To mark the end of Tibet's annual grand prayer festival, crowds of russet- robed monks ritually parade a statue of the "future Buddha" around the courtyard of Lhasa's Jokhang Temple. This year Chinese officials approached that ceremony with trepidation. They feared a renewal of the violence of last October, in which thousands rioted against rule by Beijing, imposed upon Tibet in 1950. On the designated morning, some 2,000 police lined the streets of Lhasa; others perched on rooftops or mingled with the throng of 25,000 pilgrims. But their presence did not intimidate.
Shortly after the procession got under way, hundreds of...
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