TIBET OPENING
As Beijing tries to counter mounting international criticism of its response to Tibetans' at-times-violent demonstrations, including closing off Tibet to outsiders, it withdrew many of its paramilitary police units from the capital, Lhasa, Wednesday before allowing a group of 26 foreign journalists into Tibet for a three-day visit. At the same time, it also announced the "surrender" of hundreds of Tibetans over the riots.
Meanwhile, U.S. President George W. Bush joined other world leaders in expressing concern about the situation. He did so in a phone call to Chinese President Hu Jintao in which he told Mr. Hu to hold talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama. Among others, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has suggested a boycott of the Olympics' opening ceremony to protest the Chinese crackdown.
Many of the paramilitary police -- who, backed by armored personnel carriers, had locked down parts of Lhasa since the unrest began nearly two weeks ago -- were withdrawn early Wednesday morning, according to residents, who said they had heard foreign journalists were coming. The Journal's Shai Oster, who is among the group admitted, reports that Lhasa is a city deeply divided between the Tibetans whose ancestors built the Himalayan capital and members of China's Han majority and Muslim Hui, who have arrived in growing numbers in recent years.
Read Shai Oster's fascinating report from Lhasa:
