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DE RUEHBJ #1210/01 0911303
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 311303Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6186
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM PRIORITY 0368
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 8974
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE PRIORITY 9347
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 08 BEIJING 001210 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/31/2028 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KIRF NP IN JA BR GM CA IT
SP, SI, SL, TZ, UK, AU, FR, RS, CH 
SUBJECT: TIBET: MFA ORGANIZES TIGHTLY CONTROLLED TRIP TO 
LHASA FOR DIPLOMATS, MARCH 28-29 
 
REF: BEIJING 975 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Dan Piccuta. 
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) With less than 24-hours notice to participating 
Embassies, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 
together with the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) 
Government, organized an overnight trip to Lhasa March 
28 to 29.  Fifteen Beijing-based diplomats, including 
PolOff, participated.  Diplomats were shown destroyed 
shops, a burnt school building and two hospitals 
treating wounded security officers and civilians.  The 
trip was tightly controlled and Chinese journalists 
were present at nearly all meetings.  PolOff observed 
extensive damage to shops starting two to three blocks 
east of the Potala Palace and increasing in areas 
closer to the Tibetan quarter.  TAR officials sought 
to demonstrate that both Han and Tibetans had suffered 
as a result of the violence and rioting.  While PolOff 
saw a significant presence of regular police, there 
was a noticeable absence of military vehicles or anti- 
riot equipment.  The delegation met with TAR Chairman 
Qiangba Puncog.  At the meeting with Qiangba Puncog, 
diplomats pressed for details about the number of dead 
and the charges against those currently under 
detention.  PolOff urged China to exercise restraint 
and engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai 
Lama's representatives.  PolOff also repeated to the 
TAR Chairman the USG's request for unfettered access 
for diplomats to all Tibetan areas. 
 
¶2. (C) Summary continued. In response to the 
diplomatic delegation's collective request to visit 
the Jokhang Temple and speak with monks involved in a 
March 27 demonstration in front of an MFA-led group of 
foreign journalists, MFA and TAR officials arranged a 
hasty visit to Barkhor Square and the Jokhang on the 
morning of March 29.  Diplomats met with a single 
monk, who said all of his colleagues were "sleeping" 
and thus "unavailable" to meet with the delegation. 
The Barkhor area was almost devoid of people, save for 
security attached to the delegation.  Organizers 
denied PolOff's requests to venture into the city to 
meet with Amcits, but PolOff was given the opportunity 
to meet with one Amcit at the delegation's hotel. 
Government organizers also arranged for foreign 
residents of Lhasa, including two American NGO 
workers, to attend a briefing with Tibetan scholars 
and Buddhist figures, where PolOff was able to speak 
with them.  The foreign residents were mainly chosen 
by the TAR Government, however, not the participating 
diplomats.  Comment:  Although some of the events on 
this trip were crudely stage-managed, it is clear that 
Lhasa has suffered widespread ethnic-based violence 
and rioting.  A large percentage of the population, 
Han and Tibetan, have suffered great economic loss, 
both from the rioting itself and the cancellation of 
tour groups.  Interlocutors' complete lack of candor 
about the underlying social factors contributing to 
the riots, while not unexpected, was disturbing 
nonetheless.  End Summary. 
 
"We Leave For Lhasa Tomorrow" 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) Ministry of Foreign Affairs U.S. Affairs 
Division Director An Gang told PolOff March 27 that 
the MFA's Department of External Security Affairs, in 
cooperation with the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) 
Foreign Affairs Office (FAO), was organizing a trip for 
foreign diplomats to Lhasa, leaving the next morning, 
March 28.  Embassy Beijing was given one hour by the 
MFA to register a participant for the trip, which 
would involve a total of 25 hours on the ground in 
Lhasa.  In addition to U.S. Embassy Beijing, the 
Beijing Embassies/Missions of Brazil, Japan, Germany, 
Canada, the European Commission, Italy, Spain, 
Slovenia (as EU President), Singapore, Tanzania (as 
Africa Union President), the United Kingdom, 
Australia, France and Russia also sent 
 
BEIJING 00001210  002 OF 008 
 
 
representatives.  At 17:00 on March 27, participating 
diplomats were called to a briefing presided over by 
Vice Foreign Minister (VFM) Wu Dawei.  VFM Wu told the 
group that the MFA was organizing the trip so that 
diplomats could provide "more correct reports" on the 
situation in Lhasa and Tibet to their respective 
capitals.  VFM Wu offered no details about the 
itinerary, other than the TAR FAO would provide the 
schedule to the delegation upon arrival in Lhasa.  VFM 
Wu also said that, although the situation in Lhasa was 
"generally stable," for safety reasons everyone must 
abide by the "arrangements" set by the MFA and the TAR 
Government.  PolOff told VFM Wu that AmEmbassy Beijing 
viewed the trip, and a similar trip organized the same 
week for foreign journalists, as a "first step" but 
reiterated the USG's request that diplomats and 
journalists have free and unfettered access to all 
Tibetan areas affected by recent unrest. 
 
Chinese Media Presence 
---------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) In addition to numerous minders from the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, plain-clothes security 
personnel and the TAR FAO, at least two Xinhua print 
journalists and a China Central Television (CCTV) 
journalist and cameraman accompanied the delegation. 
CCTV crews filmed most events on the trip, including 
the arrival and departure at Lhasa airport.  Xinhua 
News Agency quoted accurately, though selectively, 
some delegation member's positive comments about the 
trip, particularly a statement by Tanzanian Minister 
George Manongi (representing the African Union) that 
"no government would tolerate" violent protests. 
 
Security Presence Observed in Lhasa 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) The delegation's motorcade included both police 
and People's Armed Police (PAP) escorts. (Plate 
numbers for PAP vehicles seen by PolOff, including 
those attached to the motorcade, all started with WJ 
23.)  The airport road appeared to be open to other 
traffic during the delegation's arrival and departure 
from Lhasa.  PolOff saw at least two groups of 
Tibetans picnicking very close to the road.  As the 
motorcade neared Lhasa proper, PolOff saw numerous PRC 
flags flying over Tibetan-style homes.  At nearly 
every intersection where village roads met the main 
airport road, a single officer was stationed with his 
or her back to the motorcade, looking down the 
approaching roadway.  PolOff observed no checkpoints 
at any point on the trip except for one on the airport 
road that appeared little different from a normal 
traffic police checkpoint. 
 
¶6. (C) The security presence in Lhasa was noticeable 
and significantly larger than that observed by PolOff 
during a visit to Lhasa with ConGen Chengdu officers 
February 26-29, 2008.  At least one police vehicle 
(mainly sedans and SUVs) and one to three officers 
were seen at most intersections. Police officers were 
mainly sitting in, or standing next to, their vehicles 
rather than walking the streets.  At one point, PolOff 
saw several police poke their heads out of a police 
station doorway to watch the motorcade pass by. 
PolOff saw only scattered PAP vehicles other than 
those attached to the delegation.  PolOff observed no 
officers in riot gear, nor did he see any heavier 
police vehicles such as water cannon trucks.  During a 
visit to the Jokhang Temple March 29, some diplomats 
reported seeing a few helmeted police in side streets 
leading off Barkhor Square.  Over the course of the 
trip, PolOff saw three canvas-covered military 
transport trucks; one had its plates covered, the 
other two were without plates entirely.  (Note: An 
Amcit resident (protect) told PolOff that a large 
number of security forces remained in Lhasa but they 
had been confined to compounds during the Government- 
organized visits that week by foreign journalists and 
diplomats.  A TAR FAO minder told delegation members 
that no PLA assets were used to suppress the March 14 
riots.) 
 
 
BEIJING 00001210  003 OF 008 
 
 
Fewer People onStreets 
----------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) At est, PolOff observed pedestrian traffic at 
a tir of the level it was in late February, thoug 
in some areas it was much less.  During te late 
afternoon of March 28, PolOff observedfewer than ten 
Tibetan pilgrims with prayer weels walking in front 
of the Potala Palace.  Te next day, March 29, PolOff 
observed well over a hundred pilgrims walking on the 
Potala circumambulation route.  During this second 
drive-by, a TAR FAO minder highlighted the presence of 
the pilgrims to PolOff.  In contrast to February, when 
pilgrims of various ages and dress could be seen in 
Lhasa, the pilgrims observed during this visit, in 
addition to being fewer in number, also appeared to be 
primarily elderly Tibetans.  Also, areas in the 
Tibetan quarter that were packed with pilgrims in 
February looked nearly abandoned.  One street near the 
Ramoche Temple was blocked by a police cordon, and 
behind this barrier, PolOff could see few, if any, 
people.  From the motorcade on Beijing East Road 
looking into the Barkhor area, PolOff also saw streets 
that were nearly devoid of people.  Diplomats who 
participated in a March 29 stop at the Jokhang Temple 
reported that the streets in the Barkhor district were 
practically abandoned. 
 
Arrival and Visit to Affected Areas 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (C) Immediately upon arrival in Lhasa on March 28, 
organizers took the delegation to a clothing store on 
Beijing Middle Road where four Han and one Tibetan 
shopkeeper had been killed.  As the delegation pulled 
up to the store, the Han Chinese owner and a surviving 
Tibetan shop assistant were kneeling before a memorial 
altar set up in the burnt-out shop.  Shortly after the 
delegation's arrival, they emerged to speak with 
diplomats as television cameras rolled.  Next, the 
delegation was led on a driving tour of Beijing Road, 
Qingnian Road, and North and East Linkuo Road to view 
damaged businesses and homes.  TAR FAO interpreters 
pointed out damage to Xinhua News Agency offices, the 
Tibet Daily and a Bank of China branch.  An FAO minder 
also pointed out that a local television station and 
stores carrying mobile phones, foreign-branded goods 
and precious gems had been specifically target by 
rioters/looters. 
 
Visit to Damaged School 
----------------------- 
 
¶9. (C) The delegation was then taken to Lhasa Second 
Middle School where an entire classroom building had 
been gutted by fire.  The Tibetan principal of the 
school described the efforts of staff to protect the 
children on March 14 and how rioters had allegedly set 
fire to the building and then blocked fire trucks from 
arriving on the scene.  The fire also consumed many of 
the schools' textbooks, she said.  According to the 
principal, 80 percent of the school's 839 students are 
ethnic Tibetan, in keeping with the population of the 
surrounding neighborhood. The teaching staff was 90 
percent Tibetan.  In addition to standard Mandarin 
Chinese curriculum taught in China, students at Lhasa 
Second Middle School receive 280 minutes of Tibetan 
and 200 minutes of English instruction per week. 
Diplomats then observed primary school students taking 
a history lesson in a science lab that had been 
converted into an ordinary classroom since the March 
14 fire.  At the back of the classroom was a display 
condemning the March 14 riots.  An FAO handler 
remarked to a delegation member that the "lawbreakers 
do not want to see good schools and the development of 
society." 
 
Extent of Damage 
---------------- 
 
¶10. (C) Judging by the very limited tour given to the 
diplomats, the area of Lhasa west of the Potala Palace 
seemed unaffected by the rioting.  Individual burned 
out stores could be seen starting two to three blocks 
 
BEIJING 00001210  004 OF 008 
 
 
east of the Potala, with the ratio of damaged to 
undamaged shops increasing as one neared the Ramoche 
Temple/Barkhor area.  At some points along Beijing 
East and Lingkhor North and East Roads, entire rows of 
shops had been burned or damaged.  On Beijing East 
Road, PolOff saw that the (Nepali/Tibetan operated) 
Kyichu Hotel had only a single broken window while the 
neighboring six shops, by contrast, including a Han- 
run sunglass store visited by PolOff in February, had 
been completely burned out.  Despite extensive damage 
to stores, all roads were clean, and PolOff saw little 
debris on sidewalks.  In the areas east of the Potala 
Palace, about a third of stores remained shuttered, 
making it difficult to assess whether shops were 
damaged or just closed.  For every store that was 
burned out, at least ten others showed signs of damage 
to the metal rolling shutter or broken windows.  All 
over Lhasa, PolOff saw white katas (Tibetan greeting 
scarves) affixed to storefronts, an indication that 
the store is Tibetan-owned (reftel). 
 
Meeting with TAR Chairman 
------------------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Following the tour and check-in at the Lhasa 
Hotel (in a largely unaffected area of west Lhasa) on 
the evening of March 28, the delegation arrived at the 
TAR Government compound for a meeting with TAR 
Chairman Qiangba Puncog and a large contingent of 
high-level TAR officials, including the Mayor of Lhasa 
Doje Cezhug.  (Note:  As TAR Chairman, Qiangba Puncog 
is equivalent to a provincial governor and is ranked 
behind the top PRC official in Tibet, TAR Party 
Chairman Zhang Qingli.)  After introductions and 
before Qiangba Puncog could read his prepared report, 
the Slovenian Counselor, Bernard Srajner asked the TAR 
Chairman a series of questions prepared in advance by 
the EU participants.  A summary of the EU questions 
and Qiangba Puncog's answers (both in his prepared 
remarks and response to follow up questions) follows: 
 
--What is the fate of 13 people arrested in a 
demonstration on March 10?  The TAR Chairman said 15 
people (13 monks and 2 lay people) had participated in 
the March 10 demonstration in Lhasa, which included 
raising the "snow mountain flag."  The thirteen monks 
are among 303 total people detained, but Qiangba 
Puncog gave no additional information on what the 13 
monks were charged with.  (Note:  The figure of 303 
detained appeared to be a figure for detainees related 
to demonstrations prior to March 14.) 
 
--What happened in the first 24 hours of March 14? 
Why did security forces "hold back" at first? 
Qiangba Puncog repeated a standard Government version 
of events, saying the March 14 "beating, smashing, 
looting, and burning" incident had been "masterminded" 
by the Dalai Lama clique in an attempt to sabotage the 
Olypics.  Police and PAP officers had exercised 
estraint.  Government forces had not used fireams, 
though authorities confiscated some "lead bullet" guns 
from some rioters.  (Comment:  The term "lead bullet" 
guns seemed to indicate non-police, makeshift 
firearms.)  The TAR Chairman said the TAR Government 
had failed to protect civilians, and he apologized to 
victims in the hospitals. 
 
--How many people were killed and injured?  The TAR 
Chairman repeated published casualty figures.  He said 
382 innocent civilians had been injured, 58 seriously. 
Eighteen "innocent civilians" had been killed, 
including an infant below the age of one.  In 
addition, one police officer and three rioters were 
killed.  Seven schools, 5 hospitals, 908 shops and 120 
private residences had been damaged with total losses 
amounting to RMB 250 million ($36 million). 
 
--What is the nature of charges against detainees? 
Will independent observers be allowed at trials?  As a 
result of the March 14 riot, 414 people had been 
detained.  An additional 289 had turned themselves in, 
although 111 of these people had already been released 
because their crimes were "minor."  Qiangba Puncog 
said PRC law prohibits splittism.  Defendants will be 
 
BEIJING 00001210  005 OF 008 
 
 
charged not for their views, but for their "public 
actions."  All cases will be dealt with according to 
law.  Some who committed "small crimes" will be 
released but the more "serious" cases will go to 
trial.  All defendants will have access to legal 
counsel, including legal aid for those who have no 
money to afford a defense attorney.  (Note:  While 
Qiangba Puncog did not directly answer the question 
about outside observers, the Canadian participant said 
the head of the TAR Justice Department (si fa ting) 
later told her at a banquet immediately afterward that 
outside observers would not be possible.) 
 
--What has happened to monks who demonstrated at the 
Jokhang Temple in front of visiting journalists? 
Qiangba Puncog characterized the incident as an 
example of "Government tolerance."  It was "natural" 
for some people to have different views, and the monks 
will not be punished, he said.  The Australian 
participant, in a follow-up question, asked for a 
visit to the Jokhang Temple to speak with the monks 
involved in the incident.  The Chairman said TAR 
authorities would consider adding a Jokhang visit to 
the schedule.  (Note:  A hastily arranged visit to the 
Jokhang was arranged the next morning, as reported 
below.) 
 
"We Are Already Restrained and Non-Violent" 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶12. (C) During the meeting with the TAR Chairman, 
PolOff stated USG points regarding the need for China 
to exercise restraint and for all sides to refrain 
from violence.  China should respect the legal rights 
of peaceful protestors and enter substantive dialogue 
with representatives of the Dalai Lama.  PolOff ended 
by saying, while the current trip was a positive step 
in the right direction, the USG still seeks unfettered 
access for diplomats to all Tibetan areas, inside and 
outside the TAR.  More and better access was in the 
interests of all sides, PolOff said.  Qiangba Puncog 
responded that he already understood the U.S. position 
and that Chinese President Hu Jintao had already 
discussed the Tibet situation directly with President 
Bush.  China is "already exercising restraint and 
refraining from violence," so such calls are unnecessary. 
It was because of this restraint, including no use of 
lethal weapons by security forces, that the riot took 
so long to get under control.  The TAR Government places 
great importance on the visit by diplomats, Qiangba 
Puncog said, urging delegation members to report the 
"real situation" to their respective "highest leaders." 
 
¶13. (SBU) Qiangba Puncog also defended China's economic 
and religious policies in Tibet.  The TAR Governor 
highlighted a string of new measures, announced the 
following day in TAR newspapers, designed to provide 
economic relief to victims of the rioting.  He noted 
that Tibet was experiencing high growth rates and 
rising income, thanks in no small part to Central 
Government support.  Prices were stable in the TAR 
following the unrest, he asserted.  There was no need 
to adjust Government policies regarding religion, he 
said.  After the meeting, Qiangba Puncog hosted a 
banquet for the delegation, followed by the screening 
of a documentary film on the March 14 riots. 
 
Meeting with U.S. Citizens 
-------------------------- 
 
¶14. (C) PolOff requested that, instead of watching the 
documentary on March 28, he be allowed to go out on 
his own to visit with American citizens in Lhasa. 
Several other diplomats also requested time to meet 
with their citizens in lieu of the film.  The TAR FAO 
agreed to excuse PolOff and other diplomats from the 
film, but only on condition that meetings with 
citizens take place at the Lhasa Hotel.  PolOff was 
told he could not venture outside of the hotel "for 
safety reasons."  PolOff contacted three Amcits.  Two 
noted that foreigners were still instructed to stay 
indoors at night, making a 21:00 meeting at the hotel 
impractical.  One Amcit, a long-term Lhasa resident 
who lives close to the hotel, agreed to visit with 
 
BEIJING 00001210  006 OF 008 
 
 
PolOff in the hotel lobby.  (Note:  The Amcit reported 
that he was fine, though some money had been looted 
from one of his downtown Lhasa shops, which had also 
been sprayed by gunfire.  The Amcit also noted that 
tension in the city between ethnic Tibetans and Han 
remains.) 
 
¶15. (C) Delegation members were given a second chance 
to meet with their respective citizens, though trip 
organizers, not the diplomats, controlled who was 
invited.  During the pre-trip briefing with VFM Wu 
Dawei, several diplomats requested that they be given 
a chance to meet with their respective citizens in 
Lhasa.  VFM Wu said such meetings would likely be 
possible but had to take place at the delegation's 
hotel.  Some Embassies, but not the United States, 
provided contact information for their citizens in 
Lhasa to the MFA to facilitate meetings.  The TAR FAO, 
in response to this request, then apparently invited 
about ten foreign residents to attend the final 
meeting of the trip March 29, a briefing by TAR 
scholars and official religious figures.  The 
delegation was not provided with any name list prior 
to the meeting.  Upon arrival, PolOff learned that two 
Amcit NGO workers, one of whom had declined an 
invitation to meet PolOff at the hotel the previous 
evening, were present.  The foreign residents mainly 
sat and listened as the Tibetan scholars denounced the 
Dalai Lama.  PolOff asked that the meeting be cut 
short to allow time for individual discussions with 
citizens.  One of the Amcits told PolOff his 
organization's "local partner" had encouraged him to 
attend the meeting, which he did for the sake of 
maintaining cooperative relations.  The other, the 
Tibet director for a multi-national environmental NGO, 
indicated that his boss at the NGO had requested that 
he attend.  PolOff told both that they were under no 
obligation to meet with USG officials.  However, both 
voluntarily met with PolOff for about 15 minutes each. 
(Note:  Both Amcits reported that they were fine and 
that, after being unable to venture outside for four 
days following the March 14 riots, things in Lhasa 
were now beginning to return to normal.)  Other 
diplomats later complained that citizens whom they had 
requested that the MFA/TAR FAO invite were not 
contacted. 
 
Visit to Jokhang Temple, "Monks are Sleeping" 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶16. (C) Around 01:00 March 29, all delegation members, 
except PolOff, received calls in their hotel rooms 
that the start time for the next morning had been 
moved up from 08:30 to 08:00.  According to the 
Australian participant, when delegation members 
boarded the vans just before 08:00, organizers told 
them there had been a "change in the schedule" but 
offered no details.  As the motorcade departed just 
prior to 08:00, several delegation members noted the 
absence of some of the diplomats and requested that 
the motorcade wait.  MFA/TAR FAO handlers refused. 
(Note:  Three other diplomats who, unlike PolOff, knew 
about the time change but arrived at the motorcade 
just at 08:00, were left behind and also missed the 
trip to the Jokhang.)  PolOff's request that he be 
allowed to catch up to the motorcade by taxi was 
refused.  The Government minders, according to those 
who made it on the bus, were extremely nervous and 
appeared desperate to complete the visit to Jokhang as 
rapidly as possible.  The diplomats only realized that 
they were being taken to the Jokhang Temple as they 
pulled into Barkhor Square. 
 
¶17. (C) Upon arrival, the diplomats noticed a much 
larger security contingent than at other events on the 
trip.  Officials were "extremely nervous" during the 
visit, several diplomats later told PolOff.  Other 
than the delegation and the escorts/security, Barkhor 
Square and the surrounding streets were abandoned. 
Little, if any, damage to shops in the Barkhor was 
noticeable, according to U.K. Political Counselor 
Peter Wilson.  The MFA/TAR FAO officials escorted the 
group into the temple where they met with a single 
monk who is a member of the Jokhang's Democratic 
 
BEIJING 00001210  007 OF 008 
 
 
Management Committee.  When the group asked to see the 
monks involved in the March 27 demonstration in front 
of foreign journalists, the monk said they and the 
other monks were all in their dorm "sleeping."  The 
monk said that his colleagues who had participated in 
the incident were "young and lacked understanding," 
but they would not be punished.  Wilson noted that the 
Jokhang is usually packed with pilgrims.  The monk 
said that the temple was closed for the day but would 
reopen tomorrow.  Several diplomats left the Temple 
early in disgust and then staged a mini-protest, 
refusing to get back on the bus while they debated 
whether to continue with the visit.  They eventually 
decided to proceed with the schedule.  Australian 
Political Officer Eleanor Lawson, who had requested to 
TAR Chairman Qiangba Puncog that the Jokhang be added 
to the schedule and later was outspokenly critical of 
the poor handling of the Temple visit, told PolOff 
that MFA Director General for External Security 
Affairs Wang Min later pulled her aside and demanded 
that she "stop causing trouble."  (Comment: PolOff's 
requests on March 28 to venture out alone, as well as 
his delivery of USG points on Tibet to both TAR 
Chairman Qiangba and MFA VFM Wu, may have prompted 
organizers to exclude PolOff from the sensitive 
Jokhang trip.  While a simple administrative oversight 
cannot be ruled out, when PolOff complained about 
being excluded, TAR FAO officials merely insisted that 
"everyone was called.") 
 
More Visits with Victims, Hospitals 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶18. (C) Following the Jokhang Temple stop (after which 
PolOff and others who had missed the Jokhang visit 
rejoined the main group), the diplomats visited the 
offices of the Chengguan District Government.  While 
there, four Tibetans and one Han resident described 
the events of March 14.  Several told of having their 
stores and homes destroyed, saying they were living on 
Government assistance.  Chen Xiaoxiong (a Han Chinese) 
told of how her shop was destroyed, causing RMB 2.6 
million ($370,000) in damage, and how ethnic Tibetans 
had protected her and provided her with shelter. "With 
the support of the Party and my friends, I am 
confident I can start my life again," Chen said. 
 
¶19. (C) This meeting produced the most unscripted 
moment of the entire trip:  In response to a question 
regarding the composition of the rioters, a Tibetan 
resident offered that most were "unemployed."  A 
Chengguan District Government official then chimed in 
saying that, actually, the rioters were "lazy" people 
who refused to work despite abundant opportunities to 
participate in Government job-training programs.  The 
same official, in contradiction to the TAR Chairman's 
comments that prices are stable, said inflation is a 
problem and that the Government is providing extra 
support for victims to cope with rising costs.  The 
group then visited a People's Armed Police hospital 
and saw injured PAP officers (both Han and Tibetan), 
including some in intensive care beds.  The delegation 
then proceeded to Lhasa's Regional People's Hospital. 
Outside the second hospital, ambulances with smashed 
windows were on display.  Hospital officials relayed a 
story that a mob had attacked one ambulance, which was 
carrying a small child at the time.  Diplomats later 
met with a (Tibetan) doctor injured during the attack 
on the ambulance. 
 
Living Buddhas Denounce "Splittist" Dalai Lama 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶20. (C) At the final meeting of the trip (the one 
mentioned above that included foreign residents), 
diplomats heard a briefing by Tibetan scholars and 
religious figures.   The briefing was heavy on 
propaganda with an emphasis on Tibet's social and 
economic progress since the "peaceful liberation" of 
¶1951.   The primary speaker was Drubkang, the Chairman 
of the Tibetan Buddhist Association.  Drupkang, in 
response to a question on whether he considered the 
Dalai Lama a real living Buddha, gave a lengthy 
denunciation of the "unpatriotic" 14th Dalai Lama but 
 
BEIJING 00001210  008 OF 008 
 
 
fell short of denouncing the Dalai Lama's legitimacy 
as a reincarnate.  The Dalai Lama's use of violence 
runs counter to the key tenets of Buddhism, he said. 
Drubkang added that the participation of monks in the 
unrest shows that monasteries need to increase their 
legal education of young monks.  Another living Buddha 
asserted that Western countries should do more to 
educate their young people about the "real" situation 
in Tibet and counter widespread "prejudice" against 
Tibet outside China.  The Government has spent huge 
sums rebuilding monasteries and providing medical care 
and other benefits to monks, he said, adding that the 
only "conflict" in Tibet was the long-standing 
struggle between separatists and anti-separatists. 
Following this meeting, the delegation departed for 
the airport and returned to Beijing. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶21. (C) Although some of the events on this trip were 
crudely stage managed, it is clear that Lhasa has 
suffered widespread ethnic-based violence and rioting. 
A large percentage of the population, Han and Tibetan, 
have suffered great economic loss, both from the 
rioting itself and the cancellation of tour groups. 
Despite our hosts' efforts to portray Lhasa as a city 
quickly bouncing back, the frantic visit to the 
Barkhor/Jokhang Temple, with its heavy security 
presence, appeared to indicate that tensions remain 
high in the Tibetan quarter of the city. 
 
¶22. (C) Comment continued:  Interlocutors' complete 
lack of candor regarding the underlying social factors 
contributing to the riots, while not unexpected, was 
disturbing nonetheless.  Even the "average people" 
diplomats met with resorted to stock propaganda 
phrases (e.g., "Dalai Lama clique" and "beating, 
smashing, looting, burning") while denying Tibetan 
society had any problems other than the lingering 
presence of a few "separatists."  One Amcit resident 
of Lhasa (protect), however, told PolOff during the 
trip that he believes the city's Tibetan youths are 
becoming "radicalized."  An increasing number of young 
Tibetans in Lhasa, he said, become angry when they are 
addressed in Mandarin Chinese and refuse to speak 
China's official language.  Nevertheless, he and the 
other long-term foreign residents PolOff spoke with 
appeared to believe that, even if ethnic tensions 
remain, tourists will return, NGO projects will go 
forward and Lhasa will continue its current path of 
rapid, albeit increasingly Han-dominated, development. 
RANDIT