Tibet Government Issues Warning Ahead of Olympic Torch Arrival

By Jill DrewWashington Post Foreign Service
BEIJING, April 24 -- Tibetan government authorities warned today that there would be severe consequences for anyone who spreads rumors that "excite popular feeling," as the region braces for the arrival of the Olympic torch sometime in the next couple of weeks.
"We will severely root out and give no indulgence to people with ulterior motives who spread rumors or excite popular feelings," the Tibetan government said in a notice posted on its Web site.
Chinese officials are sticking to a controversial plan for torchbearers to bring the Olympic flame over the top of Mt. Everest and into downtown Lhasa, the scene of a deadly riot against Chinese rule last month. Reports of scattered protests continue to seep out of Tibet, even though armed police have flooded the area, searching monasteries and houses and sometimes confiscating cell phones and computers, exile groups say. The region is off-limits to foreigners.
Local government officials are under pressure to ensure a smooth running of the torch and are tightening an already strict security regimen in the area. Selected foreign media will be allowed to accompany the torch onto Mt. Everest and into Lhasa, though government officials have this week been trying to reduce the length of time reporters will be permitted in the region. read more http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/24/AR2008042401485.html