Recently Hong Kong reporters were allowed into Lhasa. They reported armed police in the streets and continued heavy-handedness by the local communist party.
An article in Reuters, Hong Kong warns that the situation is getting worse despite international pressure. The earthquake in Sichuan is diverting attention from the Tibetan problem. This is being used as a convenient moment to apply more pressure to force compliance.
The earthquake and the Tibetan human rights protests are two huge challenges for the government.
Threshold 