Due to Chinese fear of an uprising for the 50th anniversary of the exile of the Dalai Lama, tourist operators have been told to cancel all upcoming trips for the foreseeable future and to expect that it will be some time before normal travel resumes.

The travel restrictions aren’t limited just to tourists, foreign journalists have also been denied access up to at least the end of March.  Also last week the mobile telephone system was shut down, under claims of system maintenance that will take at least three to four weeks.

A variety of tibetan websites have also been blocked or filtered for content as well.

Last week, China’s President Hu essentially banished the already banished Dalai Lama from Tibet and China due to their fear that unrest in Tibet is being stirred up by followers of the Dalai Lama in India.