Now I will keep my comments to a minimal, and let some articles--most of which are eye-witness accounts "who wish to remain anonymous," or non-Tibetan Chinese understandings of and reactions to what has gone on--that I've pieced together, speak for themselves.
Narratives
3/12: "Monks under siege in monasteries as protest ends in a hail of gunfire" --UK Times Online
3/14: Eyewitness: Monk 'kicked to floor' --BBC Online
Sub-headline: "With tension rising in Tibet following a series of anti-China protests, the BBC spoke to an eyewitness who saw police on Wednesday beating monks at one of three monasteries which have been sealed. He wishes to be identified only as John."
3/16: Lhasa eyewitness: 'City in cinders'--BBC Online
Sub-headline: "After days of violent street protests, a Western tourist in Lhasa, who wishes to remain anonymous, describes a tense, deserted city firmly in the hands of the Chinese military."
Sub-headline: As the deadline for Tibetan protesters to surrender to the police passes, people elsewhere in China give their reaction to the protests and violence in Tibet.
 Zhang Yi Fan says the Dalai Lama should have called for restraint |
I stand by my government on this issue.
The Dalai Lama is the main cause of the suffering of both Tibetans and Chinese in Tibet. He could stop the protesters but he doesn't.
He gave the people who remain loyal to him the wrong ideas and asked kind-hearted people to risk their lives for his political interests.
Our government has had to send in the troops and protect our people to make society stable.
People haven't paid enough attention to the suffering of the Chinese in Tibet. They were targeted by the rioters.
We can't get enough information because the government doesn't let us know what is happening in Tibet. All the information I get is from foreign websites. Many people here don't know there is a serious situation in Tibet. It's just people like me who care about politics.
But I think the government has done the right thing in this instance. Many of their claims can be proved by the footage we have seen of destruction in Lhasa.
I think Tibet is a small problem that can be resolved. The Chinese economy and Chinese society is very stable now. The economy is growing fast.
Life for people all across China and all its regions is getting better and better.
We must remember that all over the world there are battles between people with differences. And these differences exist in China too.
I think China needs its stability and so I think it is fine for the army to go into Tibet. Every government should show its force and its ability to control troubled situations.
If things are proving difficult to control, the army is the best option.
We get a lot of criticism but the best way is to follow law and government. I think Buddhism is a very good religion and I don't think the monks should act so much against government.
The timing is very sensitive. China is due to have its Olympic Games this year.
 Jinjie Chen says people have the right to demonstrate peacefully |
I think this is why those people chose this time to riot. Many are unsatisfied with the Chinese government and the country. They want to cause riots, maybe even engage in some terrorist activities before, during or after the Olympic Games.
These people know that it is a huge thing for China to have the Olympics. The world's attention is on us. It is a good opportunity for them to take advantage.
Honestly, I think these are the actions of a small number of people.
But, I have to say, it makes me angry. I think it makes most Chinese people angry. Everyone has their own problems but I do not think that such violent acts are a good option.
We must make the distinction between a peaceful demonstration and violent anti-social acts. I fully understand people who want to make their voice heard and raise their ideas. That is their right.
But I saw evidence that young Tibetans had planned to act violently. They had bought bricks and stones with them. That can't be right.3/17: Tibet anti-China protests spread --BBC Online
Little public sympathy
In Lanzhou, ordinary people appear to know little of what is going on in Gansu's Tibetan regions and beyond.
 |  I understand the disturbance has been organized by the Dalai Lama to target the Olympics  Man in Lanzhou |
In the Lanzhou Morning Post there was no mention of the trouble that had erupted just down the road in the province's Gannan Autonomous Tibetan prefecture.
The front-page headline in the Lanzhou Morning Post followed the lead of the previous night's news bulletins, reporting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's re-selection as the county's premier.
When asked about the protests, one woman told the BBC: "The price of consumer goods has gone up very rapidly so I think the demonstrations must be linked to that."
Ordinary people that wanted to comment on the protests had little sympathy with the Tibetans and their cause.
"I think they are causing a disturbance without reason. I understand it has been organised by the Dalai Lama to target the Olympics," said one man.
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