China reportedly cancels May 1 plan to reopen Tibet
Posted: 17 April 2008 1224 hrs

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BEIJING - China has abandoned plans to reopen riot-hit Tibet to tourists on May 1, a tourism official in the Himalayan region said Thursday, amid reports of simmering tension there.

Asked whether the reopening for foreign and domestic tourists had been postponed, a Tibet Tourism Bureau official told AFP by phone: "Yes, because conditions are not ripe for it."

The man, who refused to give his name but said he was director of the bureau's main Lhasa office, said a new date had not yet been set.

"No. It's not decided yet," he said, refusing to give further details.

The US-based International Campaign for Tibet said last week it had received "reliable reports" that the plan had been scrapped due to continued unrest and that Tibet might not be reopened until after the August 8-24 Beijing Olympics.

There have been continuing reports of tension in Tibet and adjacent Tibetan-populated areas of China following widespread rioting against Chinese rule last month.

China sealed off Tibet to foreign tourists following the outbreak of the unrest but then said early this month the region would be reopened on May 1, a national holiday. - AFP/ir