'China closes Tibet to tourists'

CHINA: Chinese authorities have closed Tibet to foreign visitors, travel agents said Wednesday, just 10 days after two Tibetans set themselves on fire in the troubled region.

The move comes at the start of a festival that traditionally sees tourists flock to the Himalayan region, which has been under tight security since riots against Chinese rule erupted in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa in March 2008.

Major travel agencies said they were told by Tibetan tourism authorities in late May that travellers from overseas would not be allowed into the vast, remote region and said they were clueless about how long the ban would last.

"The tourism bureau asked us to stop organising foreign groups to Tibet in late May. We don't know when they will lift the ban," an employee at the Tibet China International Tour Service told AFP. While the official reason for the ban was not immediately clear, one agent said it could be linked to the Saga Dawa festival, which celebrates the birth of Buddha in the Tibetan calendar.

"It was halted in late May. People said it was because of the... festival," an employee at the Tibet China Travel Service said. The festival traditionally sees Buddhist pilgrims flock to Tibet to mark the month-long celebration, which began on June 4 this year -- a date that coincided with the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown on democracy protests. AFP