A group of foreign journalists left Lhasa on the afternoon of March 31, concluding a three-day intensive news reporting tour.
The main body of the reporting group, which was organized by China’s State Council Information Office, was made up of six foreign journalists from five mainstream media outlets in India, Russia, South Africa and Japan.
Starting on March 29, the journalists were busy traveling by car all over the city of Lhasa. They visited the Potala Palace in the snow, toured the Xue community in Lhasa’s Chengguan District, and saw the Jokhang Temple, the Hospital of Traditional Tibetan Medicine, the train station and the Gaba Village. Through various forms of informal discussions and interviews, they talked with government officials of the Tibet Autonomous Region, representatives of the emancipated serfs, religious figures, well-known Tibetologists and private entrepreneurs.
K.V. Prasad, senior editor of Indian media giant Press Trust of India, said in an interview that he did not previously know much about Tibet. Through this visit, he had a profound feeling that Tibet has experienced very rapid economic development and is full of vigorous vitality. As for the ordinary Tibetan residents, every household had access to tap water, and was equipped with modern electric appliances such as television sets. Honest and natural smiles could be seen on everybody’s faces, something which really impressed him.
John Bailey, China bureau chief for the South African Broadcasting Corporation, said in an interview that for him, the tour of Tibet “proved to be informative and inspiring.” The reason he raised questions about the 14th Dalai Lama on several occasions during his interview was because mainstream society in South Africa has been following the issue closely, and the South African government has just refused a visa application by the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama had intended on attending the 2009 South Africa Peace Conference, held in the country which will also host the 2010 FIFA World Cup. “My most valuable experiences are that not only have I learned the official stance of the Tibetan local government, more importantly, I have had the opportunity to exchange views with people from all walks of life in Tibet.”
A reporter from the Japanese media, who wished to remain anonymous, said that interview activities sponsored by China’s State Council Information Office are being scheduled in an increasingly better way. It is obvious that the organizer has learned from the Beijing Olympic Games and wants to make people feel that China is becoming more and more open. During the three days in Lhasa, reporters witnessed that social order was stable, that people were living a regular life, and that “there seemed to be no tension.”
By People's Daily Online
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