Focus Tibet

… and pilgrims experience travel restrictions to Lhasa

Traveling within Tibet is also becoming more difficult for pilgrims. Since the lifting of the Covid restrictions, pilgrims wishing to travel to Lhasa from regions outside the capital are subject to stricter regulations. You must first apply to your local authority for your trip. This must confirm that the applicants "do not incite or participate in any protest that disrupts social stability". They then have to send the permit to Lhasa, along with the name of a Lhasa resident who will certify that the travelers will act accordingly. The local guarantor must also register with the authorities. Since 2018, travelers have needed a permit to enter Lhasa. What is new, however, is the local registration.

According to Radio Free Asia, several groups of pilgrims from other regions of Tibet have had to return because they could not find a person to sponsor them in Lhasa and were therefore unable to find accommodation. If you are already known to the authorities for "political offenses", it is hardly possible to get the travel permit.

Radio Free Asia, April 28, 2023 // dr. Uwe Meya

Photo: Uwe Meya

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