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China Closes Everest to Curb Protests

Posted Mar 13, 08 9:13 AM CDT in Sports,  World 

(Newser) – China has closed down Mount Everest, worried that pro-Tibet protesters might disrupt what’s supposed to be the emotional and physical pinnacle of this summer's Olympic torch relay—the ascent to the summit. Just ahead of the climbing season—April, May and early June—authorities  told expedition companies the Tibetan side of the peak is being shut down, the Times reports. “We are not able to accept your expedition, so please postpone your climbing.”

The reason given was "crowded climbing routes and increasing environmental pressures," but Chinese officials have been spooked about potential protests since last April, the Times notes, when American activists unfurled a “Free Tibet” banner from the Everest base camp. Now, as the world's gaze shifts to Beijing, monks are launching their biggest protests in decades, heightening tensions.

Source Times (UK)

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Tibetan exiles sing and shout slogans before a march in Takipur, about 40 kilometers, or 25 miles from Dharamshala, India, Wednesday, March 12, 2008.   (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
In this 1995 photo provided by John Heilprin, a Nepali herds pack-laden yaks through the village of Thame in Nepal.   (AP Photo/John Heilprin)
Members of the Chinese Mount Everest expedition team climb up to measure the height of the mountain in this May 2005 file photo.   (AP Photo/Xinhua, Suolang Luobu, File)
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China • 2008 Beijing Olympics • Tibet • Olympic torch • Tibetan independence • Nepal • Mount Everest


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