25. Feb 2009
Tibetans ignore New Year
(RFA) Tibetans in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and across Tibetan areas of the PRC boycotted Losar festivities in response to China's crackdown on Tibetan protests in Spring 2008. A resident of Kardze (Chin: Ganzi) told Radio Free Asia (RFA) in an interview: "The authorities ordered all shops to be closed on the first day of Tibetan Losar, but instead of complying with the order, most of the Tibetan shops were open early in the morning in Kardze town". In Lhasa, residents told RFA of extremely tight security and the presence of soldiers, rather than worshippers, in temples. "Compared to last year this time, there are very few people to be seen in Lhasa. No one is celebrating Losar", one resident told RFA.