China Exclusive: The rioters are senseless, overseas tourists in Lhasa say

LHASA, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Overseas tourists who are staying in Lhasa on Monday after the unrest said the rioters were senseless, and several complained that they had to cut short their travel plans.

A man from Sweden who only gave his name as Janne said the situation is safe now, but recalled that the rioters who embarked on brutal sabotage seemed senseless.

"It happened suddenly. People started to smash glass windows, burn cars and shops, and they became more aggressive," Janne said. He was eating at a Chinese restaurant on the east Beijing Road when the riot occurred.

The Swede, in his 40s, has been on a cycling trip in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region for the last four months, and was staying at the Phuncor Khasan International Youth Hotel. "When I got back to the hotel, my hostel manager told me I should not go out any more," he said.

Recalling the night of chaos, Janne said the rioters were carrying knives, iron bars and backpacks full of rock. "The unrest was definitely well-organized."

He said he remembered seeing people chased and badly hurt by mobs. "It was senseless."

"Most of the people engaged in the arson were young people," he said.

"I also saw a Canadian-looking man who tried to block punches from the mobs on one of the victims. The mobs then retreated and the man escorted the victim to the backyard," he said.

He said he didn't see any fights between police and the rioters that day . "I saw the reports, but the descriptions don't correspond with what I saw," he said.

Asked about his travel plans, he said he planned to stay on for a couple of weeks before heading to Xinjiang, in China's northwest. "I think the city situation is stable now, now people are shopping in supermarkets. I'm relieved the riot is over," he said.

Lhasa is now recovering from the violence, but several tourists who spoke to Xinhua on Monday said their travel plans had to be cut short because of the unrest.

Four Hong Kong tourists, who were at the same hotel with Janne on Monday and preferred not to be named, said they were flying out on Tuesday.

A Japanese tourist who gave his name as Oguma Kenichi told Xinhua that he was also leaving.