• Tibet's Tense Anniversary [Council on Foreign Relations] "China views Tibet as a backward, feudal, and superstitious society, which has progressed democratically and economically under Chinese rule. Yet human rights watchdog groups regularly cite Chinese abuses in Tibet."
• Lhasa peaceful and quiet on major Tibet anniversary [Xinhua] "The holy city of Lhasa was quiet and peaceful Tuesday, the day marking 50 years since Tibet's democratic reform and the 14th Dalai Lama's flee from his homeland... The life of the average Tibetans seems unaffected even under close watch by foreign press on this special date. There are as many taxies, pedicabs and buses on the roads as usual. Taxi and pedicab drivers, mostly migrants from the neighboring Sichuan Province and central Henan Province, would slam the horn when they saw a potential passenger at roadside."
• Heavy security as Tibetans mark Dalai Lama's exile [Reuters] "China tightened security across ethnic Tibetan areas on Tuesday, aiming to head off potential unrest on the sensitive 50th anniversary of a failed uprising that prompted the Dalai Lama's flight into exile."

On August the 5th the Spanish National Court agreed to hear a lawsuit accusing the Chinese government of genocide in Tibet. According to SBS World News Australia the suit was filed on July 9 against seven Chinese leaders, including Defence Minister Liang Guanglie, by the Tibet Support Committee and two other Tibetan groups. The lawsuit relates to the unrest in Tibet in March this year where, according to the Tibetan government-in-exile, 203 Tibetans were killed. According to Beijing though, only one Tibetan died during the unrest. Spain's National Court is able to try this kind of case under the principal of "universal competence" adopted by the Spanish judiciary in 2005, which allows countries courts to hear cases of genocide and crimes against humanity wherever they occur and whatever the nationality of the defendant. Hmm. more ›