China has announced that the lifting of reporting restrictions on foreign journalists, introduced as a temporary measure in advance of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, are to become permanent.

Tibet, however, has been specifically excluded from the lifting of restrictions. Speaking at a late-night press briefing on 17 October, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Liu Jianchao said:

"Foreign reporters still need to ask for permission to do reporting in Tibet and other areas that are off-limits to foreign reporters, like some military facilities”.

By insisting that foreign journalists still require special permission to travel to Tibet to speak to Tibetans, China is attempting to control news coming out of Tibet.

Some foreign journalists have been allowed to travel to Lhasa, but only after seeking special permission from the Chinese authorities. But foreign journalists are still prohibited from travelling to sensitive areas, like Ngaba county in the Amdo region of Tibet, where major protests against Chinese rule took place on March 16 this year and where, according to eyewitnesses that spoke to Free Tibet, Chinese armed police opened fire on unarmed Tibetan civilians killing at least 13.

Read the Xinhua article here
Read the Telegraph article here