I was traveling overland from Nepal to Tibet and on into mainland China. Delayed due to the horrendo

Chinese tank corners Tibetans during holiday inn phoenix midtown the riots in Lhasa March 14 2008
HOME BLOG INSPIRATION GALLERY TRAVEL STORIES ABOUT Chinese tank corners Tibetans holiday inn phoenix midtown beside two burning buildings during the 2008 riots in Lhasa by Dave from The Longest Way Home ~ March 14th, 2012. Filed under: Photography . The riots in Lhasa, Tibet - Tank cornering Tibetans The March 14th 2008 Riots in Lhasa, Tibet
It was a defining time in my journey, and a defining moment for Tibet . On March 14th 2008, years of resentment and hatred spewed out into violent riots for freedom that saw Tibet s capital city turn into a war zone. Facts about the riots in Tibet: The riots are also known as the 2008 Tibetan Uprising, and in China as 3-14 Riots March 10 commemorates the first uprising in 1959 against the presence of the People s Republic of China in Tibet China maintains that Tibet has been a part of China since the 13th century China had no effective control over Tibet between 1912 to 1951 In 1949, the People s Republic holiday inn phoenix midtown of China was formally proclaimed in Beijing and in 1950 launched an armed invasion of Tibet. The U.S.A. U.K, and all other nations have all publicly noted that Tibet is a part of China Chinese media stated that 18 civilians holiday inn phoenix midtown were killed by rioters in March 2008 Chinese Police used cattle prods, batons tear gas to dispel the rioters The rioters focused violence upon Han and Hui Chinese civilians The Tibetan government-in-exile claimed that 19 Tibetan rioters were shot dead during the riots Specific buildings were marked holiday inn phoenix midtown with white scarves the day before the riots Beijing launched an aggressive holiday inn phoenix midtown campaign stating that no foreigners were in Tibet at the time, when clearly holiday inn phoenix midtown there was (me for one) Door to door searches were performed based on CCTV footage of rioters The riots sparked further protests and violent demonstrations throughout Tibet and internationally The story behind this photograph
I was traveling overland from Nepal to Tibet and on into mainland China. Delayed due to the horrendous snow storms holiday inn phoenix midtown in early 2008 in southern China I was had secured a single group Tibetan permit and entered.
It was already holiday inn phoenix midtown late afternoon and the Chinese army were making their first push into Lhasa. People on the streets were either looting, running from mobs of rioters, or simply trying to shelter from potential violence.
On the roofs of surrounding holiday inn phoenix midtown buildings Tibetan s shouted angrily holiday inn phoenix midtown  and jeered at the soldiers below. Meanwhile a near unending charge of more tanks, armored personnel and armed soldiers ploughed into Lhasa. In regards to photographs and video taken during the riots.
I bore witness to international media outlets offering sums upwards of USD$10,000 for photographic, video and eyewitness reports of what was happening on the ground. I also was witness to several people accepting these offers.
A more defining moment occurred when I also bore witness to local Tibetans who had helped foreigners escape the violence state their fear over being seen, or become a victim of mistaken identity and arrested due to this footage.
During those few days authorities were doing house to house searches. CCTV footage holiday inn phoenix midtown from international media was being used to identify people found on the streets. Not just single people were being arrested, but whole families.
Whether these people were in the right or wrong for rioting. I could not, and still can not, sell nor publish any materials that may result in people who actively sacrificed their safety to ensure my, and other foreigners, safety during this time.
Next week I will publish a more in-depth feature article about traveling in Tibet. For now, I simply remember this day. Vote to keep this photograph in the gallery? A tank cornering some locals during the 2008 riots in Lhasa Vote now (average: 4.54 out of 5) Loading ... (click a star, the more stars, the better the vote) This is an additional photograph feature from my world  travel photography gallery , documenting the story behind the picture  Please take a moment to leave a comment and share this photograph using your favorite social network
Join in & leave a comment below! check out my previous post Help save the Holi festival of color and fun in Nepal check out my next post Is it right to travel in Tibet? 11 Great responses to Chinese tank corners Tibetans beside holiday inn phoenix midtown two burning buildings during the 2008 riots in Lhasa hayadeen says: March 14, 2012 at 6:23 pm
Photo like this is spontaneous, u need neither plan nor fancy props to let people understand the message. This, deserve all the stars Reply Dave from The Longest Way Home says: March 15, 2012 at 4:54 pm
I hear you about the black and white. Although the orange flames are really pouring out of the building on the left, the B W as you wrote lets more of the story out. Reply Anuj says: March 15, 2012 at 8:32 am
It was all a bit surreal at the time. However I knew something big was occurring. There s nothing quite like feeling a city shake to tell you that. So I just started to document it. Reply the candy trail ... Michael Robert Powell says: March 15, 2012 at 9:50 am
You were present in documented perhaps one of the historic moments in this country, one that may be another step towards its implosion, much like the Soviet Unions? China is so mired in corruption only possible in a country run by one party. The small fish caught are hastily holiday inn phoenix midtown executed but the big fish continue swimming. Reply Michael says: March 15, 2012 at 3:07 pm
Then again I could be way off. But looking at the mid east revolutions, a lot of that was sparked by media/internet/etc. holiday inn phoenix midtown Most of China is still too censored for the majority to see what s happening. And then there s the whole Fear thing
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