China: Civilians in violence and conflict · Global Voices
Bob Chen

In order to stop the spreading panic, most of the detailed recounts of what is happening in Tibet are filtered out; however, a few blogs have survived to report what had happened at the frontline.
In the propaganda sparring, each side has shown their best skills to stand their positions by the name of “people” on their banners. But given the records of people who have in person witnessed the violence and anti-violence by the means of crackdown, it's the thousands of commons who were hurled into a sea of infinite fear.
Jiandanai posted a letter from his Tibetan schoolmate in Tibet, which records the violence aimed at Hans in Tibet
在我个人看来，此次事件策划非常圆满，从3月10号开始，拉萨周边寺庙的喇嘛尼姑就入城集会闹事，被迅速驱散（市中心大昭寺广场，数十名僧人举藏独的雪山狮子旗呼喊独立口号，两分钟内被抓捕）。之后，拉萨大批警力被派往寺庙周围，城内警力有限。到了14号上午10点，开始有人围攻市区内小昭寺外执勤警察，迅速演化为暴力行为，全城开花。可以说是非常漂亮的声东击西。
I personally think the riot is quite successfully planned. Since 10 March, monks and nuns around Lhasa have entered downtown to protest, but were soon dispelled. Then, great hordes of police were sent to around the temples at suburb, thus the force available in city was limited. On 14th, 10 am, some started to siege the police outside the Xiaozhao Temple in the city, and the action soon turned into violence. The whole city was then thrown into the insurgence. A very pretty feint.
14 号白天，在骚乱地点是见一个汉人就杀，死亡数据是封锁了的。但在14日晚九点，我同事的爱人在公安厅，当时透露了一个数据，汉族平民死亡大概在一百七八十左右，之后就没有数据了。拉萨各医院住满了伤亡者（我在报社的朋友去医院采访，亲眼见到5个失去了耳朵的伤者，还有一具被点了”天灯”女尸），武警总医院是隔几分钟就抬入一个受伤战士（因为白天不能动武，只靠人墙去挡）。顺便，可以告诉你两例真实的暴行：一是三名藏族男子追上一汉族女子，每人一刀；另一是以纯专卖店的5位花季店员，汽油瓶丢入，卷帘门拉下，被活活烧死。
On the day of 14th, (mobs) killed every Han they met at where the riot was going. But the overall death toll was unreleased. However, my colleague’s spouse who worked in Public Security department told that about 170 Hans died. Then there was no more statistics. Hospitals in Lhasa were crowded with the injured. My friend working in newspaper office has been there and saw in person 5 people lost their ears and one body of a female burnt to death. In the police hospital, every a few minutes an armed police was sent in, as in daytime they could not crackdown by force but could just stopped the mob with flesh wall.
By the way, I can tell you 2 cases of real violence: 3 Tibetans caught up a Han girl and each gave her a knife stab; another case —– 5 young salespeople were kept in a shop, door shuttered up and gas bottles thrown in. They were burnt to death.
14号夜间，对于冲击武警的，已经可以开枪了。15号凌晨5点（拉萨在西部，此时还是黑夜），军队进城，同时有40多辆轮式装甲车进入。15号15点（在拉萨，这个时间相当于天津13点），三十余辆履带式装甲车入城（对于所有汉族人，振奋人心）；同时，15号开始入户搜捕。16号22点，履带式装甲车撤出，局势基本控制，但仍有零星事件。现在17号11时，我们正常上班。
On 14th, the police were allowed to shoot at those who strike them. At 5 am, 15th, the army drove in with 40 wheeled armor cars. (That inspired us Han). And on 15th the police broke in homes for search. On 22; 00, 16th, the pedrail tanks withdrew, situation under control. But pieces of violence still existed. At 11 am, 17th, we were back to work.
Shops on fire
Town after battle
A girl working in Lhasa also recorded the day and night during the unrest. She kept using “scared” in a row.
一整个下午，都在惊恐中度过，一会儿听人说看到有装甲车出现……一会儿听人说坦克也开出来了……一会儿看到冒烟了，方位是小昭寺，我不敢出去，也不知道到底外面怎么了，只是听到很吵，有尖叫，有起哄，有追赶的声音，后来还听到两次120的声音，还有什么东
东爆炸的声音。
The whole afternoon was spent in panic. For a while we heard that armored cars had showed up…. for another while it’s said tanks came too, and then smoke rising at around Xiaozhao Temple. I dared not go out, and had no idea what’s happening outside. There was all noise —– screaming, guffaws, sound of chasing, 120 (emergency medical call) for twice and something blown up.
晚饭还好，有中午剩下的菜汤，再加点菜，居然很香！吃饭时发现多了好多人，一共十几个人吧，哪冒出这么多的人？奇怪？还有两个四川人，好像受伤了 一问，才知道是翻墙逃到隔壁屋顶上，观察良久，再翻到我们院子里来的。不知道是不是傍晚时分在我们巷子里被打得很惨叫声的主人。当时我们也吓坏了，都不敢 说话，也不敢开门，怕一说话，坏蛋一听是汉人就冲撞进来，那后果真是不敢想像……
The dinner, some soup left from lunch plus a few more dishes, is fine. It tasted so good! When at table I found quite more people, over 10 totally. Where did they come up? So strange. And there were 2 men from Sichuan, who seemed injured. The men said they hurdled the wall and observed the situation for quite a long time before skipping down to our yard. I was not sure if they were exactly the men beaten up howling when at dusk. We were so scared too, speechless, daring not to open the door for the fear that the thugs would broke in on hearing we are Han. I am too frightful to imagine that.
我打电话给还住在平措青年旅馆的温州女孩联系，问她是否平安，她说现在停 电了，什么都看不到，晚上只有一点点吃的卖很贵，下午看到平措的两边门都烧起来了，边上有家银行（应该也是门）也被烧了，旅馆老板在楼下值班守夜，她很害 怕，安慰了她一阵子挂了电话，其实我也害怕……
I phone a Wenzhou girl staying at Pingchuo Youth Hotel for regard. She said the place was out of power. The only little food could be bought was so dear. She saw the doors of Pingchuo burnt at noon and so did the door of a bank nearby. The hotel owner was keeping watch downstairs and she was also scared. I comforted her for a while and ringed off. Actually I was scared no less.
和我们一起的有游客，有在拉萨投资的，当然还有这家主人，大家表面上都不说，可是我相信大家心里都很怕！很 很怕！很很很怕！ 这逃进来的两个人中其中一个告诉我们，他的摩托车被烧了，车上有现金两万元人民币和无数帐单……我们当时就告诉他，人没事才是最重要的！他们被打劫了， 身上的钱也被抢了，而且，被打得好惨，进到我们这里，脸都是惨白的……虽然我没和他们在一起，听到他们说这些，仍然觉得，有政府各部门的关爱真是一件非常幸福的事情！假设这个时候没有政府在保护，我们这些待在拉萨的人们，是怎样的一番场景？
Staying with us were tourists, investors in Lhasa, and of course the owner of the house. Though no one spoke it out, I was sure every one of us was very scared. Very very very scared!
One of the two found here a shelter said his motor was burnt along with the 20000 RMB cash and bills on it…. We told them it’s the personal safety that matters!
They were robbed and beaten up, faces pale.
Though I had not been with them at the time, when hearing this I still thought how lucky to have the care from the government. Imagine what would have happened then without the protection of the government? What would we staying in Lhasa be?
They are both wanted by the government. Who are they? Martyrs or just killers?
Finally, a wife is praying for her husband who had been sent to Tibet for crackdown.
老公前天晚上挺进西藏了，现在也也不知道到哪了，怎么样杨，手机估计又是没有电了，联系不上，昨晚给邱打电话问了问说是要求三天内到达，应该也快到了吧。
郁闷，前几天没有看新闻，不是老公说是要去西藏还不知道发生了这么大的事情，不过好像也跟我们的生活没有太大的关系，日子照旧。可是现在不同了，这一切却 是跟我的生活挂钩了，老公去了青海保护西藏去了，在我生日的前一天晚上确切说是我生日当天的凌晨，这是我最后一个单身生日了，可是老公不在
Two nights ago my husband marched to Tibet, and I know nothing about where he is now. The cell phone must have been out of power, contact lost. Qiu told that they were demanded to reach within 3 days. They should be there now.
Gloomy…. I hadn’t read news a few days ago until my husband said he would go to Tibet. But it seemed to have nothing to do with our life. Well, now everything is different. My husband was sent to Qinghai to protect Tibet, exactly on the early morning of my birthday, a time He should have been here.
就在他们出发的那天下午—还不知道要去，去买了戒指项链等东西，总共有一万六七吧，不过还好花了7000。要不我肯定有的心疼好长一阵子了。给他也买 了不过好像也不是特别合适但是晚上他就出发了，现在也没有办法去换，只有等到回来了再去。我的戒指也稍有一点大，可是他那没有这个款了，而且这个还是铂金 镶的VVS级别的钻，应该说是很不错的，换一个可能就不会有这么好了吧。
下午去跟妈妈逛乐逛，看了看婚纱，水分还是挺大的，有一个老板要500多，后来直接跟我们说不到300，应该还能便宜。
这两天晚上一个人也不想睡觉，看电视到困的不想看了抱着枕头倒头便睡，不习惯没有他的日子，不习惯没有人陪，希望他们在外边一切顺顺利利，能够照顾好自己，也不知道给他带的衣服会不会冷，笨蛋的我还是忘了给他带洗发水了，怎么洗头发呀？
期望西藏早点安定，盼望老公早点回来
祝福西藏，祝福老公！
On the day they set off —– we didn’t know it then—- we did shopping for rings and necklace. It’s good that we just spent about 7000 or I have to be sorry for the money for quite a while. I bought some for him too, but it doesn’t fit very well. However, we had no chance to ask for a change now. I have to wait until he is back.
These two nights I don’t feel like to sleep until the TV shows made me extremely sleepy to midnight. So unaccustomed to the days without him, without a companion.
Hope they can be fine outside, take good care of themselves, and I don’t know if they’ll suffer cold with the clothes I sent. How stupid that I forgot to bring him shampoo. How could he wash hair?
Wish a peaceful Tibet coming soon, wish my husband coming soon.
Blessing on Tibet, on my husband!
They carry out orders. But what are their stories behind the cool masks?