Unexpected Holidays : Tourist Films Tibet Riots
CHAN:A tourist from Sydney joined a guided tour of Tibet in mid-March hoping to witness the culture and natural beauty of the region. Instead he witnessed the largest outbreak of protests against Chinese rule in decades... and caught it all on film.STORY:It's not a typical holiday video but this footage was shot by a tourist. Mike Smith went to Tibet to experience its culture and beauty. Instead the 24-year-old Australian witnessed Tibetan protesters rioting in the streets.[Mike Smith, Australian Tourist]:"We knew already that March is a politically sensitive time to be traveling in Tibet and during that protest a number of monks were arrested by the Chinese forces, which is I guess the last wound that Tibetan people suffered and the next day young Tibetan men took to the streets."Over a 48-hour period Mike witnessed one of the most violent uprisings in decades. And he got a real sense of the anger many Tibetans feel about Chinese rule.[Tibetan Protester]:"In Lhasa we don't have any freedoms, Chinese government tell to Tibetan people all over the world, they are keeping the freedoms for the Tibet people, we don't have any freedom."Smith filmed much of the footage from his hotel after it became too dangerous on the streets.[Mike Smith, Australian Tourist]:"I can't speculate as to what kind of force was used because I didn't see it either but I definitely saw the both sides of the story and it was one end of the street was young Tibetan men with nothing but sticks and at the other end of the street was the might of Imperial China with tanks and riot police and army officers, so."Mike is now back in Sydney. He got out of the country after he and some other tourists were escorted to the nearest train station by Chinese police. There they hired four-wheeled drive cars and fled to Nepal.[Mike Smith, Australian Tourist]:"My Tibetan tour guide actually grabbed me and pulled me back inside the hotel, and said that he was legitimately scared for his safety and the other Tibetans who were part of his company and for his family's safety. If we were to be captured with video footage he said he would go to jail for at least fifteen years."It's not clear how many people died during the violence then or since. But Mike says he will try and find somewhere a little safer for his next holiday.
Author: NTDTV
Keywords: tourism films tibet riots monks arrested China holiday community personals random unexpected
Added: March 22, 2008