Tibet's holiest temple reopens after unrest in China

updated 2:33 a.m. ET May 17, 2008

BEIJING - Tibet's holiest Buddhist temple reopened Friday, state-run media reported, two months after a violent uprising in Tibetan areas throughout China led the government to close off several of the region's most important monasteries.

The Jokhang Temple in the heart of Lhasa had been under heavy security after peaceful protests by Buddhist monks against Chinese rule on March 10 spread and turned violent four days later.

Police and armed troops quickly surrounded the Jokhang Temple and Lhasa's three main monasteries — Sera, Drepung and Ganden — as authorities investigated which monks had been involved in the unrest.

Angry monks later disrupted a government-led media tour at the Jokhang, shouting that all 117 monks had been shut inside the temple since the day the protests began and that the guards were only removed when the foreign journalists arrived.

"What the government is saying is not true," a monk shouted during the 15-minute outburst as the monks complained about a lack of religious freedom.

Overseas-based advocacy groups had worried for the monks' safety. The Chinese-installed vice governor promised they would not be punished for their outburst.

The official Xinhua News Agency report Friday did not quote Chinese officials, explain why the temple reopened or say what happened to the monks. It said about 400 believers and 40 tourists visited the temple in the 3 1/2 hours it was open.

Phone calls to the temple went unanswered Saturday morning.

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