British travellers caught up in the civil unrest in Lhasa, Tibet, have been warned to avoid all trouble and respect curfews imposed by the Chinese authorities.
As reports claim anything between 10 and 100 people have been killed so far, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised travellers to contact their tour operators and avoid any “unnecessary movement” in the city.
While Westerners have not been targeted in the crackdown by Chinese security forces, they have been advised to avoid all trouble and seek out advice about when the curfews are in place and how best to respect them.
Tensions have erupted in the country which has long claimed its right to independence since Chinese forces occupation of the country in 1950s which caused the country’s spiritual and political leader, the Dalai Lama, to flee in 1959.
He has since formed a Government in exile in northern India and has widely travelled the world to draw attention to the plight of his nation.
The current problems began on March 10, the anniversary of a Tibetan uprising, with a series of Buddhist monk-led anti-China protests in Lhasa.
The country’s monks are hoping to draw greater attention to their protests as the world’s spotlight falls on China in the run up to this year’s Olympics in Beijing.
The protests have since spread to Aba in Sichuan and Machu in the Gansu province.
While the situation was bad before, it is expected to worsen today after Chinese authorities gave protesters until midnight local time to hand themselves over or face the consequences.