish couple, arrived at the airport near the capital, Lhasa, on Wednesday, said Tibetan Tourism Bureau spokesman Liao Lisheng.
"Tibet is open now to all travelers from home and abroad," he said.
Kurt Persson, 77, and Eva Sandstrom, 62, were welcomed with traditional Tibetan white silk scarves at their hotel near the sacred Jokhang Temple, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
"We've been looking forward to visiting Tibet for many years. Its monasteries and landscapes are fascinating," Xinhua quoted Sandstrom as saying.
Their five-day trip is their first to Tibet, Xinhua said. "We have no worries about the safety here," she said. "The only worry was to get the permission to come to Tibet."
The Himalayan region has been all but closed to the outside world since the biggest protests against Chinese rule in two decades exploded into rioting March 14 in Lhasa, leading Beijing to swiftly shut off the area.
Troops also flooded into predominantly Tibetan communities in nearby provinces, where sympathy demonstrations were occurring. They performed drills in town squares and set up checkpoints around sensitive areas. Officials said the restrictions were established for the safety of foreign tourists and journalists.
A notice on the tourism bureau's Web site announcing the lifting of the ban said life in Lhasa had returned to normal.
"Tibet's society is stable and harmonious, its markets bustling, and its environment beautiful," it said.
But there are still signs of tension.
Buddhist monasteries seen as incubators for anti-government sentiment have been surrounded by security forces and closed off as searches were conducted and monks forced to undergo intensified political indoctrination against the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader. Drepung, one of Lhasa's main monasteries, remains shut.
Hundreds of alleged perpetrators have also been arrested in the last three months, with many sentenced to years or life in prison in short trials for their role in the protests.
Last week's Olympic torch run through Lhasa was carefully orchestrated after it was cut to one day from the original three. Crowds were monitored by security agents and only a few hand-picked foreign journalists, who even under ordinary conditions must apply for special permission to visit Tibet, were invited to cover the event.
The three-hour relay was apparently completed without incident.
It had been considered a flashpoint amid criticism by overseas Tibetan activist groups who accuse Beijing of using the event to symbolize its control over the region. China says it has ruled Tibet for centuries, although many Tibetans say their homeland was essentially independent for much of that time.
Chen Ziyong, general manager of the Lhasa-based Shigatse International Travel Agency, said the Swedes will be followed by four Singaporeans on Sunday.
The rules for foreign travel to Tibet will not change, said Liao, the tourism bureau spokesman. Foreigners still have to get an extra permit for the region through an official travel agency and are not allowed to move around without a tourist guide, he said.
"If they don't have a purpose like separating the country or trying to cause damage, then the foreign tourists can have an entry permit," he said.
Despite the lifting of the ban, it's still not clear how accessible Tibet really is, given that foreign visas to China are being restricted in the run-up to the Aug. 8 Beijing Olympics, said Michael C. Davis, a law professor and China expert at Hong Kong's City University.
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